The first major UN conference to address human trafficking has recently begun in Vienna. The goal of the conference is to strategize how to end this form of "modern slavery." The UN forum on human trafficking has drawn over 1,000 participants from 100 countries to its three-day conference. The participants range from celebretities to activists to the executive directors of UN offices like the Office on Drugs and Crime.
Among the conference's many agendas, some primary goals are to encourage countries to ratify the UN protocol on human trafficking, and address the role the internet plays as a method of payment for trafficking-related activities.
Compiled from: "UN Forum Aims to End Trafficking," BBC News, International Version, www.bbc.co.uk, 13 February 2008.