The intensity of climate migration across South Asia will undergo a triple multiplier effect by 2050. Climate change-related disasters are amplifying channels of human trafficking and the consequent illicit economy of exploitation, with a particular increase in Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). India has been the epicenter of Trafficking in Persons across South Asia. This presentation questions how the double whammy of climate change and climate migration displacement can enmesh vulnerable stakeholders into a globalized illicit economic system within South Asia. Using desk-based secondary literature review of academic articles, news reports and grey literature from global and regional civil society publications, the study will be descriptive and qualitatively analyzed. In “Securitization Matrix in South Asia: Bangladeshi Migrants as an Enemy Alien”, Priyankar Upadhyaya elucidates how both forced and voluntary migration are ascending issues in the context of intra-regional demographic dynamics of South Asia, given the problematic cross-border flows of indigenous women being precariously positioned within the trafficking asymmetry of South Asia. One cannot categorize a preventive or anticipatory migration of a household due to the onset of a cascade of climate-disruptive events into a binary of voluntary and involuntary displacement. It reflects a reluctant dislocation, with the outer seemingness of willingness to undertake displacement. The nature of the classification of such migration is breaking binaries and thus can be called queering of studying climate disaster impacts. This particular lens must be applied to climate-related events in South Asia to consolidate changes in disaster management approaches in policy execution.

 

Presentation Objectives:

•  Establish the human trafficking nexus at the regional level exacerbated by climate-related voluntary and involuntary migration

•  Explore linkages between foreign policy objectives of the government in case of transnational displacement involved in human trafficking networks

•  Underline the gendered-disproportionate consequences of climate crises and disasters leading up to and consolidating illicit flows of human trafficking

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Many survivors of human trafficking are parents who face unique needs and real challenges in dealing with child welfare and family court after exiting their trafficking situation due to the stigma and misunderstanding of their trafficking experiences that survivors face in these systems. In Polaris’s First National Survivor Study, sex and labor trafficking survivors participated in focus groups, interviews, and a final survey with 457 participants. In their analysis, the researchers looked at the unique needs of parenting survivors and their considerably higher service needs, notably in childcare, education, job training, and mental health services. The findings underscore the necessity for comprehensive support systems and policy reform to facilitate their recovery and safeguard their children’s welfare. Survivors made it clear that their children and maintaining custody of them were chief among their concerns, and many detailed disputes they had faced in keeping their children with them. In particular, custody disputes with child welfare and with their exploiters are exhausting and traumatizing. Traffickers have used the court system and custody disputes to discredit survivors of trafficking and as a result, the justice system is being exploited to further victimize survivors. This study is one of the first to highlight the need that survivors have reported themselves on issues with custody and to look at the unique needs parenting survivors face after exit. Attendees will learn how to effectively engage with survivor parents and to advocate for their needs in various anti-trafficking settings.

 

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss the effect of systems on parenting survivors’ access to childcare, housing, education, and employment

•  Explain the needs of survivors as related to children after leaving exploitation experience

•  Discuss ways to address this issue including in support systems for survivors and policy reform

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This presentation explores how the tool of narrative can be used to raise awareness, foster empathy, and ultimately combat human trafficking. When the author began her novel writing journey, she didn’t know how close to home the massively far-reaching and complex world of human trafficking lurked. What she learned about human trafficking enraged her, devastated her, and confused her. How could this nightmare scenario be a reality for so many? How could she know so little about it? She was at a crossroads: leave the story to someone else, or get involved in the fight against trafficking. Thanks to the shared stories of survivors, caregivers, and law enforcement, she began her journey of writing a story not her own in order to share the stories of many. Fiction offers a platform to amplify the often-unheard voices of the marginalized and vulnerable. Using storytelling as an advocacy tool opens the door to the world of human trafficking for an otherwise immobilized audience to join the fight happening just out of sight. Those wanting to learn more can become familiar with the crime and the impact on society, the economy, and the human race through “fictional” characters with common origins.

