Today, 15 November 2024, marks the first International Day for the Prevention of and Fight against All Forms of Transnational Organised Crime. This day also highlights the 24th anniversary of the signing of the UN Organised Crime Convention, a key global treaty addressing organised crime, supplemented by protocols on human trafficking, migrant smuggling, and firearms.
The Trafficking Protocol is the first legally binding instrument with an internationally recognised definition of human trafficking. This definition provides a vital tool for the identification of victims and the detection of all forms of exploitation which constitute human trafficking.
The Protocol also requires States globally to provide for the physical, psychological, and social recovery of victims of trafficking in persons, including appropriate housing, counseling and information, medical, psychological and material assistance, as well as access to employment, educational and training opportunities.
Human trafficking, exploits millions of people worldwide, robbing them of their freedom and dignity. Hence we hope that the day will not only remind us all of the need to fight organised crime, but especially of the need to ensure adequate protection and support to victims.
In the UNODC video on the first International Day Against Organised Crime, you can learn more about this day.