Victims originating in Africa

Victims originating in Africa represent around 13 per cent of all victims, most of whom are registered between 2018 and 2022.  Female victims represent 78 per cent of victims. 53 per cent of adult victims are between 18 and 29 years of age, and another 20 per cent are children.

Victims originating in Africa are mainly exploited in West (26%), North (22%), and East Africa (9%). Some other cases are exploited in West Asia (17%).  

For 55 per cent of the registered victims, the primary purpose of trafficking is forced labour. 87 per cent of victims of forced labour are exploited in domestic work. Sexually exploited victims (40%) are mainly exploited in prostitution.

56 per cent of victims originating in Africa are controlled with psychological, physical and sexual abuse, and another 48 per cent are controlled with restrictions on finance, movements, medical care, and necessities.^[1] In 73 per cent of cases, victims are recruited by ‘others’,^[2] and some others are recruited by family (18%). The most frequent duration of trafficking is less than a year (46%).

^[1] It is important to note that trafficked persons can be subjected to multiple types of exploitation and means of control, so percentages may not add up to 100.

^[2] 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.