The term “organ harvesting” refers to the illicit removal of human organs, a verified global crime that contrasts sharply with ethical, regulated organ donation. This illegal activity involves complex transnational criminal networks and, in some cases, systemic abuse allegedly sanctioned by state actors. This criminal trade exploits the desperation of the impoverished and the critically ill, creating a black market where human bodies are commodified. This article clarifies the facts surrounding illegal organ procurement and the international efforts to combat this severe form of human rights abuse.
Defining Illegal Organ Procurement
Illegal organ procurement is the removal of human organs, tissues, or cells without valid consent, or through the use of force, coercion, deception, or for financial gain. This practice is universally condemned by international medical and human rights organizations. The World Health Organization (WHO) mandates that organs must be donated freely, without monetary payment or comparable reward.
The illegal trade is divided into two major criminal activities: organ trafficking and the trafficking in persons for the purpose of organ removal. Organ trafficking describes the broader illicit trade of organs as a commodity, including illegal advertising and brokering. Trafficking in persons for the purpose of organ removal, defined under the UN Palermo Protocol, focuses on exploiting the individual. This exploitation involves recruiting, transporting, or receiving a person by means of threat, deception, or abuse of vulnerability to remove their organ.
Organized Crime and Organ Trafficking Networks
The illegal organ trade is a lucrative, transnational criminal enterprise driven by the global shortage of organs for legitimate transplants. This black market generates between $840 million and $1.7 billion annually. Operations thrive on the disparity between the high cost paid by recipients (often exceeding $100,000 for a kidney) and the minimal or unpaid compensation given to victim-donors.
Organized criminal networks use brokers to coordinate the illicit transplant chain, linking wealthy recipients, often engaging in “transplant tourism,” with vulnerable donors. The kidney is the organ most frequently targeted for illegal removal from living donors, with the WHO estimating approximately 10,000 black market kidney transplants occur yearly. Victims are typically sourced from vulnerable populations, including refugees, migrants, and the extremely poor in regions like North Africa, the Middle East, and parts of South Asia.
Recruiters exploit the financial desperation of potential donors through deception, sometimes making medically untrue claims, such as that the kidney will regenerate. Victim-donors are often promised $1,000 to $10,000 but frequently receive less, or nothing at all, after the operation. The operation requires the complicity of various actors working outside ethical and legal medical frameworks. This complex logistical chain, involving medical professionals, makes the crime highly organized and difficult to prosecute without international cooperation.
State-Sanctioned Systemic Organ Procurement
Distinct from black market organized crime is the documented systemic, non-consensual removal of organs by state-organized or state-approved institutions. This illicit procurement targets detainees and prisoners of conscience, often resulting in the donor’s death. The most high-profile allegations concern the practice in China.
An independent body, the China Tribunal, concluded in 2019 that forced organ harvesting has been committed on a significant scale throughout China. The Tribunal found that practitioners of the spiritual movement Falun Gong have been a primary source of organs. Reports indicate that members of the Uyghur, Tibetan, Muslim, and Christian minorities held in detention are also targets of this systemic practice.
UN human rights experts have expressed alarm that these detained minority groups are subjected to mandatory medical tests, such as blood tests and organ scans, while other prisoners are not. These examinations are allegedly used to compile a database of “living organ sources” for matching with recipients. Although the Chinese government stated it would stop using organs from executed prisoners by 2015, the high volume of transplants performed continues to far outpace voluntary donations, leading international bodies to conclude that the practice persists.
International Legal Frameworks and Prevention
The international community has established several mechanisms to combat illegal organ procurement. The United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, known as the Palermo Protocol, explicitly includes the removal of organs as a form of exploitation that signatory states must criminalize. This provides a clear basis for prosecuting the trafficking of human beings for this purpose.
The Council of Europe Convention against Trafficking in Human Organs (CETS No. 216), which entered into force in 2018, is the first international treaty dedicated to this crime. This Convention requires state parties to establish criminal offenses covering the illegal removal of organs without consent, the solicitation of donors or recipients for financial gain, and the use of illicitly removed organs. It also mandates international cooperation for investigations and the protection of victims.
Global organizations play a role in prevention and oversight. The WHO’s Guiding Principles establish the ethical foundation for transplantation worldwide, strictly prohibiting commercial transactions. Interpol supports law enforcement agencies by facilitating the sharing of information about transnational organized crime groups involved in organ trafficking. These collective efforts aim to strengthen regulatory frameworks and increase ethical deceased donation rates.