United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

To promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels; reduce all forms of violence everywhere; End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against children.

Trafficking in persons is found in every country. Perpetrators target the marginalized and impoverished, including children. Globally, one in three trafficking victims detected in 2018 was a child; in low-income countries, the share was one half. Girls are primarily victims of sexual exploitation (72 per cent of detected girl victims), while boys are mainly subjected to forced labour (66 per cent of detected boy victims).

Corruption is antithetical to sustainable development, aggravating income inequality, reducing domestic and foreign investment, and significantly lowering the quality of public sector services. Addressing corruption will support a more inclusive recovery based on integrity and accountability.

Between 2015 and 2020, in sub-Saharan Africa, civilian deaths in conflicts increased by 66 per cent. Since 2015, the killings of human rights defenders, journalists and trade unionists have been reported in over one third of Member States. These deaths have persisted despite the pandemic. In 2020, the killings of 331 human rights defenders were reported in 32 countries (an 18 per cent increase from 2019), along with 19 enforced disappearances in 14 countries. Women comprised 13 per cent of the victims and Latin America remains the region most affected. I