|
|
Yemen: Expanding Human Trafficking Threatens Migrant And Local Women
Friday, January 11, 2013 10:10 AM
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported the largest flow of immigrants to Yemen since they started collecting data six years ago. There were more than 103,000 new arrivals in 2011 and increasing numbers are expected in 2012.
According to a new study “Desperate Choices”, conducted by the Danish Refugee Council and the Regional Mixed Migration Secretariat, human trafficking networks are expanding in Yemen. The report finds that while trying to reach Gulf States to find a job, women are frequently gang raped, thrown overboard by smugglers or taken hostage by traffickers. “Criminal networks extend through Ethiopia, Yemen, Djibouti, and Saudi Arabia," the report states.
Sex tourism is another major problem in Yemen. US Department of State's 2012 trafficking report revealed that, "girls as young as 15 are exploited for commercial sex in hotels and clubs." Additionally, Poor Yemeni families often marry young girls to visitors which ultimately results in the girls being trafficked.
|
|
|