 

Presentation Objectives:

•  Explore the journey from uninformed, inspired, exploring, to advocate

•  Highlight how empathy can be used to bridge the gap between survivors and audience through storytelling

•  Discuss the potential of fiction to inspire connection and action

•  Explore real-world interventionists using storytelling as an aid in their fight against trafficking

•  Provide resources to help move one from exploring to advocacy

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At last year’s IHTSJ Conference, a group of Kenyan Survivor Advocates shared insights about becoming and being survivor advocates. One year later, the counter-trafficking movement in Kenya is noticeably changing. Survivor advocates and leaders are building their own networks. More organizations cooperate with survivor leaders and advocates in a systematic way, putting survivor advocates at the center in community, media, internal, and political engagements. All presenters are volunteer members of the HAART Survivor Advocates Group and/or the HAART Survivor Advisory Board; the presentation draws from their experiences on that journey. The HAART Survivor Advisory Board built on previous programs for survivor advocates and took it one step further, systematically including experts with lived experience in organizational procedures, external interactions, and program designs. Other organizations have formed committees, and survivor networks receive more attention from donors. Yet, a lot more remains to be done. Based on their personal experiences and gained expertise, the presenters want to encourage fellow survivors to join the counter trafficking movement. They wish to share with them and other stakeholders the variety of survivor engagement that goes far beyond sharing of personal experiences. On an institutional level, they will give recommendations for counter trafficking organizations, donors, and academia on how to achieve more systematic inclusivity of experts with lived experience.

 

Presentation Objectives:

•  Promote more survivor inclusion and engagement

•  Show the impact of being an empowered survivor advocate/leader

•  Provide recommendations stakeholders on how to practically aim at more meaningful survivor inclusion

•  Give others the opportunity to get to know survivor leaders and advocates better

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Human trafficking, a $140 billion global industry, preys on marginalized persons, treating them as commodities. Global Slavery Index estimates that 49.6 million people are in modern slavery, with 6.3 million (23%) trapped in sex trafficking, predominantly women from low socio-economic backgrounds. Drugs and sex trafficking are two complex forms of crimes, forming a complex criminal web that exploits vulnerable lives, with drugs coercing victims into transactional sex, fostering a cyclical relationship. This presentation delves into intricate methodological challenges in researching these crimes, drawing upon ongoing empirical research undertaken by a PhD scholar at TISS in Mumbai, India. Employing an exploratory qualitative design approach, the study utilizes in-depth interviews and unstructured focus group discussions to explore relationship between drug use and sex trafficking and subsequent victimization by involving diverse adult participants through purposive and snowball sampling including trafficked victims, offenders, caregivers, drug and law enforcement officials, and NGO/people servicing centers at exploitation sites. It delineates methodological challenges inherent in researching the concurrent complexities associated with drugs and sex trafficking. Challenges encompass ethical considerations; securing government permissions to access custodial settings; surmounting barriers to gain entry to victims through gatekeepers; and addressing participant’s fear, reluctance, reservations, and denial to engage in the study and hesitancy regarding interview recordings due to terminologies associating drugs and sex. Researcher’s struggles included establishing trust, reflexivity, navigating feelings of isolation, and negotiating complex systems for data collection. Field experience emphasize the importance of innovative research methods for sensitive topics, particularly in amplifying the voices of hard-to-reach populations.

 

Presentation Objectives:

•  Explain how field learnings and personal experiences are instrumental in shaping this research topic.

•  Explain the context of the study, significance, and concept used in the study

•  Discuss the importance of methods in researching sensitive topics.

•  Synthesize the insights from the field (i.e., “what is field teaching her as a researcher”)

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This presentation will begin with defining sex and labor trafficking according to federal and state laws. Legislation related to the age of the human trafficking survivor will be reviewed as well as the obligations of mandated reporters. The Action, Means, Purpose Model will be shared along with details of who is recruiting trafficking survivors. Red flags and indicators of sex and labor trafficking will be discussed as well as how and where these types of trafficking can occur. Recruiters, customers, and traffickers and their roles “in the game” will be shared along with myths regarding “anybody can be trafficked.” Grooming practices will be shared along with a discussion of Stockholm syndrome. Myths will be reviewed about what is considered sex trafficking, labor trafficking, or both. The National Human Trafficking Hotline will be featured throughout the presentation. The presenter will define familial trafficking and who plays important roles in this type of trafficking. Online trafficking and protecting youth online will be discussed. Different types of apps, games, social media sites, the age of survivors, and their role in being trafficked will be reviewed as well as things parents can do to protect their youth from traffickers. Attendees will learn the basics regarding human trafficking and the importance traffickers place on building a relationship with their victims. Attendees will be able to go back to their communities and ensure that others receive training and can identify survivors.

