{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,17]],"date-time":"2026-09-17T07:21:48Z","timestamp":1789629708305,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,20]],"date-time":"2023-04-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1681948800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Human trafficking is considered a hidden global crime with unsubstantiated numbers. Despite the challenges in counting or measuring this crime, reports revealed the presence of around 40.3 million victims worldwide. Human trafficking results in severe detrimental impacts on both mental and physical health. Given the sensitivity and negative consequences of human trafficking on the global system and victims, and considering the scarce research in this area, our current study aimed at describing the (i) Sociodemographic profiles of anonymized victims, (ii) Means of control, and (iii) Purpose of trafficking, utilizing the largest anonymized and publicly available dataset on victims of human trafficking.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>This is a retrospective secondary analysis of the Counter-Trafficking Data Collaborative (CTDC) data pool in the period from 2010 to 2020. The utilized dataset is called the k-anonymized global victim of trafficking dataset, and it is considered the largest global dataset on victims of human trafficking. Data from the k-anonymized data pool were extracted and exported to Statistical Package for Social Sciences, SPSS\u00ae version 27.0 for Windows (IBM Corp. Version 27.0. Armonk, NY) for quality check and analysis using descriptive statistics.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>A total of 87003 victims of human trafficking were identified in the period from 2010 to 2020. The most age category encountered among victims was 9\u201317 years with 10326 victims (11.9%), followed by 30\u201338 years with 8562 victims (9.8%). Females comprised 70% of the sample with 60938 victims. The United States (n = 51611), Russia (n = 4570), and the Philippines (n = 1988) comprised the most countries of exploitation\/trafficking. Additionally, the year 2019 witnessed the greatest number of victims registered for assistance by anti-trafficking agencies with around 21312 victims (24.5%). Concerning means of control, threats, psychological abuse, restriction of the victim\u2019s movement, taking the victim\u2019s earnings, and physical abuse were the most reported means. 42685 victims (49.1%) reported sexual exploitation as the purpose of their trafficking, followed by forced labor with 18176 victims (20.9%).<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Various means and methods can be used by traffickers to control the victims to be trafficked for many purposes, with sexual exploitation and forced labor being the most common ones. Global anti-trafficking efforts should be brought together in solidarity through utilizing the paradigm of protection of victims, prosecution of traffickers, prevention of trafficking, and inter-sectoral partnerships. Despite being a global concern with various reports that tried to capture the number of trafficked victims worldwide, human trafficking still has many unseen aspects that impose a significant challenge and adds to the global burden in combatting this threat.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0284762","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,20]],"date-time":"2023-04-20T18:17:26Z","timestamp":1682014646000},"page":"e0284762","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":14,"title":["Are we seeing the unseen of human trafficking? A retrospective analysis of the CTDC k-anonymized global victim of trafficking data pool in the period 2010\u20132020"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0862-0186","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Ala\u2019a B.","family":"Al-Tammemi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Asma","family":"Nadeem","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laila","family":"Kutkut","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Manal","family":"Ali","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Khadijah","family":"Angawi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maram H.","family":"Abdallah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1218-0638","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Rana","family":"Abutaima","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rasha","family":"Shoumar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rana","family":"Albakri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0165-9670","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Malik","family":"Sallam","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0284762.ref001","author":"International Organization for Migration (IOM)","year":"2022","journal-title":"IOM Definition of \u201cMigrant.\u201d"},{"key":"pone.0284762.ref002","author":"World Migration Report 2022","journal-title":"Geneva"},{"key":"pone.0284762.ref003","author":"International Organization for Migration (IOM)","year":"2022","journal-title":"Key Migration Terms"},{"key":"pone.0284762.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"21","DOI":"10.1192\/S205647400000163X","article-title":"Mental health and human trafficking: responding to survivors\u2019 needs.","volume":"14","author":"S Altun","year":"2017","journal-title":"BJPsych Int"},{"key":"pone.0284762.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pmed.1002437","article-title":"Human trafficking and exploitation: A global health concern.","volume":"14","author":"C Zimmerman","year":"2017","journal-title":"PLoS Med"},{"key":"pone.0284762.ref006","article-title":"United Nations General Assembly","author":"United Nations","year":"2000","journal-title":"Optional Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, Supplementing the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime."},{"key":"pone.0284762.ref007","author":"US Department of Defense","year":"2022","journal-title":"Trafficking in Persons"},{"key":"pone.0284762.ref008","author":"Human Trafficking","year":"2022","journal-title":"Treasure Island (FL);"},{"key":"pone.0284762.ref009","author":"National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC)","year":"2012","journal-title":"Understanding the Definition of Human Trafficking: The Action-Means-Purpose Model"},{"key":"pone.0284762.ref010","author":"US Department of Justice","year":"2021","journal-title":"The National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking (NAP)"},{"key":"pone.0284762.ref011","author":"Seminar on Health and Migration\u2014IOM","year":"2004","journal-title":"Trafficking in human beings and health implications."},{"key":"pone.0284762.ref012","author":"Office for Victims of Crime","year":"2012","journal-title":"Human Trafficking"},{"key":"pone.0284762.ref013","article-title":"Indicators of Labor Trafficking Among North Carolina Migrant Farmworkers.","author":"K Barrick","year":"2013","journal-title":"Washington, DC"},{"key":"pone.0284762.ref014","author":"The International Organization for Migration (IOM)","year":"2022","journal-title":"CTDC Data Contributors."},{"key":"pone.0284762.ref015","author":"The International Organization for Migration (IOM).","year":"2022","journal-title":"What is the Counter-Trafficking Data Collaborative?"},{"key":"pone.0284762.ref016","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"98","DOI":"10.1111\/imig.12558","article-title":"Human Rights, Income and International Migration.","volume":"57","author":"PH Wong","year":"2019","journal-title":"Int Migr."},{"key":"pone.0284762.ref017","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1093\/jtm\/tay040","article-title":"Drivers of migration: Why do people move?","volume":"25","author":"F. 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Niethammer","year":"2020","journal-title":"Cracking The $150 Billion Business Of Human Trafficking"},{"key":"pone.0284762.ref032","author":"Dearnley R. Prevention","year":"2022","journal-title":"Prosection and Protection\u2014Human Trafficking"},{"key":"pone.0284762.ref033","article-title":"\u201c3P\u201d paradigm\u2014prosecution,world to combat human trafficking","author":"US Department of State","year":"2022","journal-title":"3Ps: Prosecution, Protection, and Prevention."}],"container-title":["PLOS ONE"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0284762","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,20]],"date-time":"2023-04-20T18:17:53Z","timestamp":1682014673000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0284762"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Lea","family":"Sacca","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,20]]},"references-count":33,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,20]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0284762","relation":{},"ISSN":["1932-6203"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1932-6203","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,20]]}}}