Archive for category: Human Trafficking

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Ending Human Trafficking in Slovakia

Human Trafficking in Slovakia
In its Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP) 2021, the U.S. Department of State ranks Slovakia as a Tier 2 country in terms of human trafficking eradication efforts. This ranking means Slovakia does not completely meet the minimum requirements for combating trafficking set within the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) but is taking significant steps to comply. From 2013 to 2018, Slovakia had fully met the minimum standards of the TVPA, but dropped to Tier 2 status in 2019, a status that Slovakia carried through to 2021. The TIP highlights progress toward ending human trafficking in Slovakia.

Updates on Human Trafficking in Slovakia

The Slovakian government discovered 61 victims in 2020: 34 women and 27 men. Children accounted for about 15 of the victims and all but one of the victims were Slovak nationals. The government identified the vast majority of Slovak victims, 65%, in foreign countries, as traffickers transported many abroad.

Citing “investigating more trafficking cases and increasing the percentage of traffickers that received significant prison terms,” the report asserts that the Slovakian government has made significant efforts to curb human trafficking in Slovakia. That being said, Slovakia “did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas.”

Courts convicted fewer traffickers in 2020 than in 2019 — nine in comparison to 11 in 2019. Considering that, 66% of those convicted in 2020 received significant prison sentences as compared to 45% in 2019. The United States Department of State reported that there is a lack of protection for victims and a dearth of proper training for border officials on how to properly identify and assist potential trafficking victims.

As a result of its findings, the 2021 TIP report presents a list of suggestions to accelerate Slovakia’s efforts against trafficking. Among them are the recommendations that judges and prosecutors receive training on victim-centered approaches. Slovakia must also “[sensitize] judges to the severity of trafficking crimes and the full range of penalties available.” Additionally, Slovakia must amend “public awareness campaigns to portray human trafficking in a more realistic manner” and update laws to ensure that victims of trafficking do not face punishment, among several other recommendations.

Other Improvements

The Ministry of the Interior coordinates national efforts against human trafficking in Slovakia. The U.S. Department of State found that the Ministry of the Interior’s Crime Prevention Department successfully coordinated policy, created anti-trafficking programs, organized training for pertinent officials and coordinated awareness campaigns.

The Slovakian government launched “extensive trafficking prevention and public awareness campaigns” in 2020. It transitioned from in-person campaigns to virtual campaigns amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 Trafficking in Persons report cites these campaigns as significant improvements on the part of the government.

Education by IOM

In addition to the efforts of the Slovakian government, independent efforts also aim to assist in curbing human trafficking in Slovakia. The IOM Slovakia took a more direct approach to resolving the educational gap regarding human trafficking in Slovakia. Specifically, in September 2021, the IOM Slovakia provided training to 56 professionals in Bratislava and Piešťany on the prevention of human trafficking. Between 2003 and 2021, IOM Slovakia performed 148 specialized training sessions for 2,648 professionals in the anti-human trafficking sector. These training sessions present recent updates on human trafficking trends and provide practical knowledge as well as resources for advancing anti-human trafficking efforts.

The IOM Slovakia ran the operated the Slovakian National Helpline for Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings from July 1, 2008, to December 15, 2014. In September 2018, Caritas Slovakia took over the running of the helpline. However, the IOM Slovakia still continues to run a helpline to provide information to safeguard against trafficking.

As the 2021 TIP report lays out, there is room for improvement in terms of Slovakia’s efforts to reduce human trafficking within its borders. However, the combined efforts of the Slovakian government and independent organizations like the IOM, by providing resources for those at risk and conducting ongoing training for professionals in the human trafficking prevention sector, can intercept potential cases of human trafficking and assist existing victims of trafficking.

– Eleanor Corbin
Photo: Flickr

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5 Facts About Human Trafficking in Iceland

Human Trafficking in Iceland
Despite being ranked the third happiest country in the world, human trafficking in Iceland has been a prevalent issue for the past decade. The U.S. Department of State categorizes the severity of human trafficking in a country based on the actions the country takes to combat the issue. Tier 1 is the best, tier 2 shows a major problem within the country with some improvements made by the government and tier 3 cites the country as completely inefficient in stopping trafficking. Iceland is ranked as a tier 2 country.

Recent Government Progress

The Government of Iceland is making significant progress in fighting human trafficking by identifying victims and cases and creating a centralized information base. Despite these measures, the government did not meet the minimum standards for being a tier 1 country due to prosecutions in which traffickers obtained charges under non-trafficking statutes and therefore did not face their full punishment. 

In 2020, police investigated 22 cases of human trafficking in Iceland, a stark contrast to the five investigations in 2019. In the same year, Iceland adopted a plan of action focused on preventing human trafficking by providing services for victims and increasing funding for police departments. The plan is gaining more funding each year, some of which goes to educational campaigns informing the public about trafficking scenarios and how to stay out of them.

