Overcoming and adapting to these broad impacts of the pandemic remain critical to an effective response against human trafficking. Page 9: Picture Alliance The purpose of the Network is to engage experts, particularly those with lived experience of human trafficking, to provide expertise and input on Department of State anti-trafficking policies, strategies, and products. Chaiszar Turner In February 2021, Bemaka-Soui spearheaded and oversaw the launch of the governments first radio campaign to raise awareness about human trafficking in the local language of Sango, thereby allowing the government to reach key communities. Human trafficking rings often use instant and secure communication mechanisms to facilitate activities among members and employ GPS location applications as one way to remotely control victims. L. No. February 28, 2023. Caitlin B. Heidenreich It also said the Counter Trafficking Unit the unit responsible for investigating human trafficking cases was also faced with significant challenges. IOM adapted its existing MigApp for migrant workers in the Americas to include a new section to highlight official health recommendations to prevent the spread of the virus, capture changes across countriessuch as border restrictions, COVID-19 hotlines, or migration status changesand produce surveys to better understand the COVID-related challenges migrants faced. The DRC plays a critical role in regional stability and security as malign influences continue to expand their influence in the region. I knew I was playing with fire. Relevant TT ministries, through the Ministry of National Security, provide input and data about its efforts to counter trafficking by the end of the reporting period on March 31. U.S. law prohibits perpetrators from using debts as part of their scheme, plan, or pattern to compel a person to work or engage in commercial sex. The term forced child labor describes forced labor schemes in which traffickers compel children to work. The impacts of familial trafficking, both visible and not, and subsequent needs of survivors are often severe and complex, and they can be exacerbated by the onset of trauma during key childhood developmental stages. These inequities undercut our goal of combating human trafficking and embolden traffickers. February 1, 2016. These products and raw materials are injected into international supply chains, spreading the PRCs forced labor complicity around the globe. Julia F. Anderson Anti-trafficking actors experienced an all-around decrease in resources and operations. The elements of both definitions can be described using a three-element framework focused on the traffickers 1) acts; 2) means; and 3) purpose. For more information about current and past TIP Report Heroes, please visit the TIP Report Heroes Global Network at www.tipheroes.org. Countries whose governments do not fully meet the TVPAs minimum standards but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards. Korea, North Breaking news daily from the Black Immigrant Community, including the Caribbean and Latin America. Vietnam Khassanova also works closely with local police to assist victims of trafficking who choose to participate in criminal proceedings. To maintain momentum and coordination in implementation, the Secretary-General extended the mandate of the Special Coordinator on improving the UN response to sexual exploitation and abuse until 31 December 2021. With this years Report we celebrate the efforts of anti-trafficking professionals who continued to serve and identify victims as well as prosecute traffickers amidst the pandemics devastating effects on the worlds most vulnerable populations. Barbados With proper training and guidance, financial institutions and designated non-financial businesses are able to identify illicit finance related to human trafficking and report potential cases. Building a just world, where traffickers can no longer capitalize on and abuse systemic inequities, requires addressing the underlying causes of those inequities by first acknowledging the structures of power and historical context behind unequal distribution of privilege and protection, including the governments role. Myrna E. Walch As part of this work, it commits to engaging with its interagency, civil society, private sector, multilateral, and survivor leader partners to better understand systemic racisms effects on the human trafficking field and to integrate racial equity more intentionally into the U.S. anti-trafficking response. While the TVPA and the UN TIP Protocol call on governments to proactively address trafficking crimes, some governments are part of the problem, directly compelling their citizens into sex trafficking or forced labor. Kenya the extent to which the country is a country of origin, transit, or destination for severe forms of trafficking; the extent to which the countrys government does not meet the TVPAs minimum standards and, in particular, the extent to which officials or government employees have been complicit in severe forms of trafficking; reasonable measures that the government would need to undertake to be in compliance with the minimum standards in light of the governments resources and capabilities to address and eliminate severe forms of trafficking in persons; the extent to which the government is devoting sufficient budgetary resources to investigate and prosecute human trafficking, convict and sentence traffickers; and obtain restitution for victims of human trafficking; and. Hungary In contrast, when Black and Brown bodies go missing you dont hear about their disappearance anywhere near as often, if at all., Autumn Burris, The Government of Nigeria is taking continuing and effective steps to address the problem of child soldiers. Section 2. Nepal To support survivors in rebuilding their lives and preventing further exploitation, the financial sector can offer account qualification exception programs and low-to-no fee second chance accounts. What happens in a private residence is hidden from the worldincluding from law enforcement and labor inspectorsresulting in barriers to victim identification. While the racial dimensions of human trafficking manifest in different ways in each country, human trafficking still mirrorsand thrives because ofwidespread inequities between racial groups. During the three months of Spains lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, under Moras leadership, APRAMP quickly redirected its efforts toward the detection of new spaces where commercial sex was happening. The victim stories and photographs included in this report are meant to be illustrative [see PDF version for photos]. We traveled a lot; we were always on the road between