Bring more traffickers to justice, UK anti-slavery chief urges
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Police and prosecutors in Britain are not bringing enough human traffickers to justice, the country’s anti-slavery commissioner said on Thursday amid concerns that the coronavirus pandemic is preventing many victims from being identified or seeking help. Modern slavery prosecutions have fallen during the last year despite a rise in police operations […]
US emergency trafficking hotline says calls spiked under lockdown
New York, USThomson Reuters Foundation The number of people seeking emergency shelter to escape human trafficking surged in the month following US lockdown orders implemented to slow the spread of coronavirus, a leading anti-trafficking group said on Monday. The economic and social turmoil of the pandemic created conditions conducive to people falling victim to trafficking, […]
Trump declares anti-human trafficking push but some stay away
Mexico City, MexicoThomson Reuters Foundation US President Donald Trump on Friday vowed to boost measures to fight human trafficking, but several anti-trafficking groups skipped the White House event amid criticism that his immigration policies enable modern slavery. In next year’s government budget will be a request for $US70 million to fight trafficking, and an anti-trafficking […]
Trafficking prosecutions rarer than being hit by lightning – US official
New York, USThomson Reuters Foundation The global fight against human trafficking could use a boost in criminal prosecutions, the top US anti-trafficking official said on Thursday, noting the odds of getting hit by lightning are better than being prosecuted for the crime. About 11,000 prosecutions of human trafficking were recorded around the world last year, […]
A simple debit card can help fight human trafficking, UN banking group says
New YorkThomson Reuters Foundation Dozens of banks have signed up to a UN program to offer trafficking survivors accounts and debit cards, organizers said on Friday, providing tools they may lack if their captors stole their financial identity or ruined their credit. The banking coalition, launched during the annual General Assembly meeting of the United […]
Bangladesh signs up to UN treaty to combat human trafficking
Dhaka, BangladeshThomson Reuters Foundation Bangladesh’s decision to adopt an international treaty that binds countries to strict anti-trafficking measures could help it avoid US sanctions, a UN official said on Wednesday. Bangladesh has been on a US State Department watchlist for the past three years over its record on human trafficking, putting it at risk of […]
Mexico announces end to funding for human trafficking NGOs
Mexico City, MexicoThomson Reuters Foundation Mexico will stop giving financial aid to anti-human trafficking organisations and instead run shelters and victim care directly, the President said this week, drawing criticism from activists who said the plan lacked detail. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador blamed past corruption for the move and said it would mean more […]
Lynchings fuelled by rumour hit anti-trafficking drives in India
Thomson Reuters Foundation The public lynchings of at least 10 people in India on false rumours of child kidnap has forced anti-trafficking charities to put their work on hold, fearing they could be targeted. Fake messages about child kidnappings spread on Facebook and WhatsApp have triggered attacks in more than half a dozen Indian states, […]
Seize human traffickers’ money to help victims, urge campaigners
Thomson Reuters Foundation Seizing the gains of human traffickers to compensate victims should be treated a priority by governments to crack down on the estimated $US150 billion a year crime, an international anti-trafficking conference was told on Monday. Campaigners told the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe conference that governments did not focus enough […]