Smuggling of migrants, trafficking in persons and contemporary forms of slavery, including appropriate identification, protection and assistance to migrants and trafficking victims.

Across the world, an increasing number of women, men, and children embark on perilous journeys in search of safety and dignity, and risk abuse and exploitation in countries of origin, transit and destination. As recognized in the New York Declaration for refugees and migrants, some feel compelled to resort to smugglers, especially in the absence of regular migration pathways. Others become victims of trafficking in persons. In the New York Declaration, states reaffirmed the importance of existing international instruments on preventing and combating trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants, and committed to combat the abuses and exploitation suffered by migrants and refugees, to vigorously combat trafficking and smuggling, and to identify and support victims of trafficking. These commitments are closely aligned with existing international normative frameworks, the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which among other things calls for the eradication of human trafficking, modern slavery and forced labour, and to facilitate safe, orderly and regular migration.