PART TWO.—IMPACT
97
fraud, extortion, racketeering, money-laundering, bribery of public officials, drug use, doc-
ument forgery and gambling.
57
Of a global sample of 40 organized criminal groups surveyed by the United Nations Office
on Drugs and Crime in 2002, 8 were found to be involved in human trafficking activities,
with 2 almost exclusively involved in human trafficking and the remaining 6 including
human trafficking as one of a number of diversified criminal activities undertaken by the
group.
58
In 50 per cent of human trafficking cases in one destination country, the
perpetrators were also engaged in illegal trade in drugs or arms.
59
Links to other global
criminal activities make human trafficking more profitable, as groups are able to use the
safe and tested routes and work through known corrupt officials.
Human trafficking crimes are also closely integrated into legal business interests such as
tourism, employment or recruitment agencies, agriculture, hotel and airline operations, and
leisure and entertainment businesses.
60
Criminal organizations may hide the traces of their
illegal activities by directly and indirectly investing their profits in legitimate financial
institutions.
61
Although some businesses are simply established to launder money and not
necessarily to make profits, this practice may in turn have a negative impact on the
economy, as legitimate businesses may find themselves having to compete against enter-
prises being secretly or unknowingly subsidised by laundered proceeds of crime or
supported by the exploitation of trafficked persons. Fair competition may also be affected
when exploited trafficked persons have been used further down the supply chain to
produce materials such as textiles.
62
The most visible impact of the profits of organized crime associated with human trafficking
in destination countries is trafficking for sexual exploitation within the commercial sex
trade.
63
Well-established domestic organized criminal groups often engage in the sex trade
and cheap labour markets with foreign counterparts.
64
Prostituted women have been known
to be used as drug smugglers/couriers and dealers.
65
These crimes, combined with the
movements of illicit profits made by the sex industry, estimated to be between $7 and
$12 billion annually,
66
have a significant impact on economic stability and security, human
rights and law enforcement and crime control.
57
James O. Finckenauer and Jennifer Schrock, “Human trafficking: a growing criminal market in the U.S”
(see www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/international/ht.html).
58
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Trafficking in Persons: Global Patterns (Vienna, United Nations,
2006), p. 69.
59
William Hill, “Trafficking in human beings: who does it hurt, and why should we care?”, article on the
mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to Moldova, 17 November 2003
(see www.osce.org/documents/mm/2003/11/1219_en.pdf).
60
Aurora Javate De Dios, “Macro-economic exploitation and their(sic) impact on sexual exploitation and traf-
ficking of women and girls: issues, responses and challenges” (see www.catw-ap.org/macro.htm).
61
John R. Wagley, Transnational Organized Crime: Principal Threats and U.S. Responses, Congressional Research
Service report for Congress, Library of Congress, 20 March 2006, p. 10 (see www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL33335.pdf).
62
United States of America, Department of State, Trafficking in Persons Report: June 2006 (Office to Monitor and
Combat Trafficking in Persons, 2006) (see http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2006/65983.htm).
63
Lisa L. Thompson, “The sexual gulag: profiteering from the global commercial sexual exploitation of women
and children”, testimony before the Financial Services Committee, United States House of Representatives,
22 June 2005, p. 12 (see http://financialservices.house.gov/media/pdf/062205lt.pdf).
64
“Organised Crime and Law Enforcement in Europe: women trafficked for prostitution”,
(see http://www.organisedcrime.info/index.php?mode=12&id=5).
65
Sami Nevala and Kauko Aromaa, eds., Organised Crime, Trafficking, Drugs: Selected Papers Presented at the Annual
Conference of the European Society of Criminology Helsinki 2003, HEUNI Publication Series, No. 42 (Helsinki, 2004), p.
123 (see http://www.heuni.fi/uploads/v2t9skuki.pdf).
66
Thompson, op. cit., p. 4.