A conference organised by Nigeria’s National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons has been told that an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 persons, mostly women and children, are trafficked across international boundaries every year.  That does not include millions more trafficked within their own countries.

The meeting was held in Edo state, Nigeria, a state known as a centre for the trade in human beings.

Human trafficking is modern-day slavery, involving victims who are forced, defrauded or coerced into labor or sexual exploitation.
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In a few cases, physical force is used, and in other cases, false promises are made regarding job opportunities or marriages in foreign countries to entrap victims.
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Besides prostitution, marriage, and forced labour, some of these victims are used for rituals, begging and even for organ transplantation or money laundering. While most trafficking into the commercial sex trade involves young adult women, minors including some children under 16 are also exploited.
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Surprisingly, even the solemn Muslim pilgrimage has been turned to an avenue for trafficking, by some unscrupulous persons.

Given that Muslims were involved in the slave trade for centuries before the Europeans got into that depraved business, and continue today, some might not find that last bit of information "surprising".

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