Targets of Trafficking

According to the 2021 report on human trafficking in Iceland, many cases involve the use of female tourists for prostitution. This pattern continues as women living in Iceland for temporary work are at risk of becoming trafficking victims for the purpose of labor. Traffickers will pay women in their home countries to work in Iceland for 183 days to avoid taxes. In addition to prostitution, the labor can involve various hands-on jobs that are worth a salary far more than what the traffickers pay.

Many trafficking cases in Iceland happen in “champagne clubs” in the country’s capital, Reykjavik. In 2010, in an effort to fight human trafficking, the Icelandic government banned strip clubs unless police strictly supervised them. Despite this change, prostitution is still rampant throughout the clubs. The women not only work in prostitution within these facilities but they also work at busy hotels filled with tourists so that they can lead foreigners to the club to become trafficking victims themselves. In 2021, the government identified eight sex trafficking cases that it determined to be from “champagne clubs.”

Women’s Safe Shelter

Created in 1982, the Women’s Safe Shelter, located in Iceland’s capital Reykjavik, provides a home to women escaping violence within their lives. Women’s Shelter Alliance, an NGO, runs this home which receives about 73.400.000 ISK ($667,270) from the government and donors.

Recently, a second Women’s Safe Shelter underwent establishment in Akureyri, a city in Northern Iceland. In these homes, consultants and psychologists support the women, and the women receive encouragement to stay as long as they need. The shelter supports women escaping from sex and labor trafficking, as well as other forms of violence such as domestic abuse and rape. To ensure their well-being, women can bring their children to the home with them and receive housing and meals.

Future Action

Even though the country has received admiration for its high levels of social progress and happiness, human trafficking in Iceland is still a major issue that leaves many people, especially women, lost and vulnerable. Though progress is evident through the work of NGOs such as the Women’s Shelter Alliance and the national plan of action, Iceland can do more to support its people by creating stricter laws, adequate sentencing and more victim services.

– Yashavi Upasani
Photo: Flickr

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Fighting Human Trafficking in Trinidad and Tobago 

Human Trafficking in Trinidad and Tobago 
As of the 2021 Trafficking in Persons Report, Trinidad and Tobago remains on the Tier 2 watch list for human trafficking. Refugees from Venezuela and other migrants from South America are the primary victims of human trafficking in Trinidad and Tobago, facilitated by members of the Trinidadian coast guard and customs office. The crisis in Venezuela has caused a large number of Venezuelan refugees to seek shelter, whether permanent or temporary, in Trinidad.

Cultural and language barriers make finding employment or housing incredibly difficult for refugees. This is making them prime victims of human trafficking schemes. Most commonly, traffickers sell these victims into sex slavery, “or forced labor in domestic service and the retail sector,” according to the U.S. Department of State.

Fortunately, the government is increasing its efforts to fight human trafficking in Trinidad and Tobago. Between 2017 and 2020, the Counter Trafficking Unit in Trinidad has investigated 125 cases of human trafficking in total, with the majority of these being sex trafficking. Simultaneously, United Nations Agency IOM is aiding the government of Trinidad and Tobago in improving the lives of victims.

Government’s Efforts

The U.S. Department of State has identified Trinidad and Tobago as a Tier 2 watchlist country for human trafficking. Tier 2 watchlist countries are countries that, while not fully meeting the standards of the Trafficking Violence Protection Act to eliminate trafficking, are making significant efforts to do so.

In 2011, the government of Trinidad and Tobago passed the Trafficking in Persons Act. The act is criminalizing labor and sex trafficking with minimum sentences of 15 years, the U.S. Department of State reported. The government has prosecuted 14 traffickers since 2011, though the courts have not convicted a single trafficker under the law in that timespan. The government underwent legal system reforms in 2019 to address the backlog of cases. It opened five new courts with divisions specializing in human trafficking cases to make the system more efficient, according to the U.S. Department of State.

Trinidad and Tobago also created the Counter Trafficking Unit or CTU. It solely dedicates its time to investigating, stopping and prosecuting human trafficking in Trinidad. While this unit suffers from budget and personnel constraints, it still demonstrates a commitment to ending human trafficking.

Trinidad and Tobago improved its training and education for officers dealing with human trafficking. “The CTU produced a Pocket Guide for Frontline Officers” to aid in identifying victims of human trafficking, the U.S. Department of State reports. The government also implemented important, though limited, screening procedures for immigrants to identify those at high risk of human trafficking. By undergoing this screening, immigrants also gain access to programs such as translation services and English as a Second Language class.