cities, between states, and wherever we were told to go. 3. The BSA permits financial institutions to share information relevant to money laundering and terrorist financing under the legal safe harbor provided by the USA PATRIOT Act Section 314(b). Our current PKO-funded programming supports planning and capacity building for electoral security as well as planning for an eventual security sector reform (SSR) in the country. Law enforcement officers eventually identified Benilda, and social workers assisted her in getting the help she needed. In the Parliament last week, Dr. Rowley spoke of a 2022 US Human Trafficking Report, which links particular members of the UNC with . These initiatives, as well as any near-term security sector programming, will be used to support the security sector reform/disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (SSR/DDR) and governance needed to end the conflict and the recruitment and use of child soldiers. Ibusuki not only has represented trafficking victims, many of whom participated in Japans Technical Intern Training Program, but also has been an outspoken advocate about the presence of forced labor in the program. FMF has supported Nigerias ability to participate in peacekeeping, counterterrorism and maritime security operations. Kari A. Johnstone The most durable solution to the unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers will be a political solution that ends the conflict. The United National Congress is not involved in human trafficking, this from Opposition MP Dr. Roodal Moonilal and he is calling on Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, or anyone with such information to come forward. Burma Maurice W. Johnson Israel In 2017, IOM estimated that 41 percent of child trafficking experiences are facilitated by family members and/or caregivers. Josiane Lina Bemaka-Soui has developed the Central African Republics national anti-trafficking response from the ground up. Most striking, al-Obaidly empowers his team and takes every opportunity for them to engage and share information with the public, including vulnerable communities, slowly building a passion for labor reforms within the Ministry. In the United States, the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) mandates that financial institutions monitor and report suspected illegal activity, such as human trafficking, as well as certain high-dollar cash transactions. Although the DDR Committee is not specifically dedicated to removing child soldiers from the field of battle, its mission is to facilitate the disarmament and reintegration of ex-fighters of Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa and armed separatist groups in the Southwest and Northwest Regions, irrespective of their ages. The Nigerian military has also responded to end the unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers when isolated incidents are brought to their attention. If another family member notices the exploitation of the child, there is a strong incentive to look the other way to protect the family, both physically and in reputation, from outside interventions. It was only when I decided to escape my trafficker that I realized how pronounced racial injustice was in my community, particularly against human trafficking survivors with previous arrest records. any person under 18 years of age who has been compulsorily recruited into governmental armed forces, police, or other security forces; iii. Judges admitted virtual victim testimony via livestream in a separate room to allow victims to feel safer and prevent the potential spread of COVID-19. Although the pandemic resulted in the reduction or suspension of many support networks for victims, service providers shifted to online and virtual platforms to continue supporting victims as much as possible. Embassy: Million$ spent to combat human trafficking in region in 2022 The President has determined that it is in the U.S. national interest to waive in part the application of the prohibition in section 404(a) of the CSPA with respect to South Sudan to allow for provision of PKO assistance and has certified that the Government of South Sudan is taking effective and continuing steps to address the problem of child soldiers. The government also reportedly placed ethnic Tibetans in vocational training and manufacturing jobs as part of an ostensible poverty alleviation and labor transfer program that featured overt coercive elements. Yemen. Communicate updates on the progression of these changes. This, coupled with a shortage of protective equipment to supply police, resulted in many law enforcement officers and other specialized anti-trafficking officials becoming infected with COVID-19, some of whom died. In addition, the GOI has made progress centralizing payment systems, including for the PMF, which helps to prevent government salaries from being paid to children. The circumstances of LGBTQI+ individuals, including threats of public disclosure of their sexual orientation or gender identity, are not isolated to foreign countries. Page v: Panos Pictures/Karen Robinson Vivian Ekey The acts element of sex trafficking is met when a trafficker recruits, harbors, transports, provides, obtains, patronizes, or solicits another person to engage in commercial sex. Human trafficking is a heinous crime that exploits the most vulnerable in society. any person under 18 years of age who has been recruited or used in hostilities by armed forces distinct from the armed forces of a state. We have seen, for instance, how deeply held racial biases and stereotypes inappropriately influence outcomes for those in our criminal justice system as they lead to racially disparate assumptions about who is identified as a trafficker and who is identified as a victim. This must include coming to terms with our role in having perpetuated violence and dehumanized people, and we must work to right these past wrongs. The Philippine Department of Justice noted an increase of nearly 300 percent in referrals for potential online sex trafficking and OSEC cases from March to May 2020, the period during which the Philippines was under lockdown or quarantine measures. That first month I was learning the safe spots to park my car to sleep. 