New York, 8 March 2023
Coinciding with International Women’s Day on 8th March, the event "Technological challenges and solutions in combatting trafficking of women and girls in overlapping emergencies" took place as part of the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. The event was co-organized by UNODC-NYLO together with the OSCE, UN Women, EqualityNow, and the Coalition Against the Trafficking of Women.
The complexity and nuances of the linkages between technology and trafficking were detailed by former UK Prime Minister and keynote speaker Lady Theresa May, who began by thanking those present for their work to address “the scourge of trafficking.” She acknowledged how technology facilitates and enables traffickers’ recruitment, exploitation, and profiting from victims, while also describing it as having “possibly the greatest potential” of any tool to address trafficking. Lady May cautioned that the application of technology should not be rushed without consideration; instead, it should be determined by where it can meet survivors’ needs and minimize the vulnerabilities of those in crisis-affected situations. Technologies such as AI may help to identify victims through patterns in government data; Lady May noted that “[technology] will never replace the human touch in supporting victims, but properly directed it could help us reach them sooner”. Repeating her 2017 call to action to governments before the General Assembly in 2017, she emphasized the leading role governments must play in co-ordinating the response to trafficking.
Communications technologies can also help reach out to victims and can support survivors in their recovery. Ms. Ioana Bauer of eLiberare signalled the need for prevention and awareness campaigns to also move online since that is where most people, especially young people, consume information today. She added that mass communication campaigns are important given public indifference and lack of awareness of the scale of the problem. The healing potential of technology was outlined by Ms. Jeanne Celestine Lakin, in terms of enabling their social reintegration by connecting them with support services, job opportunities, and social opportunities. Speaking as a survivor, she called on everyone in the room to take action and be a voice for victims, and detailed three specific needs of survivors: mental health support, education, and a meaningful seat at decision-making discussions.
The often transnational nature of trafficking in persons requires Member States to work together in response. Activist Ms. Mandy Sanghera emphasized the need to share intelligence across governments and to have better mechanisms in place to facilitate this. Similarly, given the ease with which technology companies can relocate or enter new markets, legislation regulating the use of technologies will be most effective if it is international. Mr. Kevin Hyland from the Santa Marta Group criticized the "passive" pace of legislative development compared to the rapid evolution of technology, commenting that preventative measures will need to be implemented and funded by technology companies, who will only do so when compelled by legislation. Underscoring the importance of such action, he added that "victims are the most marginalized, they are commodified and even blamed with traffickers currently enjoying an advantage and leading the agenda".
The need to consider and address the specific vulnerabilities of victims was highlighted during questions from the floor, which drew attention to discrimination faced by non-Ukrainian citizens in fleeing the conflict in Ukraine, leaving them more vulnerable to traffickers. Further concerns were shared by Ms. Taina Bien-Aimé from the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, relating to the findings in UNODC’s 2022 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, specifically: that girls are the fastest-growing group represented among detected victims, that the number of detected victims fell during the pandemic, and that 84% of detected victims who originate from conflict-affected countries come from the Middle East and Africa. Ms. Tsitsi Matekaire from EqualityNow agreed with these concerns and called on governments to provide leadership in applying existing international human rights standards in the digital world.