United Nations Agency Efforts

The International Organization for Migrants, or IOM, is a United Nations Agency that provides services and advice to the government and migrants alike concerning migration. The IOM has been advocating and providing services to victims of human trafficking in Trinidad and Tobago for multiple years.

The IOM provides services including “accommodation, emergency assistance, medical health services, vocational training and psychosocial support.” In one case, the IOM even advocated for the release of a victim of human trafficking who was arrested after fleeing her captors.

Additionally, the IOM provides specialized help to foreigners who become victims of human trafficking. It is working to break down cultural and language barriers that prevent victims from receiving the help they need. The IOM has urged the government of Trinidad and Tobago to continue ramping up its efforts to fight human trafficking. It has also pledged its support and cooperation if needed.

Next Steps

In 2021, the U.S. Department of State published recommendations to the Trinidadian government in the fight against human trafficking in Trinidad, including:

  • Implementing further justice system reforms to work through case backlog.
  • Implementing an “anti-trafficking national action plan.
  • “Undertaking proactive victim identification, screening and protection among migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees.”
  • “Improve cooperation between the CTU, prosecutors, judiciary and NGOs to increase the number of cases that proceed to trial.”
  • “Train law enforcement and prosecutors in proactively identifying, obtaining, preserving and corroborating evidence of trafficking.”

In implementing these reforms, the government can adequately protect both foreigners and nationals and prove it is serious about fighting human trafficking in Trinidad and Tobago.

Human trafficking in Trinidad and Tobago is a serious issue. Vulnerable refugees from Venezuela continue to come into the country in large numbers and traffickers continue to prey on them. Fortunately, with the help of the IOM, Trinidad and Tobago is working to fight this issue. There is no sign that the government will relax its response to trafficking, continuing to implement best practices and work to solve the problem.

– Benjamin Brown
Photo: Flickr

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Human Trafficking in Laos

Human Trafficking in Laos
Human trafficking in Laos, despite its moderate severity relative to other countries, nonetheless remains a critical driver of sexual exploitation and forced labor. The 2021 Trafficking in Persons Report, issued by the U.S. Department of State, categorizes Laos as a Tier 2 nation. The Laos government thus falls short of the TVPA’s minimum standards for eliminating trafficking, in spite of efforts to meet such standards.

Targets of Trafficking

Traffickers predominantly deliver adolescent Lao girls and women to Thailand and China, though at times Malaysia and Vietnam, where they then coerce the victims into commercial sex. Otherwise, the women, under coercion, perform domestic, factory and agricultural work. In particular, traffickers frequently sell the women sent to China as brides. Trafficked Lao boys and men, on the other hand, typically enter Thailand’s fishing, construction and agricultural sectors. Traffickers attract victims with promises of reliable job opportunities in neighboring countries.

Lao victims of human trafficking are most often migrants seeking work abroad. Otherwise, they are impoverished students disinterested in continuing education and instead preferring to work to contribute income to their families, according to the U.S. Department of State. Such individuals either voluntarily and legally enter destination countries or traffickers enable them. The lax management at border crossings resulting from the insufficient training of provincial and district level immigration authorities especially enables illegal entry. Additionally, foreign traffickers have begun working with Lao middlemen to facilitate the transit of victims across borders.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, large amounts of both legal and illegal Lao workers have returned home. This created rampant unemployment and dramatically increased demand for work. Such conditions have rendered poverty-stricken Lao workers exceedingly susceptible to trafficking, seeing as they opt for low-paying and ethically-gray work within Laos. For instance, the closure of the Laos-Thailand border, coupled with increased willingness to engage in domestic commercial sex, has led to a surge in sex trafficking, the U.S. Department of State reported.

Existing Legislation

The Laos government gravely punishes any form of trafficking. For instance, Article 215 of the penal code criminalizes trafficking, punishable by five to 15 years of imprisonment. The fine is ranging from 10 million to 100 million Lao kip (equivalent to $1,080 to $10,780), according to the U.S. Department of State. The Article further stipulates that if the crime implicates an underage victim, the fine increases to 500 million Lao kip (equivalent to $53,880) at most.

Nonetheless, such measures prove insufficient for resolutely curbing trafficking. Several gaps exist within the current penal system. For one thing, law enforcement is often reluctant to extend severe punishments to first offenders. Moreover, there is little protocol for investigating potential perpetrators, so as to preemptively stem trafficking. The Anti-Trafficking Department also remains the only authority capable of identifying trafficked victims, according to the U.S. Department of State. Consequently, the Laos government lacks a comprehensive and standardized mechanism for identifying and helping victims.

Future Legislation

The Lao government is working internally with the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It also works externally with the International Labor Organization to implement several changes, as stated at the International Labour Conference. This includes expanding the government budget for anti-trafficking efforts and standardizing training for police and legal officers.

