Trafficking in persons is an increasing problem that involves both sexual exploitation and labor exploitation of its victims. Trafficking affects all regions and the majority of countries in the world. Both men and women may be victims of trafficking, but the primary victims worldwide are women and girls, the majority of whom are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Traffickers primarily target women because they are disproportionately affected by poverty and discrimination, factors that impede their access to employment, educational opportunities and other resources.

Women's advocates in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union(CEE/FSU), and around the world, are addressing the problem of women being trafficked into the commercial sex industry as a human rights violation and a form of gender-based violence.  Additionally, the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights (UNHCHR) has appointed a Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children to examine the issue globally from a human rights perspective.  The Special Rapporteur’s mandate is to focus on the human rights aspects of the victims of trafficking, as well as to take action on violations committed against trafficked persons, to undertake country visits to understand specific situations and make recommendations to prevent and combat trafficking, and to submit annual reports to the Commission on his/her activities as special rapporteur. So far, the Special Rapporteur, Ms. Sigma Huda, has released two reports.  One, entitled “Integration of the Human Rights of Women and the Gender Perspective,” challenges that trafficking continues to be treated as a “law and order problem” and examines the human rights implications of trafficking.  The other reports on a mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina.Trafficking in women is a complicated phenomenon with many forces that affect women's decisions to work abroad. Perhaps the strongest factor is the desperate economic situation, which impacts the availability of satisfactory employment in many countries for women more severely than men. Women may become victims of trafficking when they seek assistance to obtain employment, work permits, visas and other travel documents. Traffickers prey on women's vulnerable circumstances and may lure them into crime networks through deceit and false promises of decent working conditions and fair pay.  As stated by the former Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Radhika Coomaraswamy, “trafficking in persons must be viewed within the context of international and national movements and migrations that increasingly are being undertaken owing to economic globalization, the feminization of migration, armed conflict, the breakdown or reconfiguration of the State, and the transformation of political boundaries.”

Women from the CEE/FSU region are trafficked through formal and informal channels all over the world. In some cases, women go abroad knowing that they will work in the sex industry, but without awareness of the terrible work conditions and violence that accompany the trafficking business. Other women answer job advertisements for positions abroad such as dancers, waitresses, and nannies, only to find themselves held against their will and forced into prostitution and sexual slavery. In the destination countries, women are subjected to physical violence, sexual assault and rape, battery, imprisonment, threats and other forms of coercion.

Under international law, governments are obligated to protect their citizens from being trafficked, through programs that aim at prevention and the protection of victims. Prevention of trafficking in women requires examining the factors that contribute to the problem as well as providing education to potential victims. Both government and non-governmental programs should identify women who are at risk for trafficking and provide them with the tools necessary to find work abroad without putting themselves at risk. At the same time, more far-reaching programs that address gender inequalities in the labor market are needed to combat trafficking in women.  The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights produced a report entitled “Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking” in 2002.  It identifies demand as a root cause of trafficking; saying, “[S]trategies aimed at preventing trafficking should take into account demand as a root cause.  States and governmental organizations should also take into account the factors that increase vulnerability to trafficking, including inequality, poverty and all forms of discrimination and prejudice.”