Vienna, Feb 12 (Prensa Latina) More than a thousand experts on humanitarian questions will attend the first UN conference on people traffic and slavery, the organizing committee reported Tuesday.

Politicians, lawyers, economists, sociologists, psychologists and officials of organisms linked to that problem that has had exponential growth will participate in the forum to begin Wednesday in the Austrian capital.

The meeting will try to identify human trafficking routes, as well as develop formulas to stop them, to collect data and develop an international system to fight the new forms of slavery.

Human trafficking is the third largest illicit business, after weapons and drugs, and too many countries still completely deny its existence in their territory.

Unlike drugs, there are no data bases on the different aspects of human traffic, but the United Nations estimates millions of people and that it produces tens of billions of euros every year.

Human traffic includes children sold by their own parents, women forced into prostitution abroad, assembly plant workers, illegal adoption, forced mendicancy or minors forced to be soldiers.

The forum will count on the outstanding participation of British actress Emma Thompson and singer Ricky Martin, both taking an active role in campaigns against illegal trafficking in people.