UN News Today 12 March 2025 |

Afghanistan: Opium prices approach historic peaks, organised crime benefits

Prices for opium in Afghanistan have increased tenfold since the de facto authorities imposed a drug ban in 2022 following their takeover in Kabul, latest UN data shows.

One kilogramme of opium cost $750 last year, up from $75 just three years ago, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The high prices have compensated sellers for the loss in overall production of opium from poppy fields, but the “massive profits” from the illegal drug mainly benefit organised crime groups” and not ordinary Afghans. 

“Most farmers who previously cultivated opium are likely experiencing severe financial hardship,” UNODC warned, as it called for sustainable growing alternatives, to prevent a return to poppy cultivation.

Opium from poppies is the naturally occurring primary active ingredient used in the production of heroin, a more potent, synthetic drug. The three main global sources of illegal opium are Afghanistan, Colombia and Myanmar.

Significant increase in child victims of trafficking over the last five years

Children make up almost four in 10 victims of trafficking worldwide, but the true number of youngsters caught up in the illegal practice is likely much higher, a senior UN official warned on Wednesday.

In a new report, Najat Maalla M’jid, who’s the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on violence against children, said that traffickers are quick to exploit technological advancements – and people in emergencies.

She said that children – and mainly girls – are increasingly vulnerable, as poverty, food insecurity, humanitarian crises and conflict lead to displacement and  violence, which are among the main drivers of illegal trafficking:

“Conviction for trafficking in children remain low and perpetrator continue to enjoy impunity, corruption, stigma, fear and the lack of protection limits children’s ability to report and seek justice. As a result, trafficking in children remains a low cost and low risk, yet high profits crime generating billions of dollars annually.”

Addressing the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Ms. Maala M’jid warned that trafficking networks are growing alarmingly and are increasingly well organised.

She said that criminal ringleaders now use artificial intelligence to lower their overheads and reduce the likelihood of detection.

The senior UN official also noted that the demand for exploitative services involving children is increasing, from sexual exploitation, domestic slavery, child marriage, recruitment into armed groups, forced begging and criminal activities.

Brain-changing tech in spotlight at Human Rights Council

Neurotechnology is a fast-developing field of medicine which is already being used to offer treatments for sufferers of Parkinson’s and other debilitating diseases, the Human Rights Council has been hearing.

Despite the technology’s many potential benefits, it could also be used to hack into our innermost thoughts, perceptions, emotions and even memories, a top independent rights expert warned the Council on Wednesday.

Presenting her report in Geneva, Ana Nougrères, Special Rapporteur on the Right to Privacy, said that the rapid advances in these powerful devices demanded an “urgent regulatory response” that includes legal and ethical protections.

“Neurotechnology has the capacity to decode brain activity, allowing access to an individual’s most intimate thoughts and emotions. Without proper safeguards, this could lead to unauthorized monitoring or even coercion.”

The independent rights expert, who is not a UN staff member, warned that governments, corporations or other “malicious actors” could exploit this access to influence personal behaviours and ideologies, fundamentally eroding personal autonomy and mental integrity.

The Human Rights Council session continues until 4 April.

Daniel Johnson, UN News.

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