What it is
Human trafficking is a serious global crime, often called "modern-day slavery". It happens when criminals trick, force, or threaten people to exploit them for profit. According to the United Nations Palermo Protocol (2000), human trafficking involves three key elements: the Act (what is done, such as recruiting, transporting, or harbouring people), the Means (how it is done, through threat, force, coercion, abduction, or deception), and the Purpose (always for exploitation).
Traffickers target vulnerable individuals—such as people facing poverty or seeking better jobs. They trap victims in forced labour, domestic work, or sexual exploitation. Victims cannot easily escape because traffickers often steal their passports, threaten their families, or trick them with huge debts.
Personal stories
Mei’s story: Mei, 26, is from a rural village in Cambodia. An agency promised her a well-paid job picking fruit on a farm in Japan, but charged her a huge fee for visa processing. This became her "debt." When Mei arrived in Japan, her employer took away her passport and cut her monthly wages to pay off her "debt." She worked 14-hour days in hot fields without rest, unable to leave because she feared being arrested by local police as an illegal worker.
Sofia’s story: Sofia, 19, is from Eastern Europe and applied for a hotel reception job that she saw advertised on social media. When she arrived in a big foreign city, the recruiter took away her mobile phone, locked her in an apartment, and forced her to work unpaid domestic work for a private family. All the time, the recruiter made constant threats of violence against her younger brother back home.
Some broader issues
Economic drivers and global supply chains: Human trafficking is driven by power, profit, and demand, and a lack of legal protection. Global businesses often seek the lowest production costs to increase profits. This creates a high demand for cheap, unprotected labour in industries like agriculture, fishing, construction, and garment manufacturing. Products in our everyday shops—such as cheap clothes, seafood, or electronics—may involve forced labour somewhere in their supply chain.
Poverty and inequality: When individuals lack education, job opportunities, or basic financial safety, they are more likely to trust fake job offers abroad or in big cities. Women, children, ethnic minorities, and undocumented migrants face the highest risks because of social discrimination and weak legal protection. For example, women and young girls in poor rural areas are frequently targeted with fake promises of hospitality jobs or domestic work in big cities or in other countries.
Migration policies and legal gaps: Strict immigration laws can make moving safely between countries difficult. When people migrate illegally to find work or flee conflict, they rely on informal agents who charge high fees and make false promises about jobs and visas. Traffickers easily exploit these migrants by requiring them to pay excessive fees or work without pay to cover huge debts, because undocumented workers fear going to the police, worrying they will be arrested or deported instead of helped.
Technology and online recruitment: Modern traffickers increasingly use social media, gaming platforms, and messaging apps to target vulnerable young people. Criminal groups post fake job advertisements or build false romantic relationships to gain trust. Because online communications cross borders rapidly and encrypted apps hide identities, law enforcement agencies face severe challenges in tracking traffickers and rescuing victims.
Local impacts in Japan: Small businesses, farms, and factories in Japan may rely heavily on foreign workers to deal with labour shortages. Programmes like the Technical Intern Training Program (TITP) have faced international criticism when strict visa rules and job-transfer limits have left foreign workers vulnerable to debt, low wages, and forced labour.
(1) Key concepts: 人身売買とは？ 被害の現状や日本の実例、規制や対策を大学教員が解説
(2) Domestic context: 潜在化する人身取引被害、加害者は身近にいるかも 「需要の根絶を」
(3) Overview: Encyclopædia Britannica. (2026). Human trafficking. https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/human-trafficking/632199
(4) Canadian perspective: CBC. (9 November 2023). Human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing crimes in Canada, and anyone can be a target. https://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/the-passionate-eye/human-trafficking-is-one-of-the-fastest-growing-crimes-in-canada-and-anyone-can-be-a-target-1.7023920
(5) Local case: Not for Sale. (25 November 2025). Exposing Trafficking Crime In Tokyo: A Brave 12-Year-Old’s Story. https://wearenotforsale.org/human-trafficking/exposing-trafficking-crime-in-tokyo/
(1) Overview: IOM - UN MIgration. (3 August 2023). 5 facts about human trafficking. (1 minute 22 seconds). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0KviVf7Rcw
(2) Fundamentals: US Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking. (3 minutes 19 seconds). Human Trafficking Basics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWQlx4LUuNo
(3) Industry case: Thai PBs World (5 March 2022). Human Trafficking in Thailand fisheries. (5 minutes 3 seconds). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVvb3eqLcek
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