Story highlights The overall number of reported trafficking victims has increased globally

Girls account for 23% of all trafficking victims, says report

Human trafficking worsens in conflict zones

(CNN) A growing number of girls are being reported as victims of human trafficking, according to a new UN report.

Girls account for 23% of all trafficking victims detected globally, according to the 2018 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons , produced by the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The figure, which is based on data from 2016, is up from 21% in 2014, and 10% in 2004, the year when the UNODC began collecting data on children.

Boys account for 7% of reported trafficking victims, down from 8% in 2014, and up from 3% in 2004.

"In the profile of identified victims, we are seeing more and more children, an increase particularly in girls," says Angela Me, chief of the UNODC's research and trend analysis branch.

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