Freedom Collaborative, Inc.

An update to the 2020 report “On This Journey, No One Cares if You Live or Die”, jointly published by IOM - UN Migration, Mixed Migration Centre (MMC), and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, sheds light on the stark realities faced by refugees and migrants traversing the perilous Central Mediterranean Route from the East and Horn of Africa and West Africa to the North African coast and across the Mediterranean sea. The deteriorating security situation in the Sahel and conflict in Sudan have generated increased displacement and cross-border movements of refugees and migrants, while in the East and Horn of Africa droughts and floods are having a dramatic impact on new and protracted emergencies. Along with crimes against humanity, death, sexual and gender-based violence, torture and physical violence, kidnapping for ransom, trafficking in persons, and robbery, further risks have also been investigated, including arbitrary detention, bribery and extortion, collective expulsions, and refoulement. The authors calls for an increased programmatic and strategic route-based approach, spanning country of origin, to first country of asylum or transit, to country of destination, including collaboration with local actors to overcome accessibility issues and develop local safety networks, safe houses, support services, and referral systems. Read more in our latest newsletter.

Community-based organizations (CBOs) need long-term flexible funding in order to advocate effectively for local populations, according to a new resource from Global Fund for Children which also calls upon philanthropy and global development actors to embrace a more equitable approach. Traditional funding models leave grassroots groups with limited access to financing, minimal operational resources, and rigid funding restrictions, hindering their ability to fully address community needs. Despite their unparalleled insight into evolving community needs and complex local systems, many CBOs face persistent deficits which constrain their ability to respond as priorities change or crises emerge.   Offering unrestricted funding to grantee partners recognizes the power of local organizations as advocates with and for their communities, nurtures organizational growth, and builds trust-based relationships between funders and grantee partners so CBOs can thrive, the resource states. Read more in our latest newsletter.

This year’s TIP Report, released yesterday by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, emphasizes the growing role of technology in both facilitating exploitation and countering human trafficking.   Traffickers have widened their reach by using digital platforms to communicate with and recruit victims globally, creating a need for greater global coordination among anti-trafficking stakeholders and technology experts, the report says. Moreover, constant evolution in digital technology and the ways in which it is being used also make it difficult to concentrate efforts or decipher trafficking indicators.   However, while digital tools have amplified the reach, scale and speed of trafficking, they also make it possible for advocates and law enforcement to raise greater awareness about the rights of workers and migrants, locate victims and perpetrators, and analyze large amounts of data to detect emerging human trafficking patterns.   In the U.S., anti-modern slavery groups are calling on the public to urge legislators to review the report and request congressional hearings to examine its findings. Read more in our latest newsletter.

A report by advocacy and support group KALAYAAN highlights the legislative and policy framework which, it says, facilitates the exploitation of migrant domestic workers in the UK, excluding them from fundamental protections, removing labour-law rights in the name of immigration enforcement, and restricting support for those workers who have experienced severe abuse. The study also scrutinizes and dismantles the key myths that have been relied on by the UK Government when rejecting calls to reinstate labour law rights, after making drastic changes in 2012 to the terms of the Overseas Domestic Worker visa. The visa had permitted workers the right to change employer and renew their visa if they could demonstrate their labour was still required – such safeguards were instrumental in enabling workers to leave abusive situations and access reporting mechanisms to hold employers accountable, the report states. Kalayaan recommends that, following the UK’s general election on 4 July, the incoming Government restores the pre-2012 visa regime, establishing rights to ensure the safety and dignity of all workers while in the UK. Read more in our latest newsletter.

FIFA must rigorously and transparently ensure that bids for upcoming World Cup football tournaments fully safeguard human rights, Amnesty International says in its new report on the human rights risks related to bids for the 2030 and 2034 events – a joint offer from Morocco, Spain and Portugal, and one from Saudi Arabia. FIFA’s failure to fully ensure human rights were safeguarded when awarding previous World Cups facilitated abuses, the report states, with workers involved in the 2022 event in Qatar suffering grievous harms including death and serious injury. Now, with major human rights concerns surrounding both the 2030 and 2034 bids, FIFA must reject any offer that risks ill-treatment once again tainting the world’s largest sporting event. Read more in our latest newsletter.

