Abducted victims

Abducted victims represent around four per cent of registered trafficked persons. 55 per cent of them are registered between 2015 and 2020.

Abducted victims are predominantly females (73%), mostly adults aged 30 or younger (45%) and children (23%). 25 per cent of these victims originate in North America, and some others originate in West Africa (16%), Central America (16%), East Africa (9%), North Africa (7%), and Eastern Europe (7%).  

69 per cent of abducted victims are trafficked in North America, 17 per cent in North Africa, and some others in Central America and Eastern Europe (3% in each case). Cases of victims trafficked within their region of origin are slightly more frequent (51%). Most abducted victims are trafficked for a year or less (89%).

74 per cent of abducted victims are trafficked for sexual exploitation, predominantly in prostitution (77%) and pornography (12%). 21 per cent of abducted victims are trafficked for forced labour, and among them, 25 per cent are exploited in domestic work, and some others are exploited in agriculture and construction (7% in each case). 47 per cent of victims were recruited by ‘others’,^[1] and in some other cases (around 5%) by their families or friends. 

^[1] Indicates a notable relationship with the recruiter that does not fit other categories like family or friends. This may include brokers, contractors, employers, or smugglers. See the Global Synthetic Dataset Codebook for a detailed explanation.