To this end, the government is also developing a formal curriculum for border crossing administrators, such that they more consistently identify victims. The government further seeks to collect and publicize government anti-trafficking efforts to improve transparency and increase public confidence.

Non-State Actors

Sengsavang, operating in Laos since 2006, is an NGO that works closely with the Lao government to rehabilitate Lao victims of trafficking. The organization has a rehabilitation center in Thailand, in Savannakhet, a hotspot of cross-border trafficking. Sengsavang specifically provides education and vocational training, such that victims can reintegrate into society. To this day, the organization has prevented more than 13,000 individuals from falling victim to trafficking. It also supported over 500 trafficked young girls and women.

In sum, human trafficking in Laos continues to enable and exacerbate human rights abuses. There is nonetheless hope for recovery. Consistent coordinated efforts between the Lao government and NGOs to administer tangible change would contribute greatly to decreasing human trafficking in Laos.

– Emily Xin
Photo: Flickr

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Shakti Samuha’s Work for Trafficked Victims in Nepal

Trafficked Victims in Nepal
The organization Shakti Samuha believes that trafficked victims in Nepal are valuable members of society. It asserts that these victims deserve rights like everyone else. Moreover, it believes that victims should lead the fight against trafficking. Founded by 15 girls that the Indian government released in 1996, Shakti Samuha focuses on prevention, security and empowerment for survivors.

Shakti Samuha: Victims as Advocates

Shakti Samuha promotes enhancing advocacy efforts to improve and influence anti-trafficking legislation. Further, it strives to empower victims to seek cases against traffickers. Simultaneously, Shakti Samuha works to reintegrate victims into the economy. The organization runs an income-generation support program. It also provides psychosocial and legal counseling. Finally, Shakti Samuha helps provide survivors with housing. The organization has five shelters and provides education support to 1,514 children. In total, since 2009 Shakti Samuha has repatriated 145 human trafficked women and children from India.

Since 2005, about 18,261 people have actively participated in the awareness-raising, interaction and advocacy activities in Kathamndu valley and five trafficking-prone districts. Shakti Samuha won the 2013 Ramon Magsaysay Award, which is considered Asia’s Nobel prize.

Sunita Danuwar: Leading the Way

In 2018, the United States Department of State awarded its Trafficking In Person (TIP) Award to Sunita Danuwar. Danuwar is the co-founder and executive director of the Shakti Samuha. A survivor of trafficking herself, Danuwar personally travels to poor Nepali villages to raise awareness. From 2009 to 2011 she ran the Alliance Against Trafficking of Women and Children in Nepal, which is a group of non-government organizations working collectively to support trafficked victims in Nepal.

Nepalese Trafficking and Child Labor

“The main forms of trafficking are sexual exploitation, forced labor and removal of organs,” says Binija Dhital Goperma,  the United Nation’s Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Programme Coordinator in Nepal. She adds that cases of human trafficking occur in the entertainment and hospitality sectors. She also mentions garment industries and agricultural, domestic and brick kiln workplaces. However, striving to combat trafficking, Nepal ratified the U.N. Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons in 2018. The Protocol legally binds countries to criminalize trafficking by introducing national anti-trafficking laws. Unfortunately, due to the COVID pandemic, the government needed to reduce access to resources for trafficking survivors.

A weak economy with high unemployment sets the stage for a high rate of trafficking. In 2019, Nepal had an 11.4 % unemployment rate. It then follows that trafficked Nepalese are a key source of forced labor.  Laborers in Nepal may be working back-breaking construction jobs in the desert in scorching heat for 12 hours a day. Factories force some to work grueling hours seven days a week. Domestic workers become  “virtual slaves” in private homes.

Trafficking in Asia and the Pacific

Human trafficking is the second-largest criminal activity in the world, raising $32 billion. The International Labor Office (2017) reports that a majority (approximately 62%) of persons trafficked are victimized in Asia and the Pacific. The 2020 International Labor Organization (ILO) data shows that in 2020 Asia and the Pacific child labor included 48.7 million children. Moreover, of those children, 22.2 million worked in hazardous jobs.

Other Ways Human Trafficking Victims are Receiving Help in Nepal

Many coalitions throughout the world are striving to eliminate child labor and trafficking in Nepal, Asia, the Pacific and throughout the world. Organizations including the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the United Nations focus on the U.N. Sustainable Development Goal 8.7 to end child labor and all its forms by 2025. They work with nations, including Nepal, to create laws and policies to accomplish this. They also create programs to work directly with trafficked victims.

A Bridge to Global Action on Forced Labor (Bridge Project) is an initiative launched by the International Labor Organization and funded by the U.S. Department of Labor that assists the migrant worker communities of Bajura and Kanchanpur by providing livelihood support. Specifically, the Bridge Project develops programming to help trafficked victims gain the skills necessary to avoid exploitative environments. For example, people in the program learn how to nurse diseased goats back to health and then how to become goat farmers.

