Human trafficking becomes world's 3rd lucrative illegal business

Former chief executive officer of the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Center Neil Jensen made this remark at the International Conference on Financial Crime and Terrorism Financing 2010.KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Human trafficking has become the third lucrative illegal business after drug and weapons trafficking, an Australian expert said here on Tuesday.

When quoting the International Labor Organization, Jensen said that human traffickers' profits, usually stable and regular, were estimated at 10 billion to 31.6 billion U.S. dollars a year, or 13, 000 U.S. dollars a victim.

Besides the "attractive" pay, the traffickers operating on coercion, deception, abduction and abuse of power also encountered little risk, added Jensen.

In terms of operation networks, Jensen said they could range from small local groups to transnational organized crime syndicates.

Meanwhile, Jensen said that nearly every country was involved as a country of origin, transit or destination, but due to differing laws among jurisdictions, few studies were done to determine the number of victims, as well as the amount and whereabout of the money.

Some victims also avoided identification and lacked knowledge of human trafficking, added Jensen.

Editor: Deng Shasha