For many years, trafficking has been addressed by tackling the ‘three P’s’: Prosecution, Prevention and Protection. These however, are not enough. What has been missing until now is the fourth P – Partnerships. Effective partnerships are required to ensure that ‘no victim is unnoticed’. The Taskforce, as an outcome focused group, is working to create global partnerships between Governments, Parliaments and civil society so that we all work together to tackle, and end, the trafficking and enslavement of human beings.
Stopping human trafficking through policy solutions.
Human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world and millions of people are caught in sexual exploitation, labor exploitation, forced marriage, and other forms of modern slavery. The Interparliamentary Taskforce on Human Trafficking (ITHT) is the first global consortium to convene leading lawmakers, government leaders, stakeholders and lived-experience experts committed to stopping the human suffering caused by human trafficking through partnership and policy solutions.
“For many years, trafficking has been addressed by tackling the ‘three P’s’: Prosecution, Prevention and Protection. These however, are not enough. What has been missing until now is the fourth P – Partnerships. Effective partnerships are required to ensure that ‘no victim is unnoticed.’ The Taskforce, as an outcome focused group, is working to create global partnerships between Governments, Parliaments and civil society so that we all work together to tackle, and end, the trafficking and enslavement of human beings.” – Senator Linda Reynolds (Australia – Author of the Modern Slavery Act)
49 million
People are estimated to be caught in human trafficking globally.
Nearly 1/3
of nations lack laws that adequately address human trafficking.
More than 99.5%
of victims of trafficking are never identified.
These numbers are not improving. This needs to change.
Human trafficking is a borderless crime, and partnership is the key to stopping it.
These numbers represent individuals. They represent a teenager sold by her “boyfriend” to men for sex, and a young man forced to work for days underground in a toxic mineshaft to recover valuable minerals. They represent a 13-year-old girl sold by her parents into a “marriage” to a man more than twice her age, and an 8- year-old boy thrown from a fishing boat into the water to repair tangled nets. They represent a family trapped in debt bondage for generations, carrying heavy loads of bricks in a kiln’s sweltering heat. For many victims, this number signifies the end of childhood, formal education, and sometimes their life.
These numbers also suggest a growing global trend that while goods and services have value, the people creating or providing them do not. Additionally, slavery supports commerce, and profits from human exploitation often fund organized criminal networks and terrorists. Human traffickers are organized, and the most effective efforts to combat them are organized as well. Legislation is a key component of collaboration, yet nearly one-third of countries lack laws and policies that adequately criminalize and penalize human trafficking.
Countries Represented
Afghanistan
Albania
Argentina
Armenia
Austria
Australia
Belgium
Bolivia
Cameroon
Canada
China
Egypt
European Parliament
France
Germany
Ghana
Guatemala
India
Kenya
Kosovo
Mexico
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Pakistan
Poland
Romania
Sierra Leone
Uganda
Ukraine
United Kingdom
United States
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What Lawmakers are saying about the Taskforce
Human trafficking is borderless, modern day slavery that continues to exploit millions of innocent lives in the darkest of alleys in every corner of the world. The collaborative action and expertise of world leaders, policy experts, and survivors are critical to winning the battle against this evil criminal institution. I commend the visionary leadership of Anne Basham at the Interparliamentary Taskforce on Human Trafficking (ITHT) for rallying the global community in the fight against human trafficking.
It is imperative for Parliamentarians and legislators to implement robust laws and policies to combat human trafficking and modern-day slavery. As such, I am grateful for the important work undertaken by Interparliamentary Taskforce on Human Trafficking (ITHT)In particular, under the leadership of Ms. Basham, the Taskforce has been instrumental in bringing together Parliamentarians to share best practices, provide strategic advice, and build international cooperation in the effort to combat exploitation.
Ms. Anne Basham, Chairman of the ITHT, has been able to successfully bring together not only Parliamentarians, government leaders, policy experts, but also survivors whose voices are incredibly important to the global discussion of human trafficking, who are committed to creating solutions to stop the greatest humanitarian crisis in the world today. Moreover, it is important to recognize that human trafficking is a social justice concern, and proper measures must be in place to combat this issue.
One of the missions of Campaign for Uyghurs is to promote the rights of Uyghur women and youth, and we have worked hard to provide a platform and a voice to Uyghur survivors who have been subject to unimaginable horrors including sexual violence and rape in the camps. We have supported bills including the Uyghur Stop Oppressive Sterilizations Act, which would provide assistance to Uyghur survivors who had faced sexual violence and rape in concentration camps. The voice of the survivor is incredibly important to the global discussion of human trafficking and is critical to implementing new solutions to solve it. The Taskforce on Human Trafficking has been able to successfully bring together Parliamentarians, government leaders, policy experts, and survivors to collaborate on policies and solutions that will work to end human trafficking.
Together with the other task force members, who are human rights defenders, I am encouraged that we continue to make visible a hidden pervasive human rights violation of orphanage trafficking and other forms of exploitation. We bring together our collective voices and experiences to offer long-lasting solutions, supporting governments to legislate against these violations and to ensure children, regardless of their socio-economic status are protected from all forms of exploitation.