WORKING GROUP 4

Community Participation for the Prevention of Human Trafficking

BACKGROUND NOTE

Tens of thousands of women and children are reported missing every year across South Asia. Many of those missing could be victims of trafficking. In fact, increasing numbers of such missing women and children are trafficked into sex work and other forms of forced labour every day. Sexual abuse, a predominant form of control, is common.

South Asia is a high source, transit and destination location for trafficked persons. Vulnerabilities like poverty, illiteracy and lack of employment opportunities combined with natural disasters and conflict situations contribute to this. Another important cause is the high rate of gender-related violence and discrimination in the region.

Trafficking is likely to increase in South Asia. The trigger points are many, including:

  • The region contains states facing serious human security challenges including displacements arising out of natural disasters, prompting increased migration.
  • Growing gender imbalance - female foeticide (sometimes infanticide) drives demand.
  • The demand for younger girls leading to a drop in the average age of girls trafficked owing to the perception by the clients of contracting STIs including HIV.

The victim of trafficking is a complete stranger to the place where he/she is brought to and may not even know the language spoken there. This exacerbates the vulnerability of the women and children to further exploitation. Therefore, trafficking of women and children has to be addressed in the specific context of the "push" factors in the concerned community where the exploiters take advantage of the gullible and hapless victims.

Prevention of trafficking in the source areas requires a wide range of strategies. Educating and empowering the women and children, making them pointedly aware of the dangers of trafficking, acquainting them with profiles of probable traffickers, is a must. Also, gender-based violence and discrimination are factors contributing towards the "push" factors that need to be addressed through advocacy for attitudinal change. There is also no doubt that the poverty/economic deprivation scenario needs to be tackled. Efforts like creating work opportunities in the source areas, and making sure that the benefits of economic growth reach these areas, can reduce migration that is undertaken as distress relief. Working towards decreasing the vulnerabilities of population in source areas through livelihood programmes such as skill building, revival of traditional arts and crafts, formation of cooperatives and self-help groups, and securing access to micro credit, are ways through which this can be achieved.

Equally important is working towards changing mindsets, creating awareness, breaking myths and removing stigmas.

Recognizing that it is the community itself which is best able to regulate and monitor its social affairs, several efforts in parts of South Asia have been made to mobilize informed communities towards forming vigilant squads. Networks of solidarity between the ordinary citizenry (women in particular), the local authorities, and other opinion makers/educators/role models such as school teachers - have been established. Communities that are active in fostering a gender balance, empowering women and encouraging women's participation in the democratic process go a long way in addressing the proliferation of trafficking.

In this context, the participatory role of the community in reintegration of rescued girls and women takes on a special relevance. Issues of re-trafficking also acquire special importance. Related to this, is the issue of the forced induction of the children of trafficked women into forced labour such as forced prostitution, be it brothel-based or carried over generations in the name of tradition.

Here, the community at large is to be mobilized in breaking patterns, and in preventing the commoditization of the "second generation".

This Working Group addresses all these issues.

WORKING GROUP

Objectives

  1. Deliberate on issues of prevention (community mobilization on matters of awareness and vigilance, Rehabilitation into the community and prevention of re-trafficking, livelihood programmes).
  2. Map "vulnerability areas" and "demand areas": As an advocacy and future programming tool.
  3. Develop regional awareness-cum-action campaign: devising strategies (cross-border trafficking; second generation prostitution; religion/tradition-based; falling sex ratio and the consequent trafficking of brides).
  4. Contribute to the Delhi Declaration.

Methodology

  • Sharing of best practices
  • Case study and problem solving
  • Moderated deliberations

Chair: Ms. Salma Ali, Executive Director-Bangladesh National Women Lawyer's Association (BNWLA), Bangladesh
Co-Chair: Mr. George C. Varughese, President, Development Enterprises, Development Alternatives, India
Facilitator: Dr. Jyotsna Chatterji, Director and Secretary, Joint Women's Programme (JWP), India
Rapporteur: Mr. Sonkutty George, Child Protection Officer, UNICEF, India

Format: A distinguished guest will chair while a pre-selected and pre-briefed facilitator organizes the discussion. The working group will consist of participants from the principal sectors involved in the fight against human trafficking, viz., government (including law enforcement), the corporate community, the media (for advocacy/awareness), the NGO community. The working group sessions will be populated to ensure that each has a broad cross-section of sectors and countries from the region. UN agencies and some donors active in the field of anti-human trafficking will be invited to attend.

