Social Problems in the Age of COVID-19 Vol 2

Volume 2: Global Perspectives

Muschert, Glenn W., Budd, Kristen M., Muschert, Glenn W., Budd, Kristen M.

• Publisher: Policy Press
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781447360612
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Sociology
• Index: Social Sciences

The COVID-19 pandemic is having far-reaching political and social consequences across the globe. Published in collaboration with the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP), this book addresses the greatest social challenges facing the world as a result of the pandemic. The authors propose public policy solutions to help refugees, migrant workers, victims of human trafficking, indigenous populations and the invisible poor of the Global South.

1 Isolation, Economic Desperation, and Exploitation

Human Trafficking and the COVID-​19 Crisis

Brittany Keegan

The Problem

While the world’s attention has shifted to the COVID-​19 crisis, many who are experiencing or who are at risk of experiencing human trafficking have lost access to resources that can provide them with protection and assistance. Human trafficking, definedby the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime as “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion … or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation,” can take many forms. These include domestic servitude, the exploitation of migrant workers (for example, those working in the seafood processing, agriculture, and tobacco industries), forced labor in establishments such as restaurants and sweatshops, sexual exploitation, mail order brides, trafficking for adoptions, and peddling/​begging rings. Trafficking was pervasive in society globally, domestically, and locally even before the pandemic began. Now, the problem has been exacerbated further.

While the exact number of trafficked individuals is not known, in 2018 the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline reported 10,494 human trafficking cases and 23,078 survivors. According to the human trafficking prevention organization Safe Horizon, women and girls are disproportionately affected by human trafficking, accounting for 71 percent of all survivors. The COVID-​19 pandemic has, according to many reports, increased these numbers. Organizations focused on preventing and responding to human trafficking such as the Polaris Project have found that ongoing impacts of shutdowns and social distancing, including increased isolation, loss of income, loss of access to supportive resources (for example in-​person interactions with service providers), hesitation to access medical services due to fear of exposure, increased online activity, and a shift of law enforcement attention away from trafficking to other issues, can place already marginalized individuals more at risk of being trafficked. Children in particular have become more vulnerable, as they are more likely to engage in online activities such as social media and video games while also being separated from mandated reporters such as teachers and guidance counselors. While this problem is ongoing, practitioners and researchers are quickly working to evaluate the changing situation and to identify potential solutions to address human trafficking during and after the pandemic.

Research Evidence

While information and exact numbers related to how the current COVID-​19 pandemic is impacting human trafficking is still being collected, the data that have already been gathered by organizations working with survivors of human trafficking point to a concerning trend. As has already been discussed, the COVID-​19 pandemic and subsequent social distancing practices have led to increased isolation and increased risk for those impacted by human trafficking. At the same time, service providers and anti-​trafficking organizations working to identify and support human trafficking survivors are facing new struggles as support from community members and funding agencies decreases, which in turn leads to a decrease in their ability to assist. According to the Network Against Human Trafficking and Slavery, this includes a decrease in donations, a limited ability to fundraise and hold fundraising events due to social distancing requirements, and a decrease in the number of individuals willing to work as volunteers due to fear of exposure. It also includes a decrease in funding from grants, as funding agencies have shifted their funding priorities to focus on combating and mitigating other effects of the pandemic. Other needs that have been noted include increased training for first responders and service providers, increased services and support such as all forms of healthcare, increased outreach/​awareness efforts targeting those interacting with the public such as grocery store workers and those operating food banks, and expanded virtual platforms for training and outreach.

A report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) noted ways that the COVID-​19 pandemic has made it more difficult for those impacted by trafficking to seek help. Many shelters for survivors have been forced to close, as social distancing within a shelter environment is difficult to achieve. In addition, human trafficking survivors who had been granted temporary immigration visas now face difficulty during the renewal process. If they are unable to renew the visas, they are more likely to have to return to a dangerous environment. There have also been reports of landlords taking advantage of tenants facing unemployment and eviction, and requesting sex in lieu of rent payments.

We can also look to research conducted during previous pandemics that has identified ways that risks for trafficking are exacerbated through these and other types of disasters and crises. The UNODC, for example, has noted that countries that had experienced pandemics were likely to see increases in trafficking. Reasons for this include increased isolation and stigma, separation from and death of family members, and an influx of people into the country as outsiders arrive to provide support. As another example, a report published by Plan International shows that 10 percent of children knew of girls forced into prostitution after losing a family member during the 2014–​16 Ebola outbreak. Another report from the same organization shows that Sierra Leone saw an increase in exploitation against women and girls, as well as an increase in teen pregnancies, during and after the Ebola outbreak.

Recommendations and Solutions

This section offers recommendations as to how organizations working to prevent and address human trafficking can address some of the challenges presented by the COVID-​19 pandemic. This includes finding new resources, and effectively and efficiently using the resources that they already have. It also addresses ways that governments and individuals can support these efforts.