Programs like Shakti Samuha and the Bridge Project remain focused on empowering trafficked victims in Nepal to sustain themselves. With that focus, they should eventually prevent poverty from being a mitigating factor in trafficking in the first place.

– Joy Maina
Photo: Flickr

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Human Trafficking in Guinea-Bissau

Human Trafficking in Guinea-Bissau
On a global scale, human trafficking impacts approximately 40.3 million people, as per a 2016 report from the International Labor Organization. It is a lucrative enterprise that has found a foothold, among other places in West Africa, in Guinea-Bissau. A staggering figure, more than 40% of the people living in Guinea-Bissau, are younger than the age of 15, according to statistics from 2019. Human trafficking in Guinea-Bissau exists in several ways including the transportation and indoctrination of male minors and the sexual exploitation of female minors. Regularly struck with political tumults and social unrest, the country’s populace faces a slew of safety concerns, many of them with roots in criminal activity, such as human trafficking, addictive substances and weapons.

Guinea-Bissau’s Government

The current government, headed by President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, has its hands full with various uprisings and insurrections. The most recent of these to make headlines occurred at the beginning of February 2022 when attackers made an assassination attempt on Embaló’s life. The coup takes place just shy of two years following his controversial inauguration.

Embaló himself is not exempt from accomodating criminals. Drug lord and rabble-rouser Antonio Indjai, for instance, made an appearance at Embaló’s inauguration. This came many years after Indjai’s illegal activity became the subject of international concern.

The persistence of narcoterrorism grew in recent decades, particularly concerning cocaine, as Latin American drug lords saw Guinea-Bissau as a quiet and lax stopover locale in their transport of goods to Europe. Though the drug trade is nothing to scoff at, it is an industry that is subject to trans-continental issues. Meanwhile, another kind of trafficking occurs in Guinea-Bissau on a regular basis and the perpetrators are in the country’s own backyard.

As in many other underdeveloped nations in the region, daily nutrition, general health and unsteady employment are ever-present concerns. Under such conditions, human trafficking in Guinea-Bissau has sprouted up. Boys, for example, often get roped into organized trafficking where they spend their time engaged in begging or other forms of forced labor.

The Different Kinds of Human Trafficking

Religion, which (along with ethnic varieties) affects national politics, also has a bearing on human trafficking in Guinea-Bissau. While approximately a fifth of the country’s population adheres to Christianity, about two-fifths of the country follow Islam. Traffickers often move some Muslim children stealthily and under the cover of night to the neighboring country of Senegal.

Subsequently, traffickers push children into money-making strategies under the guise of religious, Koranic-based education. In these situations, the children are called talibés and the schools are referred to as daaras. According to marabouts, begging is part of the daara curriculum.

The world of trafficking looks different for girls, who often face exposure to sexual exploitation. Otherwise, like many boys, they too must endure forced labor. A number of Guinea-Bissau’s government officials are accused of remaining complicit in human trafficking crimes, such as sex tourism programs operated in the Bijagós islands, just as some officials have been accused of comradery with those involved in the drug trade.

Taking Action Against Human Trafficking

Guinea-Bissau successfully passed an anti-trafficking law in 2011. However, since then, the country has done little to effectively enforce its ramifications. According to the 2020 Trafficking in Persons Report from the U.S. Department of State, the government should seek to multiply and bolster further resources for the Judicial Police and expand much-needed enforcement to places like the Bijagós.

And, according to the 2021 TIP report, Guinea-Bissau, which had maintained a Tier 2 status for several years,  backslid into Tier 3, designated for countries that do not meet the bare “minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.”

The citizens of Guinea-Bissau could benefit from better law enforcement. Guinea-Bissau is taking some measures for improvement. The establishment of the West African Police Information System (WAPIS) in 2015 and its ongoing endeavors to integrate police data systems affiliated with INTERPOL have the potential to aid criminal investigations. WAPIS, implemented by INTERPOL, receives funding from the European Union and “political and strategic support” from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). One of the countries benefiting from the program is Guinea-Bissau. Added national police measures could help crack down on human trafficking.

Local organizations like the Association of the Friends of Children (Associação dos Amigos da Criança or AMIC) and SOS Talibé Children (SOS Crianças Talibés) serve as beacons of hope. These organizations support children displaced and harmed by human trafficking in Guinea-Bissau and also advocate for policy decisions geared toward combating the destructive trade. With financial aid from the European Union, the AMIC has rescued more than 1,600 children since 2005.

With help from charity organizations and stronger law enforcement, Guinea-Bissau can better address its human trafficking epidemic.

