"I did not know that my happy dream was to end in such ugliness, and that my promising experiment would become the worst decision of my life, and a source of all my current pain". This is how ‘Anna’ summarises her suffering at the hands of a human trafficker.
She is one of not thousands, but millions of victims in the world today, who fall in the traps of human traffickers through innocence, naivety or poverty. International reports assert that about 900 thousand people a year become victims worldwide including women, and children.
The stereotypes suggest victims are pubescent girls who fall into sexual exploitation networks. The reality is that victims are also elder women, men and children of different ages who are exploited in various ways from sexual exploitation to other criminal forms.
The same stereotypes deal with the poor or uneducated. However, fact shows victims can be middle class or wealthy and educated who also fall into traps.
In most cases, women make up the biggest percentage among victims as well as the poor and needy, in addition to pubescent youths and the uneducated, and those suffering from mental diseases as outlined in Table (1) below.
In general, the victims’ trips begin with false promises from human traffickers, who present themselves as rescuers who hold out hope of a better life, such as promising profitable employment contracts, and affluent and relaxing lifestyles.
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Victims of human trafficking
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Women and girls
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Children
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Adolescents
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Men from lower classes
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Female and orphaned war victims
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Victims of natural catastrophes, such as earthquakes and heavy rains … etc.
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Immigrants looking for a better life
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Victims of illegal adoption
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Victims of suspected websites
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The physically and mentally disabled="disabled"="disabled="disabled""="disabled="disabled"="disabled="disabled"""
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Main factors giving rise to victims
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Poverty, unemployment and poor economic outlooks
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Youth and lack of awareness
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Lack of education and educational opportunities
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Wars and instability
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A desire for a more affluent lifestyle
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Lack of family stability
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Kidnapping
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Forced marriage
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