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In 2017 Pakistan was a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced labour and prostitution. The largest human trafficking problem was bonded labour, concentrated in the Sindh and Punjab provinces in agriculture and brick making, and to a lesser extent in mining and carpet-making. Estimates of bonded labour victims, including men, women, and children, vary widely, but were likely well over one million. In extreme scenarios, when labourers speak publicly against abuse, landowners have kidnapped labourers and their family members.
The U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons placed the country in "Tier 2 Watchlist" in 2017.[1] The country was placed at Tier 2 in 2023.[2]
In 2021, the Organised Crime Index gave the country a score of 8 out of 10 for human trafficking, noting that most trafficking was internal and organised by Chinese groups.[3]
The country ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol in November 2022.[4]
- ^ "Trafficking in Persons Report 2017: Tier Placements". www.state.gov. Archived from the original on 2017-06-28. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
- ^ US Government website, Trafficking in Persons Report 2023
- ^ Organised Crime Index website, Pakistan: 2021
- ^ United Nations Treaty Collection website, Chapter XVIII Penal Matters section, Section 12a, retrieved August 19, 2024