Vatican City: Pope Francis is urging everyone to combat the "shameful crime" of human trafficking, noting that it's often linked to migrant smuggling.

In remarks today to the public in St Peter's Square, Francis decried that many adults and children are trafficked into slavery for forced labour, sex businesses, organ trafficking, begging rackets and other criminal activities.

Francis noted that the United Nations will dedicate tomorrow to encouraging anti-trafficking efforts.

The pope added that "even migratory routes are often used by traffickers and exploiters to recruit new victims."

He encouraged people to realize that trafficking victims are often among them by saying "even here in Rome" the phenomenon is present, an apparent reference to the city's prostitutes, many of them trafficked from Africa or Eastern Europe.

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