AGENDA

DAY 1

Session 1: 2.00 - 4.00 pm (2 hrs)

Setting the stage: Understanding the "who" and "why" of trafficking: 2.00 - 2.20 pm (20 min)

  • Opening remarks by the Chair (5 min.)
  • Presentation by the Resource Person, Ms. Harleen Walia, Consultant -Training and Development, India (Focus: Push factors and vulnerability issues)

Mapping "vulnerability areas" and "demand areas": 2.20 - 3.20 pm (1 hr.)

  • Introductory remarks by the Facilitator on the need and the use of the mapping exercise
  • Presentation by Resource Person: Mr. Anand Kumar, Associate Programme Manager (Environment and GIS), Development Alternatives, India (Focus: GIS system, thematic groups and application areas; Integration of GIS with community participation techniques; Internet GIS. In the context of human trafficking: Mapping of parameters, Multi-criteria Analysis, Vulnerability Assessment and the extent of Participatory Appraisal or PRA)
  • Interactive discussion, feedback and questions from the group

Regional-level awareness-cum-action campaign: devising a strategy: 3.20 - 4.00 pm (40 min.)

  • Presentations on "Best Practices"
  • Ms. Runa Banerjee, SEWA, Lucknow, on economic and social empowerment of chikankari workers
  • Ms. Sudha Gooty, Project Officer-HIV/AIDS, United Nations Team for Tsunami Recovery, Chennai, on Village Vigilance Watch Dog Committee, Tamil Nadu
  • Ms. Hasina Kharbih, IMPULSE, India, on "Meghalaya model"
  • Tea/ Networking Break: 4:00 - 4:30pm (30 min.) 

DAY 1

Session 2: 4.30 - 6.30pm (2 hrs)

Regional-level awareness-cum-action campaign: devising a strategy (contd.)

  • Presentation on specific issues (50 min.)
    • Ms. Durga Ghimire, President-ABC Nepal, on cross-border trafficking
    • Mr. Ajeet Singh, Guria, Varanasi, India on prevention of second generation prostitution
    • Prof. K.K. Mukherjee, Member, Gram Niyojan Kendra, Ghaziabad, India on tradition/caste-based
    • Ms. Sangeeta, UNFPA, India on falling sex ratio and the consequent trafficking of brides
  • Discussion on designing the action-oriented campaign (1 hr 10 min.)

Illustrative list of areas of discussion: Nature of the campaign, reaching out to source, transit and destination areas in the region; mobilizing the youth, role of faith-based organizations, the media. The group may also deliberate on: ideas for a tag line i.e. the kind of message that is to go out and to which audience. The campaign is to be action oriented; interventions like mounting a regional-level toll-free helpline, etc. may be considered.

DAY 2

Session 3: 10.30 am - 1.00 pm (2 hrs. 30 min.)

The Working Group shall reconvene after the Plenary on "Popular Culture and Trafficking" from 9:00 - 10:30 am

  • Case study and problem solving: 10.30 - 12.00 noon (1 hr. 30 min.)
    Focus: Holistic, community-based response to prevention of trafficking

Resource person: Dr. Jyotsna Chatterji, Director & Secretary, Joint Women's Programme, India Methodology: The group will be given a scenario. The group will deliberate and devise strategies for a holistic community based response to prevention, encompassing elements of:

  • Successful reintegration of the trafficked survivor into the community
  • Issues of gender-based violence and status of women in society
  • Issues of safe migration, trafficking, HIV/AIDS
  • Strengthening and mobilizing communities on vigilance and prevention matters (Establishing and empowering Community Vigilance Groups, or CVGs)
  • Bringing the community together through development of livelihood opportunities and economic empowerment; role of Self Help Groups (SHG) and micro finance options
  • Role of NGOs and local law enforcement officials in supporting community structures
  • Role of the larger community (individuals and collectives operating in transit and destination areas)

Outcomes:

  • Devising a "model response"
  • Propagation of a multi-dimensional approach to prevention of human trafficking
  • Opportunity to work closely with stakeholders across the spectrum for a common end
  • Recap of discussions and presentation for the Delhi Declaration: 12.00 noon - 1 pm (1 hr.)

Format: Facilitator invites Rapporteur to recount decisions so far. Discussions are aimed at refining the elements and sharpening them as both a corpus of ideas and - in slimmer version - as a contribution to the Delhi Declaration.