Seventy-two percent of humans trafficked in the world are for the purpose of sexual exploitation; sex slaves. The remaining are for forced labor; slavery. Females are most vulnerable for sexual exploitation. CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States, aka the former Soviet Union) is ranked as very high in the UN human trafficking ranking categories. Other very high countries are Thailand and China.
The primary destination points for women from the CIS - North America (that's us and Canada) and Western Europe. Atlanta, Georgia being the number one destination point.
I recently returned from a trip in the CIS. I visited Ukraine and Moldova. In Moldova, they are seeing a huge effect of emigration on their country. They are loosing the smartest and most talented to better opportunities abroad. They are loosing the most desperate to human trafficking networks. These issues have touched every individual in that country in one way or another; no person or family is isolated.
I had a conversation with one of our partners there. He was telling me that Moldova allows for dual citizenship. I asked about the immigration policies for foreigners. He said, "I don't know. I don't know a single person who has come to this country. They are all leaving."
Human trafficking isn't just a problem in Thailand or the CIS. It should concern us all. It is our modern form of slavery.
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My source for these statistics is the UN Information on Trafficking in Human Beings
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