Seek New Sources of Funding and Support for Organizations

While finding more resources, and financial resources especially, could arguably be the more effective way for organizations to combat human trafficking, it is also one of the most challenging to accomplish. Funds are scarce for all, and with the economic crisis that has followed the pandemic crisis it seems likely that many nonprofits and human services organizations will continue to struggle. While this current decrease in funding due to a shift in focus to the pandemic and healthcare is understandable, policymakers must not forget about those facing other challenges and, fortunately, there have been some instances in which new funding has become available to those working to combat human trafficking. New opportunities for federal funding in the United States (for example, in spring 2020 the United States Federal Health and Human Services Office on Trafficking in Persons released a new solicitation for competitive grants) have arisen. Similar funding opportunities from state and federal governments across the world would provide crucial, large-​scale support. Such opportunities would also decrease the need for smaller-​scale donation solicitations via fundraising events, and so on, thus decreasing the need for organizations to choose between social distancing and fundraising.

Engage in Collaborations with Other Organizations

In addition, human trafficking organizations can work together to creatively make use of their limited resources. For example, these organizations can benefit from increased collaboration with other organizations with similar missions. Existing studies indicate that engaging in collaborations can help to increase the effectiveness of nonprofit and human service organizations, and of human trafficking agencies specifically, and can manifest in two ways: internal collaborations (collaborations between individuals involved in a single organization) and external collaborations (individuals from different organizations working together). Such collaborations could involve multiple organizations coming together virtually to organize and participate in training programs, identifying ways that current volunteers could get involved in new tasks within their organization, and organizational specialization. With specialization, each organization working to address human trafficking could choose a few areas in which to specialize rather than try to address all needs of survivors. While the exact specialty or specialties will depend on the organization’s strengths and available resources, some examples of specialization include focusing specifically on child survivors, on a particular type of trafficking such as sex trafficking or forced labor, or on providing a certain type of service for survivors such as housing. Organizations could then refer clients to one another, allowing each organization to focus primarily on its areas of specialization. Such collaborations have also been shown to build positive relationships and networks among organizations and the individuals working in them, as well as to allow for the sharing of knowledge. All of these outcomes have in turn been shown to increase organizational effectiveness due to the collaborations and division of labor.

Some organizations have already engaged in new collaborations due to the pandemic, such as the United States Department of Justice, the United States Department of Homeland Security, and the Polaris Project. During the summer of 2020, these organizations worked together to facilitate online training courses for communities to better understand the warning signs and risk factors of human trafficking, as well as steps that can be taken to prevent trafficking from occurring. Solutions such as this can and should continue even after the COVID-​19 pandemic ends, as virtual training opportunities may be more accessible to some than in-​person trainings. Training should also focus on ways that the pandemic has increased risk factors of human trafficking and, once the pandemic has ended, can continue to be tailored to address how human trafficking is impacted by current societal issues.

Use a Survivor-​centered Approach to Service Delivery when Working with Survivors

Another solution is to ensure that the services being provided to survivors are truly in the best interests of those impacted by human trafficking, and that services are adapted to meet unique needs that have arisen during the pandemic. Doing so will help to increase organizational effectiveness and thus make the best use of the limited resources with which organizations are working. Engaging in a survivor-​centered approach, in which the needs and wishes of the survivor are prioritized and in which the survivor has control over their experiences and outcomes, has been found to be most effective. This allows the survivor to have agency over their experience working with service providers, rather than having decisions be made for them. When this is not done, services can at times be counterproductive. According to research conducted by the Office of Justice Programs, this is particularly true during cases in which the services provided to survivors are not considerate of the diverse needs of survivors and instead focus on punishment rather than healing.

Another aspect of using a survivor-​centered approach is to consider intersectionality, in which the unique identities and social locations of each survivor are considered during service provision rather than using a one-​size-​fits-​all approach. During the pandemic, individual factors such as socioeconomic status and family status may be especially relevant, as many of the increased risk factors for human trafficking relate to a lack of financial resources and a lack of family support. Race is another relevant factor to consider, as minorities have been found to be more vulnerable to the effects of COIVD-​19. Service providers should pay close attention to how these factors may continue to impact survivors and their risk of experiencing further trafficking.

Provide Social Support at the Governmental Level

At a macro level, governments can create (and organizations and individuals can support) policies that will provide social supports, such as affordable housing, continued eviction moratoriums, accessible and affordable healthcare, fair wages, and continued pandemic unemployment assistance, which can help prevent the desperation that can increase susceptibility to trafficking. These policies are likely to originate at the federal or state levels. On a more micro level, state and local governments can create policies and programs that will help to address human trafficking during the pandemic. This may include targeted trainings for those more likely to encounter survivors (for example hotel workers, landlords, and flight attendants), as well as employment programs to help survivors integrate safely into the workforce. Employment programs would need to focus specifically on the challenges that the pandemic presents, such as the loss of service and tourism jobs, and ensure t...