World Day Against Trafficking in Persons is observed on July 30 in a bid to raise awareness about the ordeal of human trafficking victims and the ways to safeguard their rights.
The theme for 2022 is Use and Abuse of Technology, which primarily focuses on technology being a tool to proliferate human trafficking. With the paradigm majorly shifting to digital, the vulnerability of victims has increased.
In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly had adopted the Global Plan of Action to deal with trafficking in persons, urging governments all around the world to take coordinated and consistent efforts to defeat this scourge. The plan is aimed at integrating the fight against human trafficking into the broader programmes of the United Nations in order to stimulate development and strengthen the security all over the world. One of the important provisions in the plan is to establish a UN Voluntary Trust Fund for victims of trafficking including women and children.
In 2013, the UN General Assembly organised a high-level meeting to work on the Global Plan of Action. The member states adopted a resolution A/RES/68/192 and designated 30 July as the World Day against Trafficking in Persons. This resolution emphasised that the day was important to “raise awareness of the situation of victims of human trafficking and for the promotion and protection of their rights.”