Human trafficking cases surge in 2024, child victims soar
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has reported an increase in human trafficking, with a total of 3,259 identified victims as of December 1st, up from 1,006 in 2023. That number had been a decrease from 1,200 cases in 2022. Seventy-nine percent of the cases reported in 2024 involve children, with domestic trafficking accounting for 93 percent of the cases. The ministry has also noted a rising trend in online investment scams, which have become a new method for luring individuals into what are essentially ghost investments, leading to trafficking in persons.
