Contributors

Acknowledgments Acronyms

Human trafficking is the illegal selling of human beings for the purpose of exploitation and financial gain – it is a crime that has thrived worldwide and the most abhorrent of our generation. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the trafficking trade with more and more people trapped in exploitation and modern-day slavery.

As such, we would like to thank all of those who participated in this research and that were able to shed light on the extent of human trafficking activities since the COVID-19 pandemic first began. We would like to thank those who responded to the survey and agreed to be interviewed, providing us with a comprehensive learning on how the international anti-trafficking sector has adapted to COVID-19. Finally, we express our sincere gratitude to the contributors, who gave their time and effort to make this research possible.

AHT

Anti-Human Trafficking

ATMS

Anti-Trafficking and Modern Slavery

COVID-19

Coronavirus 2019

FBO

Faith-based Organisation

IAHTN

International Anti-Human Trafficking Network

JLI

Joint Learning Initiative

NGO

Non-Governmental Organisation

PPE

Personal Protective Equipment

UK

United Kingdom

UoL

University of Leeds

Executive Summary

The aim of this report is to share the findings from a project that was carried out by the International Anti-Human Trafficking Network (IAHTN), the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (JLI) and the University of Leeds (UoL) to gather evidence on the impact of COVID-19 on the international anti-trafficking response.

It comprised two phases: the dissemination of an online survey that received 47 responses, followed up by 13 semi-structured interviews carried out online. The contribution of this research is distinctive in two main ways.

First, while there is a wide-ranging emergent literature on this topic, the main focus so far has been upon the increased vulnerabilities that COVID-19 has given rise to as well as new methods of trafficking as perpetrators adapt to changing conditions. One distinctive aspect of the research presented here is its focus on how COVID-19 has affected responses to trafficking and unsafe migration and on gathering information about effective responses to the challenges this has presented. The second distinctive contribution of this research is its focus on how faith actors are responding to the increased pressure that COVID-19 has placed upon their anti-trafficking work. While the majority of faith actors operate just like any other professional organisation working in this area, an understanding of the distinctive features that they might bring to their work is limited, particularly at the local level (Frame 2020).

The report begins with an exploration of published reports, findings from IAHTN webinars and academic and grey literature focusing on the impact of COVID-19 on trafficking in persons.

Key survey and interview findings are then highlighted, followed by a conclusion and recommendations.

Photo by Taylor Wilcox on Unsplash

We recommend that:

Responses to human trafficking and modern slavery should be strengthened and also integrated within emergency responses to humanitarian crises such as pandemics. For instance, this should include a rapid analysis of vulnerabilities when an emergency occurs and more awareness on human trafficking during a crisis.

The dissemination of awareness

messages in the community that look at reducing health stigma, especially amongst marginalised groups such as migrant workers and sex workers, needs to be encouraged.

We found such groups were being blamed for spreading the virus and other health concerns.

As additional resources, such as phones and laptops, are now being sought to deal with the COVID-19 crisis, organisations who do not normally

explore partnership opportunities with

private companies should do so. Local faith actors are primary responders to human trafficking and COVID-19 yet are often not recognised for this work. There is a need for antitrafficking organisations to seek ways of

engaging with local faith actors, beyond

the Christian FBOs who are well known for their work on anti-trafficking as well as health improvement.

There is a need for more research on the role of faith actors/activities in anti-human trafficking work. We need to better understand: why Christians appear to dominate the faith-based response and in what ways actors from other faith traditions also contribute; the impact of faith activities in antitrafficking work – from prayer as something not just focused on the transcendental but also as building individual and community resilience and the role it can play as a symbolic practice to effect social and political change; and how non-faith actors at the local level also engage with faith activities in their communities.