There is no systematic and comprehensive data on the percentage of migrants trafficked. Nevertheless, according to IOM’s latest State of Migration Global report, existing data suggests that they represent only a small share of the 281 million international migrants in 2020.

However, the report notes that “this practice has serious consequences for its victims, their families and communities in countries of origin and destination. Trafficking in human beings has negative economic and social impacts, long-term mental and physical health impacts, and human rights consequences.”

In Africa, children did not ask for anything. But they pay the heaviest price for human trafficking resulting from the massive displacement of populations within the continent.

50% of trafficked migrants from and within Africa are children

African victims are mainly trafficked in their region of origin. According to CTDC (the Counter Trafficking Data Collaborative) data, reported in IOM’s 2022 report, 75% of them are trafficked in Africa itself, 13% in Europe, 7% in Asia and 5% in the Americas.

“Trafficking in Africa has two main particularities compared to other regions of the world. First, rather than sexual exploitation, trafficking in Africa is for the purpose of forced labour. These include begging (more than 25%) and domestic work (more than 40%). Second, the majority of victims are children, who account for more than 50% of detected victims on the continent,” the document notes.

“Trafficking of African children is particularly evident in West African countries such as Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo. In rural areas, children are mainly trafficked for agriculture and fishing. In urban areas, they are trafficked for forced begging, peddling and the perpetration of illicit activities.”

A real raid was carried out in 2019 by the international police agency, Interpol in Benin and Nigeria. In collaboration with the police authorities of these two West African countries. Some 220 victims of human trafficking were rescued. Among the victims rescued as part of the operation, which was called Sparrowhawk II, were 157 children between the ages of 11 and 16 all from Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria.

Sent to the border regions of Benin and Nigeria as “goods”, these children were forced to work as maids, porters, and some even forced into prostitution. According to the media Africa News, which processed the information at the time, the police had found a boy forced to carry bags of rice weighing up to 40 kg at the border between Benin and Nigeria. Trafficking patterns are different in other African subregions.

Forced labour, the main form of trafficking in Southern Africa

Forced labour remains the main form of trafficking in southern Africa, which is nevertheless characterised by a relatively high rate of forced marriage.

It should be noted that in East Africa, trafficking mainly involves adults for domestic work. In North Africa (particularly Libya), sexual exploitation, forced labour, slavery and forced marriage are widespread forms of exploitation.

In terms of trafficking in migrants worldwide, women still constitute the largest share of identified victims (about 65 per cent in total, of which 46 per cent are women and 19 per cent girls), but men are also victims of trafficking (20 percent men and 15 percent boys), including for forced labour, for which they account for nearly 60 percent of detected victims, says IOM’s 2022 report.

Difficulty of collecting data on migrants’ trafficking

The availability of administrative data on identified victims of trafficking depends on a range of factors, such as the functioning of anti-trafficking organisations or their ability to systematically collect or share data in any country/location. As UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) points out, the availability of rigorous data also depends on the data collection capacities of States, which are weak in some regions, such as sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia.

For example, UNODC is working with countries to apply a multi-system estimation (MSE) methodology to generate estimates of the number of unidentified victims of trafficking, based on robust national data. When implemented in the Netherlands, the MSE methodology revealed that unidentified victims of trafficking can outnumber detected victims four to five times.

In its latest global report, UNODC indicates that the annual number of victims of trafficking detected and reported by countries has increased from less than 20,000 in 2003 to approximately 49,000 in 2018, which is the most recent figure available.

According to traditional stereotypes, victims of trafficking are vulnerable women and children trafficked for sexual exploitation. The gender-based profile of victims has evolved over time.

Understanding migrant trafficking

In recent years, migrant trafficking has given rise to terrifying headlines in the media about migrants being sold in slave markets, tortured for ransom, or exploited in various industries. Today, organised criminal groups are trafficking migrants in virtually every country.

Victims often come from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds and/or low-income countries and are usually destined for wealthier countries, where their exploitation allows traffickers to obtain optimal financial returns. However, a mix is being made by various actors, including the media, which speak indiscriminately of trafficking and smuggling; as well as state authorities, who hijack the narrative on trafficking in their “fight” against irregular migration, laments IOM’s 2022 report.

“Whether through lack of knowledge or design, the consequences of this conflation go far beyond semantics: migrant victims may not be identified, which has implications for the investigation and prosecution of traffickers, the dismantling of organised crime networks and, above all, the protection to which victims are entitled”, reads the document produced in 2022.