A five-year evaluation reviews a pre-migration intervention in South Asia and its effect on outcomes
A new paper examines a five-year evaluation of pre-migration intervention in South Asia, North-South Initiative asks the Malaysian government to stop arresting migrant workers while many remain unvaccinated, and young refugees in Europe face a new set of risks when they turn 18, according to a recent report.
A recently published paper explores the findings of a five-year evaluation of an empowerment and knowledge-building intervention in South Asia, and flags up its significant conclusions. The theory-based evaluation program used realist techniques to examine the intervention’s mechanisms, outcomes and context in Nepal, India and Bangladesh, and asked if it helped the female migrant workers it targeted.
Pre-migration community-based awareness and knowledge-building activities are particularly popular among anti-trafficking implementing agencies and donors because they are of relatively low risk and can reach large populations at fairly low cost. However, until now, no evaluations had measured how increased awareness or knowledge affects individual behaviors and, in turn, how different behaviors might affect the incidence or prevalence of human trafficking or modern slavery.
Safe-migration interventions are generally based on the assumption that if people had better knowledge about migration-related risks and regulations, and knew their rights, they could avoid trafficking-related abuses and migrate safely. However, the findings from this research and other studies indicate that most prospective migrants are in fact aware of migration-related risks but maintain hope that migration will work out for them personally, or are willing to take their chances, even if they believe there are risks for other people.
The findings from the evaluation also indicate that the intervention mechanisms (trainings) were not well-targeted, not delivered by appropriate trainers, and did not address participants’ expectations or concerns. The outcomes of empowerment and migration knowledge were not achieved due to poor integration of context-related factors, and flawed assumptions about power inequalities and the barriers women face when trying to assert their rights.
The findings add to a growing body of evidence on the ineffectiveness of pre-migration knowledge building as an anti-trafficking strategy. Furthermore, the evaluation highlights the importance of understanding the full context in which interventions are intended to have an effect, not solely the site where the intervention is delivered.
First and foremost, when addressing modern slavery, and even when considering “everyday exploitation”, the dynamics of each individual context play the most significant role, according to the findings. The asymmetric power relationship between workers and those involved in their recruitment and employment will continue to hinder the effectiveness of mechanisms such as pre-migration training because it prevents women from applying the rights and information they are taught.
This context, of often-extreme power imbalances, suggests that it may be problematic to invest in pre-migration interventions alone, as these single location initiatives do not take sufficient account of the full migration trajectory, especially the later stages towards destination and workplace where the power asymmetry widens and most of the abuses occur. Because women themselves are not able to confront the entrenched and unequal power dynamics they experience with recruiters or employers, interventions must be designed to address multiple points in a woman’s migration trajectory.
While the research did not indicate that the intervention was effective in reducing women’s risk of exploitation, the results most certainly emphasized that women who decide to migrate for work need and deserve better migration policy protections and effective interventions, so they are safe as they strive for better livelihoods for themselves and their families. Ultimately, interventions designed to prevent exploitation of migrant workers should be based on strong evidence regarding the social, political and economic realities of their migration context, especially in destination settings.
On Thursday 17 June, USAID Asia CTIP hosts a technical exchange call with the paper’s lead researcher to share the findings and open the floor for discussion and Q&A. Please join via Zoom and reach out to Winrock International’s team with any queries.
Here’s a round-up of other noteworthy news and initiatives:
The number of children working around the world has risen for the first time in 20 years, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the coronavirus pandemic is now threatening to push more young people towards the same fate. The number of child labourers has increased from 152 million in 2016 to 160 million, indicating that the major gains made since 2000, when 246 million children were engaged in labour, are being reversed.
The 2020 Federal Human Trafficking Report, an annual publication of the Human Trafficking Institute that provides comprehensive data from every federal criminal and civil human trafficking case that U.S. courts handle each year, was published last week. For the first time, the report also compiles data from every federal criminal human trafficking case since 2000, the year the landmark Trafficking Victims Protection Act was passed into law.
After months of negotiations, the German Bundestag passed a due diligence law on Friday that requires German companies and their direct suppliers to better protect human rights and the environment. While this is an important milestone, the law still falls short of international standards and now needs implementation, improvement and strong EU regulation.
In a new blog article, GFEMS writes about its new ACASI module, how it improves data collection, and how it may have contributed to unusual findings in the group’s bid to find new ways to measure the prevalence of child sex trafficking.
North-South Initiative has said that a crackdown on undocumented migrants will not help Malaysia get out of the pandemic faster. It has made an appeal to the government for a moratorium on the arrest and detention of migrants until they have all been vaccinated.
New research sounds the alarm on the risks facing young refugees in Europe when they reach their 18th birthday. The Oxfam report looks at how young refugees across Europe are falling through the gaps into homelessness, exploitation and danger.
Join The Center for Social Solutions on Friday 18 June to honor the legacy of Juneteenth. Some of the world’s leading slavery scholars, policy experts, and activists will discuss 20 things everyone should know about slavery.
Seefar is seeking Project Managers to oversee new projects globally, and would like to receive CVs from candidates who can demonstrate project management experience and a strong interest in migration, modern slavery or livelihoods projects.
Winrock International is looking for a firm or consultant to evaluate its on-going Mars Connectivity at Sea pilot, and to offer recommendations on the development of a sustainable business model for the technology used. Proposals should be submitted by 30 June.
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