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At least 700,000 people are trafficked worldwide each year; trafficking
is the fastest growing means by which people are enslaved today.
Young girls are trafficked to work as domestics
in West Africa, boys as young as four are abducted from countries
in South Asia and forced
to work as camel jockeys in the Gulf, and women from eastern Europe
are sold into Europe's sex industry.
To mark Human Rights Day, Tuesday 10 December, Anti-Slavery
International is calling on the public to sign our Stop Human
Traffic petition urging governments to introduce anti-trafficking
laws and to develop measures to protect the victims of human trafficking.
We aim to reach the 10,000-signature mark by the 10th -- http://www.stophumantraffic.org/petition.php
This abuse affects every continent and most countries. Traffickers
use deception, coercion and violence to trap their victims and force
them into exploitative work. Penalties are insufficient to deter
traffickers and people who have been trafficked are frequently treated
as criminals rather than as victims of human rights abuse.
"Governments need to protect the human rights of trafficked
people. The public has an important role to play. By signing Anti-Slavery
International's petition they show the UK Government and governments
around the world that human trafficking is an important issue and
fighting it must be made a priority," Director of Anti-Slavery
International
Mary Cunneen said.
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