 

Presentation Objectives:

•  Provide an overview of human trafficking focusing on sex and labor trafficking

•  Describe signs of trafficking and the indicators of trafficking

•  Explain why victims might not seek help and how everyone can join in anti-human trafficking efforts

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Amidst the collective efforts to combat human trafficking, this presentation seeks to introduce a fresh perspective aimed at reducing the vulnerability of individuals to becoming traffickers. The concept of vulnerability has been applied to people who become victims of human trafficking, but rarely to the people who perpetrate the abuse, exploitation, and coercion that constitute human trafficking. Grounded in the acknowledgment of the complexity of the issue and the need for innovative approaches, this presentation develops an approach to identifying the underlying factors that drive individuals to perpetrate trafficking. Understanding that motivational ecology enables us to develop more effective prevention strategies. The anti-trafficking movement needs a paradigm shift towards perpetrator-focused interventions, emphasizing the importance of addressing both external and internal factors that contribute to perpetrator vulnerability. This presentation proposes what those key external and internal factors might be. Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs helps us understand how unmet physiological and safety needs contribute to vulnerability. Insights from the Global Slavery Index and an examination of vulnerabilities such as poverty and marginalization, highlight the interconnectedness of systemic and individual factors. The presentation calls for a holistic approach to combating human trafficking that integrates perpetrator-focused components into existing anti-trafficking efforts. By recognizing and addressing the vulnerabilities that lead individuals to become traffickers, we can more effectively prevent trafficking and protect vulnerable populations.

 

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss the various uses of the term "vulnerability" in the context of human trafficking

•  Apply the notion of vulnerability to the people who abuse, exploit, and coerce

•  Propose a range of internal and external factors that contribute to the motivational ecology of human trafficking perpetrators

•  Suggest interventions that could reduce such vulnerability

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Human trafficking remains a global issue, often overlooked due to misconceptions and biases. Among the marginalized victims, male trafficking victims and survivors face unique challenges, including legal and police biases and societal stigmatization. This presentation aims to shed light on the legal and law enforcement biases against male victims of human trafficking, propose strategies for building an intersectional legal and police response, and discuss best practices, challenges, and lessons learned in working with law enforcement and the legal system. Addressing legal and law enforcement biases against male victims of human trafficking in order to build an intersectional response require concerted efforts from policymakers, legal professionals, law enforcement agencies, and civil society. By adopting inclusive approaches, fostering collaborative partnerships, and prioritizing survivor-centered practices, we can enhance the legal protection and the frontline support available to male trafficking victims and survivors, ultimately contributing to a more just and equitable society.

 

Presentation Objectives:

•  Discuss building an intersectional legal and police response

•  Explain how an effective response to male trafficking necessitates an intersectional approach that acknowledges the diverse identities and experiences of victims

•  Discuss intersecting factors such as gender, race, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status that influence vulnerability to trafficking and access to legal remedies

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Learn how Worthwhile Wear, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, has developed a platform fostering opportunities for partnerships among federal and local law enforcement, government, and social service providers to help break down the many barriers that exist between survivors of trafficking and the public sector. Worthwhile Wear’s ground-breaking “Worth It” initiative is a broad-reaching community-facilitated outreach program that invites survivors to participate in multidisciplinary educational sessions. “Worth It” utilizes an evidenced-based approach that addresses the most common underlying cause for recidivism, unresolved trauma. Trauma is the primary underlying factor that causes or perpetuates many societal issues like addiction, unemployment, fractured relationships, and maladaptive behaviors. When engaging with survivors enrolled in the “Worth It” program, Worthwhile Wear practices a three-stage model of trauma recovery as developed by Judith Herman’s extensive work in the field. Utilizing this methodology and employing evidence-based treatments such as TF-CBT, our therapist helps survivors establish coping skills and capacity to recognize their emotional state for self-regulation. Pre and post program data indicates participants' self-realization related to the exploitation that they have encountered and re-directs their framework from self-blame to survivorship. Attendees of this presentation will learn how survivors benefit most when public and private agencies work collaboratively, and how key healing factors aren’t reliant on good programming, but more so on trauma identification and developing healthy community relationships. This engaging presentation will have you laughing, learning, and considering how your organization can achieve a greater impact when serving survivors.

 

Presentation Objectives:

•  Explain how to engage with survivors of trafficking to know what unique needs and challenges survivors of this crime have

•  Discuss the importance of pursuing a proven method and utilizing the private sector to build/rebuild a healthy bridge to exploited individuals

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