Vienna, Austria - Globally, for every 10 victims of trafficking in persons detected, 5 are adult women and 2 are girls. Gender profoundly influences various aspects of human trafficking and migrant smuggling, often adversely affecting women. Furthermore, women remain underrepresented in criminal justice institutions responding to both Trafficking in Persons (TIP) and Smuggling of Migrants (SOM), particularly in leadership positions. For example, in Pakistan, 2023 data reveals only 17 per cent of female judges versus 83 per cent of male judges.
Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls are universally agreed-upon objectives derived from the Charter of the United Nations, unequivocally affirming the equal rights of all individuals, regardless of sex and gender. By promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, UNODC applies the Charter, ensuring that crime prevention and criminal justice responses are fair, effective, and accountable, meeting the needs of all members of society and leaving no one behind.
To address the gendered nature of human trafficking and migrant smuggling and the serious impact of inequality on women in institutions responding to these crimes, the GLO.ACT Women’s Network has sought to develop tangible tools. These tools enable those providing training and driving institutional reform to incorporate a strong gender perspective into their work. One such deliverable is the development of two gender training modules, launched during an online seminar for the Women's Network on 21 February 2024.
Addressing the seminar participants, Dr. Ibtisam Aziz, GLO.ACT Women’s Network Chair, explained that the idea for developing the gender training modules originated from the Women’s Network's first Annual General Meeting (AGM) in November 2021. A first draft of the two modules was presented during the second AGM in November 2022. On that occasion, participants were invited to provide written feedback, which was subsequently incorporated into the modules.
Providing the opening remarks, Zoi Sakelliadou, UNODC Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer, and Gender Focal Point for UNODC’s Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section, stated: “Gender can be a powerful tool for criminal justice practitioners. By understanding how gender shapes the way traffickers operate, we can better prevent and disrupt the crime. By understanding gender, our responses can be truly victim-centred.”
Following which, Eurídice Márquez, UNODC’s Programme Management Officer and Team Leader, presented the two modules as practical tools to help those in charge of building knowledge and capacity on the topics.
During her presentation, Ms. Márquez explained that Module 1 is designed to raise awareness about the impact of gender inequality and stereotypes on women’s access to power and decision-making. She further outlined that it provides practical guidance on empowerment, communication skills, critical thinking, mentoring, and leadership in the context of the criminal justice system. Ms. Márquez then went on to discuss Module 2, which aims to position TIP and SOM within the gender context, delving into the international legal framework, Sustainable Development Goals, and the hierarchical nature of gender. Ms. Márquez expounded that Module 2 strives to illuminate how these crimes are gendered, exacerbated by intersecting vulnerabilities, and enabled by gender inequalities in various spheres.
Emmanuelle Kunigk, GLO.ACT’s Strategy and Stakeholder Engagement Expert, closed the event, reiterating that the development of tools for the network was very much demand-driven. As such, UNODC, in its role as the Network's secretariat, hoped that these two modules would prove to be useful to members of the Network and be applied in their working contexts. She concluded by encouraging members to report back on the application and integration of the modules into their work and training.
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PROTECT: Improving Migration Management & Migrant Protection in Selected Silk Route Countries
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is implementing the European Union-(EU) funded PROTECT initiative within the framework of GLO.ACT across Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Tajikistan. This initiative also addresses challenges in the broader Central Asia region, including the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, with a primary focus on enhancing the effectiveness of responses to trafficking in persons (TIP) and smuggling of migrants (SOM), particularly in relation to criminal justice. Meanwhile, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) is responsible for implementing the PROTECT initiative in Afghanistan (specifically through virtual MRC Afghanistan), Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Their primary objectives include improving gender-sensitive and rights-based migration governance at the national level and establishing Migrant Resource Centres (MRCs).
This project is funded by the European Union.
For more information, please contact:
Aimée Comrie (Ms.)
Coordinator, GLO.ACT
Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section
Organized Crime and Illicit Trafficking Branch
UNODC
Golda Myra ROMA (Ms.)
Senior Project Manager
ICMPD Silk Routes Region – Budapest Process
