While some of the forms of exploitation covered by this research are specific to countries directly involved in conflict child soldiering and organ trafficking to treat wounded fighters the remaining types of trafficking in human beings have many points in common in conflict and post conflict periods. Recruitment methods, psychological control techniques and the forms of exploitation do not depend on particular geographic zones.

The overall objective of this Framework Document is to strengthen cooperation between IOM and UNHCR with respect to the identification, referral, protection and assistance of victims of trafficking. Specifically, this document intends to encourage the development of standard operating procedures (SOP) between IOM and UNHCR at field level, and suggests a procedure for cooperation to ensure that the available expertise, capacities, and potential of each organization are effectively employed and coordinated to deliver the best possible protection and assistance for victims of trafficking.The Framework Document highlights key areas for coordination and cooperation that are global in nature and should be adapted to particular operational contexts.This document updates the former IOM-UNHCR Framework Document on Developing Standard Operating Procedures to Facilitate the Protection of Trafficked Persons, developed in 2009.

Trafficking in persons (TIP) is a crime and a grave violation of human rights defined in Article 3(a) of the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons. It takes place in every region of the world, in both ordinary times and in times of crisis. Its root causes can include poverty and economic inequality, homelessness, structural or interpersonal violence, gender inequalities, armed conflict and post-conflict factors. TIP manifests in multiple forms affecting women, girls, boys and men who are exploited for domestic servitude, sex, forced labor, and forced marriage, among others. A growing body of research has shown that humanitarian crises may exacerbate pre-existing trafficking trends and give rise to new ones. While some forms of trafficking are a direct result of crises, such as exploitative sexual services demanded by armed groups or the forced recruitment of child soldiers, others are less evident, with traffickers thriving on the widespread human, material, social and economic losses caused by crises. Moreover, conflict and displacement have a stronger impact on trafficking risks due to the general erosion of the rule of law and the breakdown of social safety nets or the lack of other protection systems. Despite the identification of a link between TIP and emergency contexts, trafficking prevention and response is frequently overlooked or not addressed in a comprehensive manner in humanitarian responses.

Migrant smuggling is seen as antithetical to safe, orderly and regular migration. In fact, the fight against migrant smuggling stands out as a point of agreement in an otherwise fractured policy field. This apparent unity obscures disparate motivations for counter-smuggling measures. Traditionally, concerns about illegal work and residence have been prominent. More recently, the fight against migrant smuggling is also driven by states’ desire to minimize the obligations that follow from the 1951 refugee convention. These are just two out of eight motivations identified in the paper.The eight motivations for counter-smuggling efforts differ with respect to explicitness and legitimacy.Insufficient clarity of purpose makes it more challenging to develop a sound response.Counter-smuggling strategies can be divided between those that seek to suppress the supply of smuggling services and those that seek to suppress demand. The conventional law-enforcement approach concentrates on curbing supply. Sustainable solutions are only possible with a reduced demand for migrant smuggling services. But demand-oriented policy approaches go to the heart of migration management and raise political, legal, economic, and ethical dilemmas.

This paper is part of the IOM Migration Research Leaders Syndicate’s contribution toward the Global Compact for Migration. It is one of 26 papers that make up a consolidated Syndicate publication, which focuses on proposing ways to address complex and pressing issues in contemporary international migration. The Migration Research Leaders Syndicate, convened as part of IOM’s efforts to extend policy and technical expertise in support of the Global Compact for Migration, comprises senior researchers from diverse geographic, disciplinary and thematic backgrounds. The Syndicate provides a channel for leading experts in migration to propose ideas to meet the ambitious goals outlined in the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants of September 2016.

The overall objective of this framework document is to strengthen cooperation between IOM and UNHCR with respect to the identification and protection of victims of trafficking (VoTs). Specifically, the document intends to encourage the development of standard operating procedures between IOM and UNHCR at country level, and suggests a procedure for cooperation to ensure that the available expertise, capacities, and potential of each agency are effectively employed to deliver the best possible protection and assistance for victims of trafficking.The framework document highlights key areas for coordination and cooperation that are global in nature and should be adapted and adjusted to particular regional and national contexts. In particular, the document focuses on two areas where IOM and UNHCR play a key role: the identification of VoTs, the provision of protection and assistance and the promotion of sustainable solutions.

Although human trafficking has gathered momentum and several international organizations have developed approaches to address it, the phenomenon remains a serious crime, with grave human rights concerns, that is largely overlooked in crisis situations. In addition, human trafficking is typically not considered a direct consequence of crisis. This misplaced assumption, coupled with the fact that counter-trafficking efforts are not necessarily understood as an immediate life-saver in crisis, often hampers the humanitarian response to human trafficking cases, particularly in terms of identification of and assistance to victims. In reality, as the newly published IOM report Addressing Human Trafficking and Exploitation in Times of Crisis reveals these efforts are a matter of life and livelihood for victims of trafficking and should therefore be considered with as much priority as for any other crisis-affected population and be addressed at the outset of a crisis. The report recommends that human trafficking in times of crisis be urgently included in the humanitarian community, with support from both emergency and development donor communities.

Of the approximately 5.1 million refugees and migrants from Venezuela displaced globally, some 4.3 million are hosted in Latin America and the Caribbean. The majority of Venezuelans have no prospects for a sustainable return in the short to medium-term. Colombia alone hosts more than 1.8 million refugees and migrants, including over 1 million with an irregular status, who are without proper documentation to facilitate access to basic rights and services including existential healthcare, WASH, nutrition and other life-saving facilities.

Sudan is at the centre of the East African migration route towards North Africa and Europe. Over the past decade, hundreds of irregular migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees have been transiting through Sudan every month, with some choosing to seek asylum in the country. Those on the move are mostly young Eritrean Tigrinya speakers from urban areas, but they also include Ethiopians, Somalis, South Sudanese and Syrians. Exit visa requirements from Eritrea, socio-economic challenges and protection concerns within Sudan, are often cited as reasons for moving on. They are also compelled to rely on smugglers to arrange their travel in order to seek safety in Eastern Sudan refugee camps or to move elsewhere in Sudan and beyond.Persons traveling from other countries usually also rely on smugglers to facilitate their entry into Sudan. Such irregular movements expose these persons to various forms of exploitation, which often end up in human trafficking. Sudanese nationals are exposed to similar risks when seeking opportunities abroad.

As of October 2019, more than 4.5 million refugees and migrants from Venezuela are outside their country of origin, with 3.7 million in the region alone. As per current trends, it is estimated that the number of refugees and migrants from Venezuela included in government official figures in countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, will reach up to 5.5 million by the end of 2020. In this context, this RMRP 2020 is the result of field-driven planning, bringing together 137 appealing organizations, in consultation with host governments, civil society and faith-based organizations, local communities, donors, as well as the refugees and migrants themselves with common objective of addressing the overarching humanitarian, protection and socioeconomic integration needs of refugees and migrants from Venezuela.