This year’s OSCE Conference highlights underreported trafficking vulnerabilities
Trafficking prevention strategies must evolve to include overlooked populations, Kenyan CSOs call for laws to address online exploitation, and a UK campaign group makes recommendations for a tech company Code of Practice in response to the Online Safety Act.
Minorities, people with disabilities, and those who have been forcibly displaced are among the communities that are often overlooked in anti-trafficking responses, while their intersecting vulnerabilities are underreported, according to anti-trafficking experts speaking at the 24th Conference of the Alliance against Trafficking in Persons, organized by the OSCE Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings. Furthermore, this lack of awareness affects the way in which victims are treated by stakeholders, resulting in systemic protection failures.
Marginalized groups are at greater risk of trafficking due to social and economic factors such as lack of access to employment and other resources, speakers said. For instance, those who are forcibly displaced are often discriminated against and excluded from essential services. With no protection or means by which to live a dignified life, people move on, giving traffickers the opportunity to offer alternatives, while restrictive border and asylum policies and a lack of safe routes leave refugees with no option but to entrust their lives to smugglers, with the high trafficking risk this entails.
Another speaker highlighted the heightened vulnerability of people with disabilities, and the intersection with displacement and poverty which puts them at even greater risk. Strategies, laws and policies should be sensitized to those with disabilities, the diverse range of disabilities should be taken into account, and support systems and initiatives should be tailored to ensure their needs are met, with a disability perspective at all levels of work in protection, prevention and prosecution.
For some minoritized groups, such as the Roma community, this risk is exacerbated by negative stereotyping which means they are often not identified as victims but treated as criminals or irregular migrants. All too often, exploitation of minors and other vulnerable people is dismissed as “part of the culture”, despite evidence of trafficking being present, experts said.
Moreover, emerging forms of trafficking are targeting people with non-typical victim profiles, and awareness-raising and prevention strategies must be extended to include these new groups, participants said. Those who are highly educated and multilingual are now targets for gangs running scamming compounds, while technology has allowed traffickers to reach new audiences.
Speakers emphasized the need for tailored responses that are trauma-informed and victim centered, and meet the diverse needs of survivors, with a focus on comprehensive long-term support that would lessen the risk of re-trafficking. There must also be meaningful inclusion of survivors from marginalized groups who can offer previously overlooked perspectives, they said.
Early interventions are also crucial for effective prevention. Frontline workers must be trained to recognize signs of trafficking in all populations, while prosecutors and the judiciary should be aware of trafficking vulnerabilities, including those that are currently underreported. Awareness-raising should begin in border areas, to ensure that diverse populations of migrants are aware of their rights as well as potential risks. In the longer term, empowering vulnerable populations through access to education and essential services would address underlying factors such as poverty and inequality.
Several speakers highlighted the approach taken in response to the invasion of Ukraine as an example of best practice. Proactive multi-stakeholder initiatives to raise awareness and offer support, combined with safe migration routes and visa programs, meant people did not have to rely on smugglers or hide from authorities, greatly reducing their trafficking risk.
Overall, there is a critical need for a data-driven and whole-of-society approach that involves governments, civil society, academia, the private sector, and communities working together to create inclusive solutions. For instance, the collection of multidisciplinary data from sources such as law enforcement, healthcare providers, and NGOs, enhances understanding of trafficking patterns, while data-driven approaches guided by survivor feedback could result in more targeted responses. And continuous updating of data collection methods and analytical models could help anticipate future trafficking trends and lead to the implementation of proactive prevention measures.
Here’s a round-up of other noteworthy news and initiatives:
UN Women has highlighted the devastating impact of Sudan’s conflict, particularly on women and girls, as it reaches its one-year mark. The conflict has led to a humanitarian crisis with widespread displacement, hunger risks, and increased gender-based violence, including trafficking. UN Women urges immediate action to protect women and girls, support their economic empowerment, and involve them in peace negotiations.
This opinion piece questions the rationale behind the establishment of the Global Commission on Modern Slavery by former UK Prime Minister Theresa May, citing her ineffective track record in combating modern slavery. It further offers recommendations for more effective approaches, including rethinking migration policies, corporate accountability, and regulations concerning commercial sex work.
Kenya-based organizations Trace Kenya and Equality Now are calling for amendments to the Counter Trafficking in Persons Act, 2010, in response to escalating online exploitation and evolving human trafficking tactics. The current legislation’s exclusion of online trafficking hampers effective prosecution, enabling traffickers to exploit legal gaps and further endangering vulnerable individuals.
In response to the UK’s Online Safety Act, the Children’s Coalition for Online Safety has set out a series of baseline requirements it expects to see reflected in guidance from Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, if the Code of Practice is to deliver and ensure tech companies truly meet their obligations to children as set out in the Act. It emphasizes high protection standards, prioritizing safety in product design, comprehensive risk mitigation, adequate resources for safety teams, and accountability for tech companies.
This policy brief by the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants analyzes various trends that point to an increase in labour trafficking and forced labour in the United States, and offers particular solutions to adequately track the issue.
Join Tech Against Trafficking on 24 April at 8am PDT/5pm CEST for a webinar showcase event celebrating the close of its Third Accelerator, during which the outputs, learnings, and tools developed by Accelerator participants Polaris and Issara Institute will be presented.
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