The response to human trafficking for forced criminality must include CSO perspectives, according to participants at a workshop organized by the Regional Support Office of the Bali Process in partnership with Freedom Collaborative. The event, held in Bangkok last week, was the latest meeting of a group of international organizations and CSOs from across Southeast Asia, who convene to exchange information amid increasing involvement from the numerous sectors affected by cyberscam crimes. Because CSOs and experts on the ground have access to first-hand accounts of cyberscam operations and traffickers’ methods, it is crucial they have a seat at the table to ensure their insights inform strategies and actions, participants said. Furthermore, building and expanding upon existing partnerships between civil society, government agencies, and private companies is crucial due to the rapid expansion of the cybercrime industry, its complex cross-border structure, and the increasing sophistication of its operations. The role of government officials and the private sector was also highlighted, yielding concrete pathways to enhance regional responses to this complex challenge. Findings and insights from the workshop will be used to develop updated recommendations to further support regional efforts in countering cyberscam center operations. Read more in our latest newsletter.

Thailand's shrimp industry shows progress against child labor, prompting U.S. to consider status change. However, NGOs warn of backsliding and urge continued pressure to maintain strict labor protections. The U.S. Labor Department has announced that they are considering removing shrimp from Thailand from a list of products suspected of being made using child slave labour. This positive step shows that there is political will in Thailand to set industry-leading standards, and underlines the importance of maintaining strict controls against labour abuses across their fisheries industries. Read more in our newsletter.

Vulnerabilities to trafficking have been severely exacerbated in Sudan, amid an increase in the number of risk factors and the significantly reduced capacity of service providers both within and outside the country to meet the needs of victims. A new report by Global Partners Governance examining the impact of conflict on modern slavery and human trafficking in the country has found that the displacement of 8.4 million people, internally and in neighboring countries, has led to increased rates of violence and a lack of safe shelter, heightening the risk of sexual exploitation, forced marriage, child marriage, kidnapping, forced conscription and forced labour.   While Sudan has long faced key challenges in its anti-trafficking efforts, such as funding and capacity gaps and a lack of incentives at various levels of government, the conflict has resulted in the complete breakdown of state institutions, including those responsible for upholding law and order. Moreover, most international non-governmental organizations have now shifted to working remotely, while a number of Sudan-based non-governmental organizations providing broader services have had to rethink their programs, leaving youth-led initiatives and volunteer groups to meet the basic needs of local populations. Read more, including Global Partners Governance’s recommendations for service providers, donors and international actors, in this week’s newsletter.

Discrimination and persistent gender inequality in Africa’s family laws – exacerbated by a multitude of challenges such as legal pluralism and intersecting civil, customary and religious systems – heighten the risk of exploitation for women and girls, says a new report from Equality Now. The report assesses the current status of laws in 20 African countries, and analyzes their compliance with global and regional human rights treaties. Discriminatory property laws and the unequal distribution of inheritances contribute to women’s financial instability, often leaving them destitute and at a higher risk of exploitation. And limited access to legal knowledge and resources, especially for marginalized groups such as poor widows in rural areas, can prevent women from effectively challenging unjust practices and seeking protection. While there have been advancements in family law reform across the continent, progress has been slow and inconsistent, and some states have added clauses that have reversed all or parts of this legislation. These setbacks have been compounded by backlash from the anti-rights movement through efforts to reverse positive gains. Read more in our latest newsletter, along with a round-up of this week’s other stories.

🔎How has Southeast Asia responded to #trafficking for forced criminality? 🌏 Freedom Collaborative, Inc. & Regional Support Office of the Bali Process Response Prioritisation Workshop today brought together 23 organiations at our offices in Bangkok to review progress, discuss challenges & enhance recommendations for CSOs, Governments & private sector to respond.