VIENNA - A United Nations agency reported a 25 percent increase in detected human trafficking victims globally in 2022 compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, according to a report released on Wednesday.

The 2024 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), attributed the surge to factors such as poverty, conflicts, and climate disasters, which have heightened vulnerabilities to exploitation.

The report highlighted significant increases in child trafficking, trafficking for forced labor, and forced criminality during the period.

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Globally, the number of victims trafficked for forced labor surged by 47 percent in 2022 over that in 2019. Detected child victims increased by 31 percent, with the number of trafficked girls rising by 38 percent, according to the report.

The report, which analyzed data from 156 countries, revealed that women and girls constituted 61 percent of trafficking victims worldwide in 2022. Of the girl victims, 60 percent were trafficked for sexual exploitation.

Trafficking for forced criminality, including online scams, showed a sharp rise, growing from just 1 percent of total detected victims in 2016 to 8 percent in 2022.

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UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly called for strengthened criminal justice measures to hold top perpetrators accountable, enhanced cross-border collaboration to rescue victims, and increased support for survivors.