Human Trafficking in South America

UNODC's 2024 regional overview shows that forced labour was the largest detected exploitation type in South America in 2022 at 55%, ahead of sexual exploitation at 40%. Men made up 45% of detected victims and women 34%, reflecting a profile shaped by agriculture, mining, domestic work, transport, and other informal economies.

Most detected flows remain close to home: 74% were domestic, while another 14% moved across South American borders. This page pairs the UNODC regional baseline with 2025 country-level sources for Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Argentina.

South America Snapshot

Regional Profiles

Andean Region

Andean Corridor

Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia combine migration-linked exploitation, illegal mining, domestic servitude, and recruitment of children and indigenous communities along border and river routes. Prevention work increasingly focuses on local awareness and early detection in high-risk communities.

2025 Colombia TIP
Southern Cone

Southern Cone

Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay remain tied to intra-regional trafficking for labour exploitation, sexual exploitation, and abuse in urban service, agricultural, and cross-border economies. Southern Cone responses increasingly stress consular coordination and migrant protection.

2025 Argentina TIP
Brazil & Amazon

Brazil & Amazon Basin

Brazil and adjacent Amazon borderlands face trafficking risks connected to illegal mining, remote worksites, transport corridors, and severe labour informality. Forced labour enforcement, labour inspection, and protection in frontier zones remain central to the regional response.

ILO Brazil Update

Resources