World Day Against Trafficking in Persons - 30 July

Tags: Important Days

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons is an annual event observed on 30 July every year.

An Overview of the News

• The World Day Against Trafficking in Persons aims to raise awareness and prevent the widespread issue of people trafficking and modern slavery, which affects many countries around the world.

• The focus of the 2023 campaign, based on the latest UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, is to highlight developments and trends related to trafficking. It aims to urge governments, law enforcement, public services and civil society to evaluate and strengthen their efforts in prevention, victim assistance and ending impunity.

Theme:

• The theme for the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2023 is "Reach every victim of trafficking, leave no one behind."

• It stresses the need to support and protect all victims, while ensuring that no one is overlooked or neglected in the fight against trafficking.

Importance

• Human trafficking involves the exploitation of men, women and children, forcing them into labor or sex work. UNODC data showed that since 2003 there have been approximately 225,000 trafficking victims worldwide.

• Globally, there has been a significant increase in the detection and conviction of traffickers. This increase may be attributed to improved methods of victim identification and/or to an actual increase in the number of persons being trafficked.

History of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons

• In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly approved a Global Action Plan aimed at combating trafficking in persons worldwide. The plan called for collaborative efforts between governments to combat this harmful phenomenon.

• Based on the Global Action Plan, the United Nations General Assembly organised a high-level meeting in 2013 to advance the fight against human trafficking. During this meeting, the Member States unanimously adopted resolution A/RES/68/192.

• The resolution passed in 2013 officially designated July 30 as the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. The purpose of this annual celebration is to raise awareness of the plight of human trafficking victims and to emphasise the importance of protecting and promoting their rights.

• The World Day Against Trafficking in Persons aims to integrate the fight against trafficking into wider United Nations initiatives, contribute to global development and enhance security around the world.