189), https://www.state.gov/international-conventions-relevant-to-combating-trafficking-in-persons/, http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_50315.htm, 2020 (will enter into force on 16 November 2021), 2020 (will enter into force on 3 July 2021), 2020 (will enter into force on 9 December 2021), 2020 (will enter into force on 23 December 2021), 2021 (will enter into force on 17 March 2022), 2020 (will enter into force on 4 August 2021), 2020 (will enter into force on 14 July 2021), Total Number of Peacekeeping and Support Personnel, Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (SEA) (2003), Code of Conduct for Staff and Mission Members, NATO Policy on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (2004 and 2007), Lead Office Responsible for Implementation, Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance, Pre-deployment and at mission, including a new e-learning program. Cambodia Since traditional forms of community outreach were less accessible or no longer possible, survivor leaders leveraged their networks and expertise to engage with vulnerable populations and victims through informal channels to share information on available support in a given area. Paraguay Allow me to repeat myself: we were SOLD. In 2021, this initiative examined how to improve information sharing between and among governments on topics such as KSTs transitioning through official ports, the use of ships and small vessels as weapons, and the smuggling or trafficking of narcotics or arms through subregional workshops focused on West Africa, East Africa, and East Asia . Moldova Those who have managed to avoid detention are still at risk of state-sponsored forced labor and other abuses. 2370c-2(c) and (d)), Survivor-Informed Practice: Definition, Best Practices, and Recommendations, ILO Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. While the Russian government reported the number of North Korean workers in Russia declined in 2020, the government issued almost 3,000 new tourist and student visas to North Koreans in 2020 in an apparent attempt to circumvent the UNSCRs. There were always lies, and it was never as glamorous as we were promised. Turkmenistan. Confronted, however, with eyewitness testimony and thoroughly researched reporting from multiple sources, the PRC eventually admitted the existence of the camps. Section 5. To extract this work, governments coerce by threatening the withdrawal of public benefits, withholding salaries, failing to adhere to limits on national service, manipulating the lack of legal status of stateless individuals and other minority groups, threatening to punish family members, or conditioning services or freedom of movement on labor or sex. Traffickers can commit this crime in any sector or setting, whether legal or illicit, including but not limited to agricultural fields, factories, restaurants, hotels, massage parlors, retail stores, fishing vessels, mines, private homes, or drug trafficking operations. For example, the International Military Education and Training (IMET) program funds professional military education and training for the Afghanistan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) that improves their capabilities, promotes respect for human rights, improves defense resource management, civil-military cooperation, and education on gender-based violence and womens health, and enhances interoperability for U.S.-Afghan joint operations. Under Sagbo Sasses courageous leadership and vision, SIFOS offers critical education to children who have experienced human trafficking, homelessness, or residential institutionalization. In my case, being a person of color sold by a white person to other white people was painful on multiple levels. Central African Republic It also allowed the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions Trafficking Prosecutor and HTIs legal expert to provide mentorship and technical assistance on trafficking cases to forum participants across the country. the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery. To continue responding in the long termwhether amid the COVID-19 pandemic or other future crisesstakeholders should consider proactive planning for adaptation and flexibility to future crises through extensive risk mitigation and management tools. Third, a multidisciplinary child-friendly space provides survivors with an array of comprehensive services and referral networks in one place. Trauma-informed practices build upon understanding the impact of trauma not only on individuals seeking services but also on all staff members and consultants working within an organization. The use of children in commercial sex is prohibited by law in the United States and most countries around the world. Sunny Massa The government convicted a former colonel in the FARDC and the leader of an armed group for trafficking crimes, among others; sentenced them to penalties, including significant prison terms; and ordered the leader of an armed group and two accomplices to pay restitution to over 300 victims of sexual enslavement and other crimes. Kathleen Vogel The Government of South Sudan has engaged with the UN on creating an action plan to address six grave violations against children, including unlawful recruitment and use. I finished out the semester and decided I would wait for a bit to finish college. Recruitment and use of child soldiers by the CJTF, a non-governmental self-defense force that receives limited support from the Borno State government, contributed to Nigerias listing under the CSPA from 2015-2018 due to its past use of children. The owner kept Aarav from communicating with his family and threatened physical abuse if he tried to leave. Lastly, section 333 is used to support counter-improvised explosive devices (C-IED) or route clearance programming which enables the Nigerian military to escort humanitarian assistance convoys in the volatile Northeast where the violence wrought by ISIS-West Africa and Boko Haram has displaced 1.8 million civilians and rendered 9.8 million in the Lake Chad region in need of humanitarian assistance. It will also provide technical support and resources to improve evidence-gathering to build strong cases. Marissa Pietrobono They can also manipulate debts a victim owes to other people. Page 44: Elisabetta Zavoli The TVPA, as amended, lists additional factors to determine whether a country should be on Tier 2 (or Tier 2 Watch List) versus Tier 3: In addition, the TVPA directs the Secretary of State to consider, as proof of a countrys failure to make significant efforts to fully meet the TVPAs minimum standards, a government policy or pattern of: trafficking; trafficking in government-funded programs; forced labor (in government-affiliated medical services, agriculture, forestry, mining, construction, or other sectors); sexual slavery in government camps, compounds, or outposts; or employing or recruiting child soldiers. During the pandemic, APRAMP also created intervention guides that set the standard for recent government guidelines for serving victims of trafficking. Our debts were too high. 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