Human Rights of Women
UNITED NATIONS - Threats to international peace and security from illicit cross-border trafficking in drugs, weapons, terrorists and people have increased as the world has become more interconnected, the United Nations Security Council said on Wednesday.
The council said that in today's globalised society, "organised criminal groups and networks, better equipped with new information and communications technologies, are becoming diversified and connected in their illicit operations".
In some cases, it said, this may aggravate threats to international security - including armed conflicts, terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and small arms, organised crime, piracy, the drug trade and human trafficking.
The presidential statement, approved by all 15 council members, was read at an open council meeting by United States Ambassador Susan Rice, the current council president.
"In our interconnected world, our system of collective security is only as strong as the weakest links in the chain," Ms Rice said.
"One of those weak links today is the poorly secured borders that are exploited for the illicit transfer of arms and drugs; of materials for nuclear, chemical and biological weapons; of terrorists and their funds; of conflict minerals; and even of human beings - a modern day form of slavery."
She said the US chose the subject of illegal cross-border trafficking for the day-long session because it believes the UN system "could improve its help to states to secure their borders and put in place related intelligence and law enforcement cooperation, (and) customs standards".
The council asked Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon to submit a report in six months with a comprehensive survey and assessment of the UN's work in countering illicit trafficking across borders.
Mr Ban told the council that the UN "is hard at work helping many states" to build up their capacity to secure their borders against illicit activities, citing a project in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean to strengthen controls at international airports. AP
Two-fifths of UK trafficking victims are male, survey revealsby The GuardianContrary to the public perception that most victims of trafficking are women, the charity group Salvation Army said men account for 41 per cent of the adult victims it has helped in England and Wales.
The finding comes in a survey by the group, which provides specialist support for adult victims of trafficking on behalf of Britain's Ministry of Justice.
It found that 45 per cent of those it supported had been forced into sexual exploitation, 43 per cent were involved in labour exploitation and 8 per cent were trafficked into domestic servitude.
From July to December last year, the Salvation Army and its 12 subcontractors provided housing support, counselling, medical care, translation services and legal counselling to 112 women and 78 men.
The victims came from all over the world, with 58 per cent from Eastern Europe, 25 per cent from Africa, 12 per cent from Asia and 4 per cent from within the United Kingdom.