Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Trafficking in Persons
Dear Members,
Yesterday, we received a request from our contact within the UNODC’s Brussels Office on Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrants, to complete a survey looking into the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on trafficking in persons.
Below is the full e-mail from the UNODC, which explains the reasoning behind their urgent request.
Quick link to the two surveys:
If you are a survivor of trafficking, please click this link: https://survey.sogosurvey.com/r/8OtmoX
If you are a staff of an NGO or IGO, please click this link: https://survey.sogosurvey.com/r/4HqbXV
All the best,
VSE
_________________________________________
“Dear Colleagues,
We are all conscious of the challenges that state authorities and non-governmental organizations, your organizations, are facing in providing essential services to the victims of Human Trafficking.
Unfortunately, we are all also aware of the difficulties that victims and survivors are facing. They are more exposed to contracting the virus, less equipped to prevent it, and have less access to healthcare to ensure their recovery.
Children are at heightened risk of exploitation, especially since school closures have precluded not only many from access to education but also a primary source of shelter and nourishment.
For the victims still in confinement by their traffickers, COVID-19 measures may make their desperate situation even worse. The increased levels of domestic violence reported in many countries is a worrying indicator for the living conditions of many trafficking victims, such as those in domestic servitude or sex slavery, forms of exploitation that disproportionately affect women and girls.
Moreover, the dynamics of trafficking for sexual exploitation, particularly impacting women and children, have shifted from the more traditional forms of exploitation to various types of trafficking online, which likewise requires a shift in policies and programmes to develop an effective response to this emerging challenge.
Besides, the pandemic poses significant concerns to the protection of those at risk of trafficking and exploitation.
The exacerbation of vulnerabilities will bring additional challenges to the effective identification of victims, their access to services, protection and redress, as well as the prevention of trafficking.
Human trafficking is the result of the failure of our societies and economies to protect the most vulnerable and enforce rights under national laws. They should not be additionally ‘punished’ during times of emergency.
While prioritizing public health access to justice must be safeguarded. Law enforcement officials must remain vigilant in addressing new and evolving crime patterns and adapt their responses to prevent human traffickers from acting with impunity during the pandemic. Countries must continue supporting anti-trafficking work and adjust their assistance programmes to the new and extraordinary circumstances created by the pandemic and its aftermath.
There is a need for systematic data collection and analysis on the impact of COVID-19 on trafficking in persons. There is no country immune to the pandemic, and as COVID-19 does not affect all regions at the same time, experience from one country could be vital to others.
Please find here the last UNODC publication on the Preliminary findings and messaging IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS.
In addition to the UNODC publication, I would like to share with you a UN Women, in partnership with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe/Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), surveys for survivors of trafficking and frontline responders. The survey data will be utilized to draft policy recommendations to governments, UN, civil society and other relevant stakeholders to address immediate and mid-term consequences of COVID 19 on victims and survivors of trafficking.
Please find below the links to the surveys, which will be active until 11 May 2020. The survey for survivors is available in 25 languages, including Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Bosnian, Chinese, Croatian, English, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Uzbek (Cyrillic and Latin letters), Vietnamese and Yoruba.
The survey for frontline stakeholders is available in 18 languages, including Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Bosnian, Chinese, English, French, Hindi, Italian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese and Yoruba. The survey should not take more than 30 minutes to complete. We would be very grateful if you can share this with your networks.
If you are a survivor of trafficking, please click this link: https://survey.sogosurvey.com/r/8OtmoX
If you are a staff of an NGO or IGO, please click this link: https://survey.sogosurvey.com/r/4HqbXV
Let’s continue our cooperation and hope to meet in the near future.
Best regards,
| Mattia Tosato (Mr) Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrants UNODC Brussels’ Liaison Office |
