Where does Slavery and Trafficking Happen?

Currently, the regions of the world with the most severe trafficking problems are Southeast Asia (the Mekong region including Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar/Burma), South Asia (the Indian subcontinent, including India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka), the former Soviet Republics (including the Russian Federation, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic).

But every country in the world is involved in the web of human trafficking. Most of the victims come from poorer countries, which serve primarily as source countries or countries of origin. Richer nations, such as the US, Australia, or Japan, are primarily destination countries, where victims are taken to. Many countries serve as transit countries, where victims are held temporarily en route to destination countries. For example, many women from the former Soviet republics are trafficked to the US through Mexico. Israel is another transit country for people sold into Europe. The FBI estimates that as many as 18,000 are trafficked into the US each year, to work in brothels, strip clubs, nail salons and massage parlors, or as domestic servants, nannies, and farm laborers. People can also be trafficked within their home countries, often from rural areas to large cities. Trafficking can be transnational, meaning across country borders, or internal, meaning within one country. For examples, children who are commercially sexually exploited in the US are defined by the US government as trafficking victims, even though they have not been taken across borders.