Trafficking Policies

Trafficking Facts and Figures In:

Australia Bangladesh Burma Cambodia China Japan

Nepal New Zealand Philippines Taiwan Thailand Vietnam

(a) To prevent and combat trafficking in persons, paying particular attention to women and children;
(b) To protect and assist the victims of such trafficking, with full respect for their human rights; and
(c) To promote cooperation among States Parties in order to meet those objectives.

The Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and the Trafficking Protocol were opened for signature in Italy in December of 2000. All countries signed the Convention, while only 80 signed the Trafficking Protocol. For a complete list of countries that signed the Convention and Protocols, visit: http://www.uncjin.org/Documents/documents.html.

What are the minimum standards set by the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000?

The Act defines "minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking" as follows:

Tier 1 = Countries whose governments fully comply with the Act’s minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.

Tier 2 = Countries whose governments do not fully comply with those standards but are making "significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance" with the standards.

Tier 3 = Countries whose governments do not fully comply with those standards and are not making in effort to comply.

To see a complete list of all countries in each tier and the specific trafficking narratives for each country please view:

The Global Alliance Against Trafficking in Women was founded in October 1994 to aid in efforts against trafficking in women. GAATW works to increase political action at the national, regional and international level. Activities include research and the development of manuals and training workshops.

CATW is a global coalition working against trafficking in women. CATW addresses not only issues of trafficking and prostitution, but also rape, incest, and pornography.

The EWL is the organization for all women's organizations within the EU. The EWL sees trafficking in women as an important issue to focus on and strives for a joint standpoint on the issue. While some organizations under the EWL want to stop trafficking in women and legalize prostitution, other organizations want both prostitution and trafficking to be illegal.

Estimates: 200,000 women and girls have been trafficked to Pakistan in the last 10 years, continuing at the rate of 200-400 women monthly. In 1994 alone, 2,000 women were prostituted in 6 major cities in India. In Dhaka, almost 2,000 of 5,000 prostitutes are children.

Estimates: 20,000-30,000 trafficked women and girls in Thailand, about 1,000 from Shan state are in Chiang Mai. As illegal immigrants in Thailand, the women are arrested, detained and deported back to Burma, with 50%-70% being HIV positive.

Current estimates: 10,000-15,000 women trafficked, 35% of whom are minors. The figure had been about 6,000 in 1991, but after the arrival of the UN UNTAC troops, the numbers rose to 20,000 in 1992. 48% of the women and girls in brothels were abducted and sold there, and are often resold to other brothels or to traders who smuggle them out of the country, for example to Thailand and Vietnam.

There is a resurgence of prostitution and trafficking in women and girls all over China, involving a high percentage of children and minors. In 1994, 15,000 cases involving the sale of women as wives or of prostitution were handled by the police. In some regions, Vietnamese, Burmese and Tibetan women have also been trafficked. Shangchuando Island off Guandong is a tourist spot offering drugs and sex casinos with 300 women from all over China. There are now 70 million unmarried men in China as a consequence of the son preference of Chinese families. Many are desperately seeking women. Women are allured and trafficked according to the study of Le Thi Quy.

Largest sex industry market for Asian women. Over 150,000 non-Japanese women in prostitution, mostly Thai and Filipino women. East European women have also been noted. The sex industry accounts for 1% of GNP and equals the country's defense budget. One "sex zone" in Tokyo only 0.34 sq. km., has 3,500 sex "facilities"; strip theaters, peep shows, "soaplands," "lovers' banks," porno shops, sex telephone clubs, karaoke bars, clubs, etc.

Estimates: 5,000 women and girls are trafficked to India yearly. After India with 100,000 women, Hong Kong is the second biggest market. Brokers especially in rural areas and even family members sell girls, husbands sometimes sell their wives to brothels. According to the book Rape for Profit about 50,000 Nepali women and girls have been trafficked to India. Every year about 10,000 Neplai girls, mostly between the ages of 9 and 16 are sold to brothels in Indian cities. According to international social agencies, this flow of neplai girls into Indian brothels is probably the busiest slave traffic of its kind anywhere in the world. Some experts believe that more than 200,000 Neplai girls are involved in the Indian sex trade.

Estimates: Majority of the 6,000-8,000 trafficked women are Asians. New Zealand is also used by traffickers of Thai women as a departure point for Japan, Australia and Cyprus.

Estimates: 300,000 women trafficked and 75,000 prostituted children. Government policies favor the export of entertainers and domestic helpers that put women at risk of sexual exploitation. Further, government approval of "R and R" privileges for the US navy sustains a system and infrastructure of military prostitution.

Estimates: 40,000 to 60,000 trafficked children. 40% of young prostitutes in the main red light district are aboriginal girls. Girls under 13 have been made to undergo hormone injections by brothel owners to hasten their physical development. About 70% of 1,771 women from Thailand detained between 1992-95 for illegally staying in Taiwan, were in the "entertainment" sector.

Estimates of women in prostitution range from 300,000 to 2.8 million, of which a third are minors and children. Thai women are also in prostitution in many counties in Asia, Australia, Europe and the US.

Estimates: Between 60,000 and 200,000 women and girls in prostitution. Trafficking happens through kidnapping for brothels, deceptive offers for jobs or tourist trips and marriage matchmaking with foreigners who sell and resell the women abroad. Organized tours of Taiwanese men come to buy brides for US$3,000.

What Is The Trafficking Protocol?	Global Alliance Against Trafficking In Women (GAATW)
What are the minimum standards set by the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 ?	Coalition Against Trafficking Women (CATW)
What does each of the three tiers in the Protection Act represent?	The European Women's Lobby (EWL)