– John Tuttle
Photo: Flickr

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Reducing Human Trafficking in Ireland

Human Trafficking in Ireland
Human trafficking in Ireland is higher than the official statistics report. In fact, Ireland stands as a Tier 2 Watch List country for a second year in relation to efforts to eliminate human trafficking, according to the U.S. Department of State. The U.S. Department of State compiles annual Trafficking in Persons Reports that rank governments in their efforts to end human trafficking.

The Tier 2 Watchlist country ranking means the government is not meeting the minimum standards of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) but is actively working to meet those standards. The TVPA establishes “methods of prosecuting traffickers, preventing human trafficking and protecting victims and survivors of trafficking.”

Why is Ireland a Tier 2 Watch List Country?

The Ireland government has made many efforts to align with the TVPA, such as “designating an independent human trafficking national rapporteur and establishing a formal national anti-trafficking forum” and starting a “national anti-trafficking public awareness campaign.” The Irish government has also extended monetary support for victim assistance, awareness efforts and anti-trafficking training.

Despite these efforts, Ireland did not demonstrate an overall increase in growth from the previous 2020 Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP). The government continued to struggle with victim identification and assistance and lacked support services for victims. The 2021 TIP Report specifies that the Irish government “investigated and prosecuted fewer suspected traffickers, did not prosecute any labor traffickers and victim identification decreased for the fourth year in a row.”

Ireland’s Response to the 2021 TIP Report

“While there have been some positive efforts, including the appointment of the Commission as rapporteur, and in recent weeks, the first trafficking conviction since 2013, the reality today is that Ireland continues to fall below minimum standards compared to other developed nations,” Chief Commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Sinéad Gibney said in July 2021.

“It was very disappointing that the U.S. State Department did not acknowledge the significant progress made by Ireland over the past 12 months as sufficient to upgrade our ranking in the latest Trafficking in Persons Report, I am confident that the work we are doing should be reflected in the next TIP Report and that Ireland’s ranking should be upgraded accordingly,” Minister of State at the Department of Justice Hildegarde Naughton said in a September 2021 parliamentary discussion.

Is Human Trafficking in Ireland Improving?

From 2017 to 2019, Ireland detected 181 trafficking victims, while from 2019 to 2021, Ireland detected 124 victims, which equals about a 30% decrease. This decrease may link to the global COVID-19 travel restrictions.

The 2021 TIP Report said that authorities identified 38 victims in 2020, the lowest number of identified victims since 2013.

Overall, human trafficking in Ireland is reducing according to the numbers, but the 2021 TIP Report says that there are even more victims than official statistics say and does not provide conclusive insight as to why. The 2021 TIP Report stated that an “independent and comprehensive 2021 study found that from 2014-2019, the true number of trafficking victims was approximately 38[%] higher than the official national statistics.”

The 2021 TIP Report does indicate that traffickers traffic victims from other regions such as Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and South America, and recently, countries including Brazil, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Romania.

Organizations Working to End Human Trafficking in Ireland

Ruhama is an Irish non-governmental organization that emerged in 1989 to provide “support to women impacted by prostitution, sex trafficking and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation.” Ruhama offers free services that differ depending on each woman’s circumstances and experiences, including a care plan, counseling and therapy, education and development programs, legal support, housing support, health and wellness support and more. In 2021, Ruhama helped 369 women, with 136 women victims of sex trafficking.

Doras is an anti-trafficking organization that has been helping those affected by human trafficking in Mid-West Ireland since 2011. Its priorities in anti-trafficking advocacy include rehabilitation programs for victims, improved identification and assisting of victims, “increased penalties and custodial sentences” for those benefiting from prostitution, “safe and appropriate gender-specific accommodation” for survivors and more.

As of now, the total victim count for human trafficking in Ireland is decreasing and the government and other organizations are continuing to accelerate efforts to reduce the prevalence of human trafficking in Ireland, prevent it and educate on it, while helping survivors, and identifying victims and accurately reporting information.

– Dylan Olive
Photo: Flickr

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Human Trafficking in Kosovo

Human trafficking in Kosovo
Human trafficking in Kosovo has been a focal point of the fight against human trafficking. The main victims within the nation are young girls who traffickers force to work in the sex trade. While this problem still persists, the government is making active efforts to lessen the prevalence of the issue.

The Causes of Kosovo’s Trafficking Epidemic

Ethnic tensions between Serbians and Albanians residing in Kosovo have worked to increase human trafficking in the nation. Speculations determined that peace-keeping forces placed in Kosovo to prevent the two groups from clashing led to a large demand for sex workers. Trafficking rose to meet the demand. Before Kosovo’s official declaration of independence in 2008, young girls, who were trafficking victims, came from neighboring countries. However, independence meant more secure borders. As a result, the traffickers looked inward, targeting young Kosovan girls.

