Governments must protect trafficking victims who are compelled to commit crimes instead of prosecuting or punishing them for acts they were forced to carry out, a joint international statement published by UN Women has urged.
A fast-growing form of exploitation
The Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons issued the statement on 30 July 2026, the World Day against Trafficking in Persons. It described trafficking for forced criminality as one of the fastest-growing and least understood forms of exploitation.
Victims may be coerced into online fraud and scam operations, drug trafficking, theft or other unlawful activities. Their exploitation can be overlooked when authorities encounter them first as suspected offenders rather than as people subjected to trafficking.
The 2024 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons identifies forced criminality as the third most commonly detected form of trafficking worldwide, according to the Council of Europe’s anti-trafficking expert group GRETA, which backed the joint call.
The non-punishment principle
The statement puts the non-punishment principle at the centre of the response. This means trafficking victims should not be penalized for unlawful acts committed as a direct consequence of being trafficked and compelled.
ICAT called on states and relevant institutions to strengthen prevention, improve data collection and research, identify victims earlier and adopt legal provisions and practical guidance that make the non-punishment principle effective.
Target traffickers, not victims
The joint statement also calls for intelligence-led and coordinated criminal-justice responses capable of prosecuting traffickers and disrupting criminal networks. A victim-centred approach, it argues, is essential both to protect rights and to prevent impunity for those directing the exploitation.
UN Women’s publication of the statement places forced criminality within the wider international agenda on gender equality, protection from violence and access to justice.
