United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is a United Nations agency that is mandated to assist Member States in their efforts to counter illicit drugs, crime, and terrorism. The UNODC was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Vienna, Austria. The UNODC has a global mandate and works in more than 90 countries, providing technical assistance and support to governments, civil society, and other partners. The UNODC’s work covers a range of areas, including drug control, crime prevention, criminal justice, and terrorism prevention. The UNODC also plays a key role in promoting the implementation of international conventions and agreements in these areas. The UNODC is headed by a Executive Director, who is appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Forced labour, prostitution and child marriages: rescuing victims of trafficking in Malawi
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Forced labour, prostitution and child marriages: rescuing victims of trafficking in Malawi

The six men from Nepal believed they were heading to the United States for work. Instead, after a long journey which took them through six countries, they arrived in Malawi. They were locked in a house and their passports were taken away.

Rising human trafficking takes on ‘horrific dimensions’: almost a third of victims are children
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Rising human trafficking takes on ‘horrific dimensions’: almost a third of victims are children

The study from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC, draws on information from 142 countries, examining trafficking trends and patterns. Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of UNODC, said that “human trafficking has taken on horrific dimensions as armed groups and terrorists use it to spread fear and gain victims to offer as incentives…

Governments need to step up protection for the most vulnerable, from ‘vile crime’ of human trafficking: UN chief
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Governments need to step up protection for the most vulnerable, from ‘vile crime’ of human trafficking: UN chief

“Trafficking in persons is a vile crime that feeds on inequalities, instability and conflict,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres in a statement, adding that traffickers “profit from peoples’ hopes and despair,” explaining that women and children are particularly vulnerable. According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking (ICAT), more than…

Ahead of World Day against human trafficking, UN expert stresses States’ obligation to stop ‘gross human rights violations’
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Ahead of World Day against human trafficking, UN expert stresses States’ obligation to stop ‘gross human rights violations’

Many of those falling prey to traffickers are migrants, including refugees and asylum seekers who have left their country of origin for various reasons; including conflict, natural disaster, persecution or extreme poverty. “They have left behind their social protection network, and are particularly vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation,” said Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, Special Rapporteur on…

UN experts urge India to align new anti-trafficking bill with human rights law
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UN experts urge India to align new anti-trafficking bill with human rights law

Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, and Urmila Boola, Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, said in a statement that they were “gravely concerned” about the bill as presented by the Government to the Indian Parliament last week. “Its focus on addressing trafficking from a criminal law perspective is not sufficiently complemented…

Joint Statement
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Joint Statement

On 31 December 2014, the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT), an alliance of six organizations committed to combatting human trafficking, concluded its long-standing work towards curbing one of the most heinous crimes and human rights violations of our time. Members of UN.GIFT Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) International…