Trafficking in Human Beings in the European Union

In this article, the intersection of gender, trafficking for sexualexploitation, and use of digital communication technologies are analyzed based on datafrom the European Union (EU). Over the past two decades, an increase in trafficking inhuman beings in the EU has been accompanied by an increase in the development andavailability of digital communication technologies. The first statistical analysis oftrafficking in human beings (2008-2010) carried out by the European Commission found23,632 victims of human trafficking in the reporting member states. Eighty percent ofvictims were women and girls; 20% were men and boys. The majority of the victims (62%)were trafficked for sexual exploitation. Digital communication technologies are widelyused for trafficking for sexual exploitation, and more rarely for trafficking for forcedlabor. This article concludes that the combination of gender, trafficking for sexualexploitation, and use of digital communication technologies has created a nexus ofvictimization for women and girls. Based on this analysis and other sources ofinformation, the European region is the world’s leading region for trafficking forsexual exploitation