Addressing human trafficking and exploitation in times of crisis : Evidence and recommendations for further action to protect vulnerable mobile populations

Some similarities can, however, be observed in the different crisis settings analysed in this report: The erosion of the rule of law and the breakdown of institutions; the development of criminal activities; and the corruption and impunity of officials. [...] Consider, for example, the complexity of replacing a migrant worker’s identity documents to facilitate quick and safe evacuation in the event the trafficker or employer has withheld his or her passport and the respective consular services have been forced to relocate to another country as a consequence of insecurity in the country of exploitation, as has been the case in Libya in 2011 and most rec [...] The research involved fieldwork conducted between November 2014 and June 2015 in Libya and Iraq; an assessment of IOM’s CT response in MENA following the 2011 uprisings and the impact of the Syrian crisis specifically; and more global consultations and desk research on the Philippines, Haiti, Eastern Africa and countries affected by the 2004 tsunami. [...] Key findings for trafficking and exploitation risks in armed conflicts In the cases of Libya and Iraq, the erosion of the rule of law creates a state of impunity in which traffickers in certain localities can act without the fear of arrest or condemnation. [...] Even before the disaster, the poverty rate of the Eastern Visayas region was 10 per cent higher than the national average.51 The region had previously struggled with the sexual exploitation of women and children and the labour exploitation of men and boys, in particular in the Metro Manila area.