The handbook provides operational guidance and tools to support effective protection responses in situations of internal displacement. Specifically, the Handbook seeks to: ensure staff members are familiar with the core concepts, principles and international legal standards that form the framework for protection work; assist staff in operationalizing these concepts, principles and legal standards and in carrying out their protection responsibilities; improve understanding of the particular protection risks faced by internally displaced women, men, boys and girls of various backgrounds; provide guidance on how to prevent and respond to the protection risks faced by IDPs through a range of different activities; enhance staff skills for carrying out protection work; and promote a consistent and well-coordinated protection response in different operations.

This booklet presents the status of knowledge on trafficking in persons in the context of armed conflict. It is based on an extensive review of literature and reports from regional and international organizations combined with primary information collected from areas where armed conflicts have been discussed by the United Nations Security Council. It draws on cases investigated by the international criminal tribunals and interviews with United Nations peacekeeping personnel based in field missions located within or in the proximity of conflict zones. A detailed methodology, interview questions and list of respondents is annexed to this booklet. The first section presents an overview of the main forms of trafficking that have been identified within and in the surroundings of conflict areas. The subsequent section describes commonly identified victim profiles and outlines the main factors impacting their vulnerability to trafficking. The third section identifies main perpetrators and analyses the ways in which trafficking in persons is used as part of their modus operandi. The final section presents examples of trafficking in persons in conflict scenarios on the agenda of the Security Council (where enough information was available).

In 2019, many more people needed humanitarian assistance than we had forecast, largely because of conflicts and extreme climate events. Donors provided a record $16 billion for inter-agency appeals between January and November 2019. Compliance with international law is declining. Armed conflicts are killing and maiming a record number of children, forcing them to flee their homes. They are becoming a lost generation. Women and girls are at higher risk of sexual and gender-based violence. One in five people living in conflict areas has a mental health condition.Highly violent conflicts are causing widespread hunger, displacement, death and destruction around the world. They are taking a heavy toll on civilians, who account for 90 per cent of the casualties when explosive weapons are used in populated areas. There were 791 attacks against health workers and health-care facilities in the first nine months of 2019, resulting in 171 deaths. In 2018, 131 aid workers were killed and 130 were kidnapped in 400 attacks. Attacks against health and aid workers are putting millions of people at risk by denying them care and aid.

In the context of the 10-Point Plan, a key objective of cooperative arrangements among partners is to ensure that migration policies are both effective and “protection-sensitive”, that is, they take into account the needs of all persons who travel as part of mixed movements, including asylum-seekers, refugees, victims of trafficking, unaccompanied and separated children and other groups.As opposed to the other action points of the 10-Point Plan, which outline tools for developing practical, protection-sensitive responses to mixed movements within a particular subject area, the theme of this chapter, “Cooperation among Key Partners”, provides an overarching methodology for addressing mixed movements. Most of the examples in the 10-Point Plan involve more than one actor and demonstrate how cooperation can be operationalized to address mixed movements in that specific area. By contrast, the examples presented in this chapter focus broadly on cooperation at the national, regional and international levels across several or all aspects of mixed movements.

Trafficking in persons is a serious crime that affects every country in the world. Conflicts that arise in countries or other geographical areas can exacerbate vulnerability to trafficking, as well as its prevalence and severity. As State and non-State structures weaken, and as people turn to negative coping strategies in order to survive, not only does the risk of falling victim to trafficking increase, but so too does the risk of perpetrating it against others. At the same time, conflict also increases the demand for goods and services provided by exploited persons and creates new demands for exploitative combat and support roles. For these reasons, United Nations entities and other international actors active in settings affected by conflict have a crucial role to play in preventing and countering trafficking in persons.