‘Human trafficking a problem in many conflict zones’

Outgoing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on all countries to investigate and prosecute cases of human trafficking and said the most vulnerable victims are women, children and refugees caught up in conflict areas around the globe.

Ban, addressing the 15-member Security Council during an open debate on human trafficking in conflict zones, said extremist groups from the Islamic State to Boko Haram and al-Shabab traffic in persons, especially women and girls, as a weapon of terror and source of revenue.

“We have to fight trafficking for the sake of the victims,” Ban said. “When we do, we will also decrease funding for terrorists and make everyone safer.”