Economic%20and%20Social%20Development Combatting Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery through Ecosystem Support

The Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF) has designed this three-year project to facilitate a collective response to human trafficking and modern slavery abuses in Colombia, India, Thailand and Malaysia. The project aims to:  

• Achieve a greater and stronger media coverage of human trafficking and modern slavery to raise awareness and spark public discussion
• Enhance a collective multi-stakeholder response to human trafficking and modern slavery through innovative approaches  

The global trade in human beings is bigger today than at any time in history. The International Labour Organization estimates that at least 25 million worldwide are victims of forced labour with an estimated 16 million exploited in the private sector. 

The private and public sectors are increasingly enhancing their cooperation to ensure that communities and supply chains are clean from abuses, and journalists have played a key role in raising public awareness and keeping stakeholders accountable. Despite multiple initiatives, however, abuses are still inflicted on men, women and children, who find themselves trafficked, in forced or bonded labour, or exploited in many forms. 

More should be done, and stakeholders should join forces to create an ecosystem that carries out more effective and sustainable solutions. This project contributes to this effort.  

Photo: REUTERS/Adnan Abidi