Trafficking in persons is a modern-day form of slavery involving victims who are typically forced, defrauded or coerced into various forms of exploitation. Men, women and children are treated as inexpensive, expendable and profitable commodities used for benefit (financial or otherwise). Human traffickers often use existing migratory flows and look for migrants that can be potentially exploited. Trafficking has become one of the fastest growing and most lucrative crimes, occurring both worldwide and in individual countries, including those in the Caribbean region. The region’s trafficking trends include intra-regional flows and extra-regional flows (e.g. movement from South Asia or East Asia to the region). Caribbean countries also can serve as a transit route for trafficking, often destined towards North America and Europe. Additionally, internal trafficking, which occurs within a country’s borders, exists in some Caribbean nations. IOM’s Exploratory Assessment of Trafficking in Persons in the Caribbean Region identified some level of human trafficking in the areas of forced labour, sexual exploitation and domestic servitude. The victims (men, women, boys and girls from within and outside the region) were found to be trafficked through legal methods, such as work permits and visas, and illegal methods, such as smuggling.

This booklet was prepared with a mission to inform the public at large about human trafficking consisting in the exploitation of persons and prevent the rates and consequences of this crime which is today at the center of growing public attention worldwide.This booklet was published in the framework of the “School education on trafficking issues in Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan” regional project implemented by International Organization for Migration (IOM). The booklet is written in the form of questions and answers and focuses on theoretical framework of main trafficking issues.

The brochure contains messages on the risks of human trafficking and promotes safe migration behaviour. It also contains contact information of relevant State Agencies in the referral mechanism for the prevention of trafficking as well as assistance to trafficked persons, including the national counter-trafficking hotline numbers and relevant web portals.

This booklet provides an overview of what protection means in practice, who is responsible for making it happen and what those in need of protection can expect of humanitarians. The risks that people face can take many forms and require a range of actions, some more specialised than others. This booklet gives a broad outline for humanitarians in other fields, and also includes links to more detailed resources.

This booklet presents the status of knowledge on trafficking in persons in the context of armed conflict. It is based on an extensive review of literature and reports from regional and international organizations combined with primary information collected from areas where armed conflicts have been discussed by the United Nations Security Council. It draws on cases investigated by the international criminal tribunals and interviews with United Nations peacekeeping personnel based in field missions located within or in the proximity of conflict zones. A detailed methodology, interview questions and list of respondents is annexed to this booklet. The first section presents an overview of the main forms of trafficking that have been identified within and in the surroundings of conflict areas. The subsequent section describes commonly identified victim profiles and outlines the main factors impacting their vulnerability to trafficking. The third section identifies main perpetrators and analyses the ways in which trafficking in persons is used as part of their modus operandi. The final section presents examples of trafficking in persons in conflict scenarios on the agenda of the Security Council (where enough information was available).