Human trafficking is a growing phenomenon in the world today and Cameroon in particular despite the measures being put in place to combat this ill. Human trafficking is the illegal transport and recruitment, of individuals by force or deception for the purpose of labor, sexual exploitation, or activities in which others benefit financially. The root causes of human trafficking are many and often vary from one country to another. Trafficking is influenced by social, economic, cultural and other factors (www.unodc.org/humantrafficking, accessed on 7/2/2021).

Having over 23% of the global trafficking in persons, Africa alone occupies nearly a quarter of the total number of victims of human trafficking in the world (https://borgenproject.org/human-trafficking-in-africa, accessed on 6/22/21). Though with two extremes, human trafficking issues often revolve around three variables—the demand for cheap labor and exploitation on one hand, and the willingness to meet basic economic needs for survival on the other (www.intechopen.com/books/modern-slavery-and-human-trafficking, accessed on 6/29/21). Victims of human trafficking mostly fall among the minority population. They consist of mostly children and women however not living out men, who may be deceived of better opportunities to uplift their standard of living. In extreme cases, victims of human trafficking might be purchased or kidnapped.

With Cameroon falling under the Tier 2 Watch List, is indicative of the fact that Cameroon still has a long way to go in combating trafficking in persons as it does not meet the minimum standard for the elimination of trafficking, though its making efforts to do so (www.state.gov/reports/2020-trafficking-in-persons-report/cameroon/, accessed on 7/2/21). Over the years Cameroon has witnessed a lot of socio-political as well as economic difficulties. The ongoing conflict in the North West and South West regions and the prevalence of the terrorist boko haram attacks in the Far-North regions help to facilitate the exposure of the inhabitance in this regions to human trafficking. Noting that the major causes of human trafficking is poverty, unemployment, political instability, militarism, civil unrest, internal armed conflict and natural disasters (www.unodc.org/humantrafficking, accessed on 7/2/2021), Cameroon facing all of these points, is only indicative of the fact that, human trafficking is increasing by the day. Men die on regular bases especially in the conflict zones living women and children behind, thereby causing the separation and displacement of families (as IDPs within the country and refugees in other countries). This mostly leave women and children at risk of trafficking. In a five facts about human trafficking in Cameroon by The Borgen Project, trafficking in children and the lack of funding remains an issue (https://borgenproject.org/5-facts-about-human-trafficking-in-cameroon, accessed on 6/23/21). This further only puts Cameroon and mostly the conflict region of child trafficking and sex trafficking.