World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2026
Date/Time
Date(s) - 30/07/2026
12:00 am
Categories
On 30 July 2026 the theme of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons will be
Trapped behind the scam
In East and South-East Asia, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that financial losses from scams targeting victims in 2023 were between US $18 billion and $37 billion with a high proportion of these losses attributes to scams committed by organized crime groups located in the region.
How does trafficking for forced criminality in scams work?
- Fake job ads: Victims are deceived by fraudulent advertisements promising legitimate employment abroad.
- Scam compounds: Victims are transported to illegal compounds and coerced into running online fraud operations.
- Cyber-enabled fraud: Workers are forced to execute romance scams, crypto fraud and other schemes targeting victims globally.
- Coercion and violence: Quotas, surveillance, violence and debt bondage keep victims trapped in conditions of fear.
On World Day against Trafficking in Persons 2026, UNODC calls for greater action to protect victims, and strengthen cross-border judicial and law enforcement cooperation to disrupt the transnational organized crime groups responsible.
For more information click here.
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