In a recent development, United Nations Member States have agreed on a shared understanding of trafficking in persons. This understanding recognizes that individuals forced to commit crimes as a result of trafficking are victims and should be treated as such. The phenomenon of trafficking for forced criminality extends to various activities, including scam centers, drug trafficking, and recruitment into armed groups.

However, a key challenge remains the identification of victims, who are often mistakenly arrested or punished for crimes they were compelled to commit. Further information on this issue is available from ReliefWeb, which provides details on the complexities of trafficking in persons and the need for protection of victims.