Human trafficking refers to the transportation, harbouring, or reception of people for the purpose of exploitation by threats, coercion, abduction, or deception. Human trafficking has arisen as a significant societal issue affecting women and children, and is one of the most serious violations of their dignity and human rights. It's a terrible exploitation of people's lives. Despite the fact that human trafficking is an international crime, traffickers are increasingly using India, along with several other South Asian nations, as a source, transit point, and destination.

It is just not about the violation of human rights but it is the defeat of human rights. It is not only the human rights which are failing but the society and institutions are also to share the blame. In the context of increasing violence and deep-seated patriarchal values the traffickers’ jobs becomes easy. Hence trafficking in women and children, which is the most vulnerable group, is the sordid tale of violation of human rights and dignity.

Religious persecution, political discord, a lack of work prospects, poverty, conflicts, and natural catastrophes are all factors that contribute to human trafficking. Another causative element is globalization, which has pushed emerging nations into the global market, raising living standards and contributing to global economic growth. Unfortunately, globalization has altered the worldwide market for unlawful migrant transportation, allowing criminal groups to extend their networks and develop transnational channels that enable migrant transit.

Human trafficking and humanitarian crises are linked. Some types of human trafficking are a direct outcome of crises, such as the forced armed enlistment of children, armed organizations’ (and even peacekeepers') need for exploitative sexual services, or the slavery of persecuted ethnic minority. Other kinds of human trafficking, such as opportunistic trafficking of displaced individuals for forced labour in neighbouring countries or cases where children are trafficked into the international adoption market, have fewer clear ties to crisis circumstances.

The first step in eradicating the problem will be to persuade a broad variety of stakeholders that human trafficking is a significant problem that necessitates government intervention As anti-trafficking rhetoric grew in popularity, attempts to combat human trafficking crossed ideological and political lines. In terms of particular agencies' work on the issue, the Global Protection Cluster has developed an Anti-Trafficking Task Team, which coordinates inter-agency approaches to protection in humanitarian interventions. Guidelines for combating human trafficking in war zones were released by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in 2018. An expert round table of security, humanitarian, and protection actors has contributed to the development of these. Resolution 2388 (2018) of the United Nations Security Council focuses on individuals displaced by armed conflict and acknowledges the need to provide protection for any displaced person who is a victim of trafficking or is at risk of becoming one.

These above mentioned initiatives can be combined with existing systems, and practical actions could be implemented in the quest for a more efficient humanitarian response to human trafficking.