Some believe that trafficking in humans will soon be more lucrative than the drug trade. Traffickers also prey on vulnerable persons in refugee camps and orphanages. Government responses have been to work on measures for prevention, protection and prosecution. The International Organization on Migration, IOM, assists governments primarily with the first two areas by information campaigns and reintegration projects. For example, IOM, through its NGO network in the Mekong region of China, provides skills training, counseling and income generation projects for women who wish to return home.
Prosecution is a necessary deterrent, as are laws to punish the trafficker and protect the victim.
When trafficking occurs in the context of organized crime, such an endorsement presents an unacceptable safety risk to victims. The high Commissioner for Refugees has been equally vocal about ensuring the victims can have access to asylum procedures. Their possible status as refugees must be assessed first. Governments have so far paid only lip service to migrants rights. The UN Convention on the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of their Families needs several more signatures before it comes into force.