Human trafficking in Kosovo is undoubtedly a profitable business. It is estimated that a female forced into sexual exploitation in Western Europe can create around $67,200 in profit for her captors. Such a profitable industry is not one that many criminals or corrupt officials can ignore. GlobalPost found that Kosovan government officials were profiting from or taking part in the sexual aspect of trafficking in the past, but they never faced any charges.

Fight Against Human Trafficking

According to the U.S. Department of State, Kosovo qualifies as a Tier 2 country, meaning that while it does not meet every standard set for eliminating human trafficking, it is making a solid effort. These efforts include implementing new standard operating procedures, meant to increase prosecution efficiency. The government of Kosovo also dedicated more funds and resources to helping victims of human trafficking. A big part of this was the opening of state-run shelters for these victims.

These new measures are a massive improvement from a government that GlobalPost said is profiting off of the human trafficking industry in the nation. However, the problem is far from disappearing. Despite the high rates of human trafficking in Kosovo, very few traffickers face convictions. Kosovo’s Criminal Code sentences convicted traffickers to five to 12 years in prison. Of those convicted, most only serve between seven and 18 months, according to ONETrack International.

Next Steps

A report that the Council of Europe’s anti-trafficking group, GRETA, published, outlined improvements that Kosovo could make to lessen the prevalence of human trafficking in the nation. GRETA stresses the importance of ensuring the prioritization of trafficking cases in Kosovo’s judicial system. As well as this, GRETA emphasizes identifying victims of human trafficking, specifically child trafficking. A large portion of the trafficking victims in Kosovo are actually from Albania. Partly because of ethnic tensions, the country often deports these children back to their home country before making proper identification, greatly lessening the chance of catching the perpetrator of the crime.

The U.S. Department of State has also outlined recommendations to reduce human trafficking in Kosovo. It again emphasized prosecution and sentencing, with higher conviction rates and longer sentences as key points of discussion. Another measure Kosovo should take into account is the training of judiciary officials in each region so they can properly manage cases of human trafficking. It is unclear if Kosovo plans to implement any of these recommendations, but given the recent successes of the victim shelters and regionally assigned officials, some optimism remains.

– Thomas Schneider
Photo: Flickr

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Addressing Human Trafficking in Cambodia

Human Trafficking in Cambodia
Human trafficking in Cambodia is consistently on the rise. Therefore, the U.S. State Department has classified the nation as a Tier 2 Watch List country for the third year in a row due to its limited efforts to combat trafficking. This ranking means that “the Government of Cambodia does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so.” All of Cambodia’s 25 provinces are sources of human trafficking and exploitation of women, men and children. According to World Vision, “Cambodia is a source, transit and destination country for men, women and children trafficked into sexual exploitation and forced labor.” In 2001, the coalition of 16 organizations, Cambodia against Child Trafficking (Cambodia ACTs), came into existence. Cambodia ACTs serves 22 provinces and municipalities to ensure all Cambodian children live a life free from trafficking, exploitation and abuse.

A Closer Look at Human Trafficking in Cambodia

The Global Slavery Index, a study of the prevalence of modern slavery, ranked Cambodia third out of 167 countries in 2016 in terms of the prevalence of modern slavery in the nation. This is a very poor ranking as the estimated number of people facing modern slavery in Cambodia in 2016 stood at 256,800, which equates to 1.65% of the population.

Why is this? According to the 2016 Global Slavery Index, most human trafficking incidents in Cambodia materialize as forced marriages, trafficking for marriages, forced labor, commercial sexual exploitation forced begging and orphanage tourism. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has also exacerbated human trafficking in Cambodia due to the increasing vulnerability of populations as a consequence of rising poverty levels and widespread unemployment.

According to the Cambodia Socio-Economic Survey for 2019/20, at the newly defined national poverty line of $2.70 per person per day, 18% of the population faces poverty. Without enough money to provide for themselves and their families, Cambodians are at increased risk of trafficking lures and often look to child labor to make ends meet. Sometimes families unknowingly send their children to work in environments that are exploitative and unsafe to make extra money. In the Trafficking in Persons Report for 2018, the U.S. State Department deemed Cambodia one of the most vulnerable countries in terms of human trafficking.

How Cambodia ACTs Helps

Cambodia ACTs offer survivors a safe place to share their stories anonymously as it believes silence only aids in the problem of human trafficking. This is why Cambodia ACTs works tirelessly to raise awareness of human trafficking and educate and aid children who are at risk, all while strengthening Cambodian laws to stop human trafficking.

Cambodia ACTs uses a 4P strategy to combat the trafficking of children: prevention, prosecution, provision and promotion. Cambodia ACTs prevent trafficking through education, awareness-raising activities and workshops in the community. The coalition aids in the prosecution of perpetrators and seeks justice for victims. As for provision, Cambodia ACTs provides for survivors by offering essential care, social services and psychological assistance. Lastly, its promotion activities involve working with government agencies to enact policy change.

