The trafficking of women and girls happens all over the world yet remains hidden from public view.

Many women who are offered the opportunity of ‘work’ in other countries, find themselves trapped in a world of physical, psychological and sexual abuse and economic deprivation.

Due to the covert nature of human trafficking and the involvement of criminal gangs, those who are trafficked are extremely vulnerable to violence and most human rights abuses against the trafficked remain hidden.

Many of those trafficked do not report their plight for fear of reprisals. Others are detained and prosecuted for unlicensed prostitution or illegal entry and are deported, only to be trafficked yet again.

Key points

Trafficked women and girls are subjected to a range of human rights abuses, including:

• physical, psychological and sexual abuse
• deprivation of liberty
• denial of freedom of movement
• torture and ill-treatment
• in some cases even to the right to life.

What Amnesty International is doing

Trafficking in Greece , for example, is on the increase yet the government there has failed to take action. Instead of receiving protection, trafficked women are often charged with other offences and often fear retribution or deportation if they report their traffickers. Add your voice to Amnesty International’s call for justice.