Programmes and Operations

Core Activities

Counter-trafficking

The need

Human Trafficking is the third most profitable crime in the world. There are an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 people trafficked yearly worldwide.

Introduction

Survivors of human trafficking come from a variety of backgrounds.

Though some are well educated and from urban centres, many are often rural, poorly educated women and children and unskilled men migrating to find work or to escape conflict, who are unaware of the dangers of human trafficking.
Women are often lured with the promise of obtaining work as domestic workers or in hotels or restaurants, and then forced into debt bondage or prostitution.

Boys and girls as young as 11 years are trafficked for child labour, and in increasing numbers for sexual exploitation.

ICMC has gained a solid reputation for its work with migrants tricked or trapped in trafficking schemes. In addition to providing direct services, ICMC's work involves capacity building of local NGOs who offer direct services and advocacy for trafficked persons in order to improve and sustain protection for victims, and prevention efforts in villages and regions suffering from high levels of trafficking. ICMC also works to establish effective networks involving stakeholders from the public sector, including representatives from the ministries of health, education, employment, justice, and social welfare.

The 5 Components of ICMC counter-trafficking programming

Prevention

• Organizing new local working groups, NGOs, churches and other community partners for broad education networking
  
• Conducting public information workshops to raise awareness about the need to combat trafficking
  
• Supporting NGOs and trade unions that are implementing projects to prevent human trafficking or are providing services to trafficked persons
  
• Promoting safe migration through assistance to government officials and other stakeholders, and seeking effective public policy solutions to complex migration problems that increase the likelihood of human trafficking
  
• Providing support to national, provincial and local governments to assist in the implementation of anti-trafficking legislation.

Protection

• Police training
  
• Building inter-governmental task forces in provincial and local areas to strengthen law enforcement efforts and work with civil society to provide protection services for victims and prevention projects for vulnerable groups
  
• In close partnership with local communities, churches and Caritas organisations:
  
  • Identifying trafficked persons through referrals from the police and from networks of organizations that assist female migrant workers
    
  • Interviewing and assessing women for signs of trafficking, and admitting them to the shelter
    
  • Providing clothing, food, security and social activities
    
  • Offering immediate medical services, including testing for HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases as well as general medical health exams
    
  • Providing extensive consultation and case management, over a period of months in many cases, to assess and address special needs, such as social or psychological counselling and legal aid, and potential solutions and opportunities, including court action, new and fair employment, and /or return to the country of origin.

Assisted Voluntary Return

• Working directly and individually with women who choose to return, an ICMC social worker helps each woman to develop a personalized plan for her future based on her goals, and works with the woman to resolve outstanding issues, including family or community conflicts, and her need for a life project
  
• Coordinating with government and international organisations to resolve legal matters and administrative problems and assisting with passport and travel arrangements.

Reintegration

• Strengthening capacity for the return, recovery, and reintegration of trafficked persons by working with government and NGOs to establish common standards and to help build wider networks of service providers at the recovery and reintegration stages.

Coordination of Service

• Ensuring that there is a contact person in the country or community of origin so that follow-up will be possible; in cases of special need, additional social services may be arranged in the country of origin with partners there, such as international networks of ICMC and its members, Caritas, religious congregations and NGOs.