The Grand Hospitaller: criminal gangs engaged in human trafficking increasing. On the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, celebrated on 30th July, the Sovereign Order of Malta highlights the growth of the phenomenon worldwide. A phenomenon in which women and children are the main victims. The latest figures of the International Labour Organization are significant: 21 million persons are forced to hard labour, including prostitution. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna, almost a third of the victims are minors and over 70% are in fact women and children.