Trafficking in persons
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Trafficking in persons is both cause and consequence of human rights violation. Traffickers abuse the vulnerable position of persons lacking legal or safe means to migrate to another country or area. They demand exorbitant fees for arranging the trip. Afterwards, the victims have to labour in slave-like conditions to pay off their 'debt'. Trafficking in persons occurs in various sectors, especially where labour conditions are bad and unprotected. Examples are construction work, plantations, domestic work and sex work.
Anti-trafficking measures
It is a government's obligation to offer protection against human rights violations by traffickers in persons. Unfortunately, anti-trafficking measures often lead to new human rights violations. Persons that want to or have to migrate are made dependent to intermediairies that sometimes turn out to be traffickers by strict migration legislation. Victims of trafficking are often send back without receiving compensation for their work and without protection. In other cases, protective measures by governments or NGOs restrict mobility and other freedoms of the people that need to be protected.
Objective: measuring the impact of policy
Many persons are worried about the negative consequences. Therefore, Aim for human rights started developing a method to analyse the positive and negative effects of anti-trafficking measures. Stakeholders and experts in the field of combating trafficking in persons are involved with this development. The objective is to contribute to policies that stop trafficking in persons while protecting human rights.
More information
For more information please contact Saskia Bakker by phone +31 (0)30 233 40 27 or e-mail.
