Myths about Human Trafficking in Africa

Myths about Human Trafficking

Human trafficking involves taking control of people, through duplicity or force, for exploitation or economic gain.

At any given moment 3.5 million Africans are being trafficked.

Many aspects of trafficking in Africa are misunderstood …

99% of victims detected in West Africa are trafficked within their own country or region
83% in North Africa
90% in East Africa
62% in Southern Africa

17% of victims detected in North Africa originate in West Africa
7% of victims detected in East Africa originate in West Africa
31% of victims detected in Southern Africa originate in East Africa

Myth: Trafficking victims are targeted because of their physical attributes.

Fact: Traffickers target the most vulnerable people.

This includes those in transit, such as economic migrants and forcibly displaced persons.

There are currently 12 countries in Africa experiencing armed conflict.

These conflicts have displaced 25 million people, who are particularly vulnerable to trafficking.

Myth: Only young African women are trafficked, and they are trafficked into sex work.

Fact: Most African victims are trafficked into forced labor, often in fields such as agriculture, domestic service, and manufacturing.

Fact: There are striking regional differences in the age and gender of trafficking victims.

More women than men are trafficked in Africa.

Boys make up the majority of children trafficked in North Africa, primarily for begging.

Girls tend to be trafficked mostly for domestic labor (notably in West Africa).

More than 50 percent of trafficking victims in sub-Saharan Africa are children (mostly in West Africa).

Among detected victims in Africa, there are more males trafficked until the age of 18, at which point the ratio is reversed.