Publications

Trafficking in persons is a global challenge that transcends borders, and the advent of AI technologies has the potential to amplify both its reach and complexity. It is precisely this global nature of both trafficking and AI that necessitates coordinated, regional, and international responses. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Regional Support Office of the Bali Process (RSO) have jointly developed this brief on the emerging nexus of artificial intelligence (AI), trafficking in persons, and transnational crime with a clear objective: to equip policymakers, law enforcement agencies, and the technology sector with the insights needed to anticipate and pre-emptively address the potential implications of AI on trafficking in persons.

In the digital age, technology serves as both a powerful tool for empowerment and a potential instrument for criminal activities, particularly in human trafficking. Traffickers exploit technological advancements for purposes such as online recruitment, victim control, and transferring illicit proceeds. However, these same technologies present opportunities for law enforcement and civil society to combat trafficking and protect victims. This report summarizes a set of policy recommendations discussed and made by anti-trafficking stakeholders from OSCE participating States during a series of sub-regional workshops organized in 2023 by the Office of the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings.These policy recommendations aim at leveraging technology effectively to counter trafficking.

This Report Update provides a short overview of the core values and unique methodology of the OSCE Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, a recap of its projects and activities in 2023, and a preview of priority areas for 2024.

This paper provides an overview of the existing links between disability and trafficking in human beings, how persons living with disability are affected by trafficking, and to what extent legal standards, policy frameworks, and anti-trafficking measures integrate concerns associated with disabilities. This analysis is approached from four distinct perspectives: disability as an enhanced vulnerability factor that traffickers target; disability as a feature of exploitation; disability as a result of trafficking and exploitation; and disability of trafficking survivors as a factor in accessing justice, protection, employment, health, and rehabilitation services. Finally, the paper presents a series of recommendations and potential strategies aimed at elevating awareness and prioritizing the disability dimension within efforts to combat human trafficking.

First-line responders are the first point of contact and information for people requiring assistance in migration and humanitarian crises. While driven by good intentions, some, particularly new civil society organizations, volunteers, and other supporters, might lack knowledge and experience in the context, including as it relates to the risks of trafficking in human beings. To address this gap, the Office of the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings developed a Code of Conduct that suggests some key steps to be undertaken by first-line responders to ensure that their staff is sensitized to the risks of human trafficking and does not unintendedly contribute to endangering the beneficiaries or colleagues.

Capacity-building of relevant stakeholders, particularly those working on the front lines of humanitarian crises, is a key component of participating States’ anti-trafficking response. To support counterparts to minimize risks of human trafficking and work proactively to identify and assist victims, several international and non-governmental organizations have developed and are providing a number of training opportunities. The OSR/CTHB, through this resource, aims to facilitate access of related actors to such opportunities by compiling training courses and modules- that are readily available to or can be requested by authorities and organizations operating on the ground- on several issues connected with addressing trafficking in human beings in the context of the humanitarian crisis generated by the war against Ukraine.

As migration and humanitarian crises always demonstrate, first-line responders are the first point of contact and information for people requiring assistance. Having a variety of occupations, ranging from civil society organizations to international relief agencies and international organizations, their priority, in particular within the reception setting, is to attend to people’s immediate needs, such as food, accommodation, and medical care. Their capacity is often overstretched, and they may not have specialized anti-trafficking knowledge and expertise. To address this gap, the Office of the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings developed an awareness-raising brief that would sensitize first-line responders to human trafficking risks, provide information on THB signs and indicators and on how to address presumed cases in a gender-sensitive, age-appropriate and trauma-informed manner.