ATEST recommends key priorities for ending human trafficking to the incoming U.S. administration

The Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST) has provided key recommendations outlining ways in which the incoming U.S. administration can combat forced labour, human trafficking and modern slavery during its tenure. The recommendations focus on eight priority agencies: The Executive Office of the President; the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, State, Justice, Homeland Security, and Education; and the U.S. Agency for International Development. It has also published a set of budget recommendations for programs to end forced labour and human trafficking.

These policy documents are the most comprehensive set of anti-trafficking recommendations the incoming administration will receive from civil society, says ATEST. Along with agency-specific recommendations, the guidance includes cross-cutting opportunities for action, including: institutionalizing the inclusion of survivors in federal anti-trafficking programs, articulating the business case for ending trafficking, ensuring that goods tainted by forced labour are not imported into the U.S., ensuring that no federal tax dollars are spent on products tainted by trafficking, expanding the use of data-driven decision making, focusing on both labour and sex trafficking, and preventing exploitation before it starts by addressing root causes.

The recommendations include specific measures to promote a range of strategic objectives. These include institutionalizing survivor inclusion, with suggestions for federal agencies to involve survivors in advisory roles for program design and evaluation, ensure that survivors are fairly compensated for their time and expertise, identify and address obstacles that prevent survivors from participating in public programs, and ensure public awareness campaigns and resources are vetted by survivors.

The economic incentives for forced labour should also be addressed, according to the guidance. For instance, the U.S. Government, as a major buyer, should lead by example by ensuring its supply chains are free of forced labour. Furthermore, companies should be required to disclose their efforts to combat trafficking in supply chains – with regulatory loopholes closed to prevent exploitation – and financial and reputational incentives should be used to encourage businesses to adopt anti-trafficking practices. The “List of Goods Produced by Child or Forced Labor”, from the Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs, provides current guidance on procurement decisions to avoid products linked to exploitation.

It is also suggested that relevant departments adopt procedures for improving data and impact measurement. These could include the development of standardized metrics for identifying trafficking cases and assessing program outcomes; increasing funding for studies on trafficking prevalence, trends, and the effectiveness of anti-trafficking initiatives; and promoting better collaboration between government agencies and organizations to create a comprehensive picture of trafficking. A current example is the Health and Human Services Department’s Human Trafficking Data Collection Project, which aims to standardize data collection across agencies, enhancing the understanding of trafficking patterns and the effectiveness of interventions.

Prevention measures must also be strengthened, and responsible departments should equip vulnerable communities with knowledge about their rights and risks, strengthen labour laws and ensure employers comply with fair labour standards, and reform policies that place immigrants at risk of exploitation, such as restrictive work visas or barriers to legal migration.

Next year marks the 25th anniversary of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and the U.N. Palermo Protocol. These groundbreaking achievements form the cornerstones of anti-trafficking programs inside the U.S. and around the world, ATEST notes. The Trump Administration can mark this anniversary by reaffirming America’s commitment to ending all forms of forced labour and human trafficking through strategic policy improvements and investments in a whole-of-government approach.

Here’s a round-up of other noteworthy news and initiatives:

The EU Council has adopted a regulation prohibiting products made with forced labour from the Union market, forbidding the placing, making available, or exporting of any product produced using forced labour. While this marks the final step in the decision-making procedure, effective enforcement will require the European Commission and EU member states to substantially enhance their capacity to investigate and effectively ban forced labour products.

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced it will add 29 more companies to the expanding Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List – the largest addition so far. Some 23 of the newly added companies are in the agricultural sector, while others mine, smelt and process metallic materials including copper, lithium, beryllium, nickel, manganese and gold.

This report by the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW) examines barriers to justice faced by migrant and trafficked women, emphasizing how stereotypes and the biases of decision-makers hinder their ability to claim rights. Drawing on insights from consultations across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, it highlights how prejudices about migrant women’s backgrounds, work, personal choices, and behavior exacerbate rights violations during migration.

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), its member organization Litigio Estratégico en Derechos Humanos (IDHEAS), and its partner in Mexico, the Equipo Mexicano de Antropología Forense (EMAF), have published a new report, “Who Searches for Us? Who Cares about Us?”, on the disappearances of women and girls linked to human trafficking in the State of Mexico. Based on the testimonies of victims’ families, members of victims’ collectives, civil society organizations, experts, and public officials, the report reveals the impunity of perpetrators, the inadequacy of investigations, and the corruption and collusion with the criminal groups involved.

Civil society organization Global Alms has spoken out against police claims that 90 per cent of alleged Malaysian human trafficking victims are involved in fraud syndicates, calling the statement biased and urging a shift in perspective toward viewing victims as exploited individuals.

A U.S. Department of Labor report analyzes the high number of child labour violations in Arkansas, with a 266 per cent increase in cases and a 600 per cent rise in penalties from 2020 to 2023. The food service industry accounts for 78 per cent of violations. This surge coincides with Arkansas’s 2023 decision to remove work permit requirements for children under 16, sparking concerns about child exploitation.

The Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women and Freedom Collaborative invite you to join an online conversation on “Money Matters: Analysing the impacts of anti-trafficking funding”, in which panelists will discuss how much funding is reaching survivors, at-risk groups, and frontline organizations, and how much is spent on intermediaries and bureaucracies. The webinar takes place on 11 December at 9am EST / 3pm CET / 9pm ICT, with speakers presenting new research published in Anti-Trafficking Review, and reflecting on the experiences of frontline service providers.