Preventing, combating and eradicating trafficking in persons

The number of people who are trafficked or at risk of trafficking continues to be on the rise globally. The Global Estimates of Modern Slavery publication, jointly produced by IOM, ILO, and Walk Free Foundation, indicates that there are approximately 50 million people in situations of modern slavery on any given day.

Despite significant efforts, the number of children who continue to fall victim to traffickers remains high, largely due to inequitable social, economic, environmental and political factors that foster exploitative and discriminatory practices,  with girls being disproportionately affected.  According to IOM’s joint research with Harvard University, no age range, no gender, and no nationality is immune to child trafficking; it is a truly global phenomenon.

While not all victims of trafficking are migrants, around the world, adverse drivers such as conflict, displacement and climate change are forcing millions of people to embark on dangerous migration journeys that make them vulnerable to violence, exploitation and abuse, including by traffickers.

Additionally, children are twice as likely to face violence during trafficking than adults, according to the UNODC’s Global Report on Trafficking in Persons (GLOTIP). The causes of child trafficking are as diverse as the ways in which children are exploited. National, regional and global commitments are needed to both protect victims and prosecute perpetrators, which will require the following actions, among others:

• Protect the human rights of migrants regardless of status.
• Ensure the health, safety and well-being of trafficking victims and survivors.
• Prioritize child protection, bolster legislation, improve law enforcement, and allocate more resources to combat child trafficking.
• Target drivers like poverty and inequality to reduce children's vulnerability. 
• Invest in innovative strategies, collaboration between tech companies and law enforcement, and robust legal frameworks to address online child exploitation.
• Building capacity for counter-trafficking responses in governments, private sector and civil society, and ensure these are informed by survivors.
• Build inclusive and effective child protection systems.

In anticipation of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons  on 30 July 2024, which focuses on the theme “Leave No Child Behind in the Fight Against Human Trafficking”, IOM’s Migrant Protection Platform and the Migration Network Hub are launching this joint call for practices and seek submissions of programmes and policies that are relevant to Objective 10 of the Global Compact for Migration (Prevent, combat and eradicate trafficking in persons in the context of international migration) and that address the above-mentioned theme “Leave No Child  Behind in the Fight Against Human Trafficking”. 

Who can submit a practice? - Any UN Member State, Network member, or migration actor can submit a practice.

What are the criteria? - Practices should be fully or mostly completed at the time of submission in order to share lessons learned and recommendations. See full criteria.

How to submit? - Submission instructions and the submission form can be found here.

Deadline to submit a practice: 24 June 2024.

Contact: For support or any questions please contact the Hub team here.

Submit a Practice