World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2021: Theme, History and Significance

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons is marked every year on July 30 to create awareness around people who are being trafficked and are taken away against their will. It helps to educate others that trafficking in persons is a crime exploiting even women and children for tragic jobs like forced labour and sex. This day gives an opportunity to understand the harms of human trafficking and its impact on the life of the people.

HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE

This day was designated by the United Nations General Assembly as a means to combat the issues that are caused due to human trafficking. The day was declared with the aim of raising awareness around the victims of human trafficking. It also helps raise funds for those victims.

The UN wanted to make the trafficked people aware of their protection and rights. Since 2003, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has been working on identifying and saving people from the rackets that kept them captive.

To determine what can be considered human trafficking, the act, means, and purpose has to be assessed. The main objective is always exploitation. The methods include deception, coercion, abuse of power, and threats of or use of force. The actual act of human trafficking is through the transporting, recruiting, harboring, transferring and receiving of persons.

THEME

The theme for this year for the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons is ‘Victims’ voices lead the way.’ It highlights the importance of sharing and learning from survivors of human trafficking. The survivors are important factors in the battle against human trafficking.

They have a huge role to play in establishing effective measures to eradicate this crime. They help in identifying and saving victims and supporting them on their way to rehabilitation.

Many victims of human trafficking have had traumatic post-rescue experiences during interviews and legal proceedings. In their attempts to get help, they have experienced ignorance, misunderstanding, victimization and punishment for offences their traffickers had them commit.

Others received inadequate support or were subjected to stigmatization. Turning the suggestions of the victims into actions can be helpful to lead an effective approach in preventing human trafficking.

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