Editorial: How is the money to combat human trafficking spent?

The Palgrave International Handbook of Human Trafficking, 2019

International efforts to address human trafficking are not new, but the rapid expansion of counter-trafficking programs and initiatives over the past two decades is significant. Following adoption of the United Nations Trafficking Protocol in 2000, most countries adopted criminal laws against trafficking, and the number of intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), nongovernment organi- zations (NGOs), and other actors addressing human trafficking greatly increased. Today, estimates number counter-trafficking organizations in the thousands, working in practically every country of the world, including those without anti- trafficking laws. This chapter provides an overview of counter-trafficking IGO and NGO efforts, along with their networks and partnerships with government agencies, the corporate sector, and civil society to reduce human trafficking, hold violators accountable, provide victim services, safeguard workers’ rights, and expand anti-trafficking advocacy on a global scale. Though the efforts detailed here are global in scope, this does not imply domestic NGOs are insignificant. Many of the international organizations described depend on local organizations to carry out their mission. The chapter begins by describing the work of policy and advocacy organizations and then turns to an overview of NGO networks, public-private partnerships, direct service organizations, and organizations engaged in raising awareness and social movement building.

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As Heine and Thakur explain in their introduction to this volume, human trafficking is arguably the darkest of the dark side of globalization. Although firm data are difficult to collect, studies concur that the number of trafficking victims has risen sharply over the last decade (Laczko 2005; Schauer and Wheaton 2006; US Department of State 2001; 2007). Human trafficking has been described by the Human Rights Center of the American Bar Association as “the fastest-growing and third-largest criminal industry in the world today after the arms and drugs trades, generating billions in profits each year” (Morrissey 2006). To date, efforts to stem the trafficking tide have been ineffective, due in part to a low level of coordination between concerned national and international governmental bodies, law enforcement agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and community organizations.

Journal of Human Trafficking

In 2016, there were an estimated 40.3 million victims of modern slavery in the world, more than were enslaved during the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Since the adoption of the 2000 UN Trafficking Protocol, numerous efforts from intergovernmental agencies, governmental agencies, international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), and domestic non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have strived to combat the phenomena of human trafficking through legal-institutional means, direct interventions, and programs of support for those exploited. This anti-trafficking work has paid varying degrees of attention to the principles and methods of monitoring, evaluation, and impact assessment, but has often been subject to the end of project evaluations. Similar to findings of reviews of evaluations in the international development sector, evaluations of anti-trafficking programing have primarily focused on assessing the progress of project implementation and the achievement of outputs, rather than tracking the achievement of outcomes or impact. This is further complicated by the hidden nature of human trafficking and the trauma experienced by humantrafficking victims. As a consequence, despite some evidence of raised awareness and increased levels of funding, organizations are still struggling to demonstrate impact and discern what works to combat human trafficking. This article analyses the evaluations of counter-trafficking programing produced since the Protocol to draw conclusions regarding the lessons learned from these interventions and the methods used to monitor and evaluate human-trafficking programs. By highlighting gaps, this article provides a series of suggestions on how to better track progress and impact toward the elimination of modern slavery.

Human trafficking is in basic terms a deprivation of the most basic entitlements of life and a severe violation of human rights. It is the fastest growing form of transnational crime and one of the most profitable criminal industries in the world. Traffickers have capitalized on the economic crisis, remained in stride with advancements in technology and communications, and have taken advantage of the demand for cheap labor and services as well as the promotion of the commercial sex industry. To successfully combat human trafficking will require the efforts and resources of many to form systematic, coordinated, and collaborative partnerships