How to Aid Survivors

The work of Cambodia ACTs has continued to expand since its start in 2001. However, this is only possible due to the generosity of people who wish to see human trafficking come to an end. Through donations and grants, Cambodia ACTs can continue to fight human trafficking. In 2015, using its prevention strategy, Cambodia ACTs gave “awareness training” to 25,000 Cambodian adults and children. In addition to this, Cambodia ACTs created “6,000 posters, 5,000 leaflets, 4,000 stickers and [four] billboards” to help end human trafficking in Cambodia. To help Cambodia ACTs continue its great mission, even ordinary individuals can play a role by donating or using social media to raise awareness.

– Kaley Anderson
Photo: Flickr

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How to Stop Human Trafficking In The Solomon Islands

Trafficking in the Solomon Islands
Human trafficking is an appendage of inhumanity and crime that has innate ties to the broader scope of global poverty. Traffickers take advantage of people in impoverished conditions through predatory work contracts, coerced sex work and exploiting the workers through the largest markets in the world. The small islands that make up the Solomon Islands are an observable microcosm of human trafficking in nearly all its practiced forms. Fortunately, when surveying the pervasiveness of human trafficking in the Solomon Islands, there also is a pathway for ending human trafficking across the world.

The Context

The Solomon Islands is a country that includes six major islands and hundreds of smaller ones dotted across the Oceanic sprawl. Despite its seemingly inconspicuous size, it is a port for incoming and outgoing exploited human labor.  The poverty rate is as high as 31.5% in the Makira province according to the Solomon Islands Household Income and Expenditure Survey.

The Solomon Islands is a country that is economically vulnerable as its main exports require hard labor for a population that is around 600,000 people. The country’s main export is wood and it has a prominent logging industry which is very labor-intensive.  Mining,  agriculture, fishing and palm oil manufacturing and fishing are also labor intensive.

Trafficking in the Solomon Islands

A 2021 report from the United States Department of State revealed the dynamic nature of human trafficking in the Solomon Islands. Work contractors often take vulnerable immigrant laborers from southeast and east Asian nations such as Sri Lanka, The Philippines and North Korea. Then, they bring them to the Solomon Islands as fishermen or timber workers and pay them little to no wage under inhumane conditions.

In addition, traffickers force children who are native to the Solomon Islands into working in labor and sex trafficking in exchange for necessities. The combination of economic vulnerability and low population makes children in poverty-stricken families especially susceptible to becoming trafficking victims.

An American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative report surveyed 406 people from the provinces of Malaita, Guadalcanal, Makira and Western. About 49% cited that they believed victims of human trafficking should be accountable for their own involvement (placing the blame on the victims) and more than 44% did not report their knowledge of human trafficking instances.

The Solomon Islands’ Response

The same U.S. State Department report indicated that the Solomon Islands is a Tier Two nation regarding the degree of human trafficking violations. This indicates that the nation does not meet the standards of the Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000. However, the nation is in a cooperative state and working towards meeting the standard of Tier One by allocating more funds and bureaucratic efforts toward transparency and response by local officials to address instances of trafficking. The U.S. State Department recommends measures including increasing the minimum age for hazardous work to 18.

Obstacles to a Solution

One key aspect of the global effort to end human trafficking in the Solomon Islands that has not occurred yet is the lack of the U.S. ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The United States is the only country of 196 others that has not signed this treaty. However, it is important to consider because the U.S., Mexico and the Philippines are the leading destinations for trafficked victims according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. If others hold the leading destinations for trafficking more accountable, then the trafficking of victims from the Solomon Islands may also see a decline.

Solutions

The U.S. Department of Labor 2020 report presented a legal framework that increases access to educational opportunities for youth in economically susceptible homes. This would chiefly be accomplished by introducing laws that would go beyond catching those who traffic. New laws would also hold officials accountable for not performing the duties necessary to address the problem. In addition, eliminating the source of economic strain that leads to child labor in the first place by making education accessible, high. quality and free is a start to ending human trafficking.

Bringing awareness to the issue of Human Trafficking as it exists in the Solomon Islands will allow its citizens to become more hands-on with tackling the problem in a more democratic way. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a key appendage of the United Nations which has a page dedicated to the Solomon Islands and offers worldwide outreach to end human trafficking.

Looking Ahead

Human Trafficking is an issue that pervades every society. However, strict international and governmental policies alongside economic aid to poorer nations are practices that could put a stop to the exploitation of vulnerable peoples. Though the task may seem too daunting and the response too decentralized, it is possible with the help of more legislative initiatives by the largest world powers and cooperation from the international community.

– Albert Vargas
Photo: Flickr