— AFP/FileVIENNA: Evidence is emerging that climate-related disasters are becoming a cause of human trafficking as criminal gangs exploit a growing number of uprooted people, the UN said Tuesday. The continuing war in Ukraine is also another risk factor for increased human trafficking, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in a report. "Climate change is increasing vulnerability to trafficking," the UNODC report said. The UN drugs agency noted that an increase in cases of human trafficking had been observed in Bangladesh and the Philippines after devastating cyclones and typhoons displaced millions. "The challenge is how to deal with human trafficking arising from war and instability," Ilias Chatzis, the head of the human trafficking and migrant smuggling section at UNODC, told AFP.

Source: Ethiopian News January 24, 2023 09:20 UTC