Trafficking in Persons Office Announces Recipients of the 2022 Program to End Modern Slavery Awards

These programs will implement innovative and transformative approaches to combat human trafficking.

The Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP Office) is pleased to announce seven new awards under the Program to End Modern Slavery (PEMS).  Starting October 1, 2022, these programs will implement innovative and transformative approaches to combat human trafficking, including a focus on financial inclusion in Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe; climate and displacement in Bangladesh and Kenya; sex trafficking in Nigeria; and public health in India and South Africa.  PEMS’ commitment to strengthening the field of prevalence research will continue through the funding of a program led by the International Labour Organization, in partnership with the International Organization for Migration, UN Office on Drugs and Crime, and the University of Georgia, to develop operational definitions, methodologies, and uniform guidance for the measurement of trafficking in persons, including forced labor.

2022 Program to End Modern Slavery Award Recipients Include:

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) received $2.3 million to develop an evidence lab rooted in high-quality data collection in Nigeria. This program will support the Nigerian government, and specifically the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), to increase efficacy in anti-trafficking programming within the country.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) received $2 million to develop operational definitions, methodologies, and uniform guidance for the measurement of trafficking in persons based on the definitions in the United Nations Palermo Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons and the United States’ Trafficking Victims Protection Act, and on the definition of forced labor based on the definitions in International Labour Organization Conventions on Forced Labour. This guidance will help facilitate prevalence estimation and allow both researchers and practitioners to better understand the nature of human trafficking with a coordinated set of research tools.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) received $2.3 million to address human trafficking in Kenya that exists due to vulnerabilities and displacement exacerbated by climate change. IOM will employ a variety of livelihood support models in order to build economic resilience in communities facing economic insecurity due to climate change. Additionally, IOM will work to create awareness of human trafficking among specified populations.  The program will pilot a range of interventions through a phased approach and refine program activities based on the outcomes of randomized interventions. 

The $5.5 million, five-year intervention implemented by New York University (NYU) Marron Institute in India will leverage Community Health Workers to identify trafficking victims among members of the Denotified and Nomadic Tribes (DNTs) and assist them in accessing support, including access to identity documents, legal advice, alternative income and vocational training, as well as social services. The project will use a cluster-based randomized controlled trial to assess the impact of the proposed interventions.

The University of Georgia Research Foundation received a $2.2 million award to address financial inclusion of labor trafficking survivors and those at risk of labor trafficking in Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi. Through a phased approach, the program will create and strengthen financial savings groups for survivors returning from South Africa and vulnerable youth considering moving to South Africa by first focusing on a robust research framework.

Washington University received $1.5 million to address trafficking through the lens of public health in South Africa by developing locally adapted core standards of care as well as a toolkit for service providers. Washington University will use heatmaps to better understand risk vulnerabilities and resource allocation in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Winrock International was awarded $7.9 million to study how climate change in Bangladesh has heightened vulnerability to human trafficking, particularly within the farming and fishing industries. Winrock will integrate anti-trafficking policies into existing government plans to address climate change, while also building the capacity of vulnerable communities. The program will conduct research to better understand the link between climate change and human trafficking and use a phased approach for activities in order to determine their effectiveness.