This factsheet is intended as a quick reference tool to support National Societies to consider how the Covid-19 global pandemic may place communities at increased risk of trafficking, how it may impact trafficked persons and provide advice on practical actions that can be taken to respond and mitigate risks.

Within the UK, survivors of trafficking receive formal identification through the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). While people are waiting for a decision on whether or not they will be positively identified (known as a conclusive grounds decision), they are able to access specialist services and support. Once someone has received their decision, they leave the NRM.

Between February 2018 and May 2019, the STEP project piloted three complementary models of longer-term support for survivors of trafficking and exploitation. This report sets out the key findings from the evaluation carried out at the end of the pilot.

In a medical context, first aid is the kind of emergency care given to an injured or ill person before treatment by specifically trained medical personnel becomes available. People providing first aid take first steps to identify problems and to stabilize and prepare patients for further treatment by experts.Law enforcement first responders fighting human trafficking carry out similar functions. They take first steps: • To identify human trafficking • To stabilize and control the human trafficking situation • To prepare victims and pass information on to investigators Those providing medical first aid need to know how to instantly and temporarily treat injuries and illnesses. Similarly, law enforcement officers providing first aid need to know how to instantly and temporarily deal with crimes and incidents.The kind of emergency treatment that law enforcement officers provide in cases of human trafficking is similar to that provided in other criminal cases, but there are some important aspects specific to human trafficking that officers need to know about. This kit provides the necessary information to allow officers to take the vital first steps to protect the victims and catch the criminals involved.

This report is one of several studies conducted by UNODC on organized crime threats around the world. These studies describe what is known about the mechanics of contraband trafficking – the what, who, how, and how much of illicit flows – and discuss their potential impact on governance and development. Their primary role is diagnostic, but they also explore the implications of these findings for policy.These studies are based on a number of data sources. UNODC maintains global databases on crime and drug issues, based mainly on the official statistics provided by Member States. This allows cross-national comparison and trend analysis. For example, UNODC has extensive time series data on drug production, seizures, and consumption, and by analyzing these data, a comprehensive picture can be drawn. This information is supplemented with data from other international organizations and Member States, as well as open source material. For the present study, analysts in the field were able to interview public officials on a range of topics, and much of the qualitative insight in this report comes from these interviews. The present study addresses Central America and the Caribbean, as the region is defined by the United Nations.

In 2016, the Office of the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (OSR/CTHB) launched the project “Combating Human Trafficking along Migration Routes”. The project sought to develop a training exercise that would improve the investigation and prosecution of cases and enhance the identification and protection of victims, particularly those along migration routes. The result was a groundbreaking training programme with three distinctive features: The exercises use live actors to create simulations of real cases that are explored over the course of a week by first-line practitioners. The training format is built around a multidisciplinary approach that brings together practitioners from a variety of fields—including prosecutors, law enforcement, social services, NGOs, and financial investigators—to train in close collaboration. The exercises include trainees from multiple countries, incorporating cultural differences and cross-border challenges into the storylines. These features put a strong emphasis on the human interaction that is so fundamental to this field of work; it is this human interaction that helps develop strong professional networks among the participants—across disciplines and borders

Trafficking in persons constitutes a grave crime against the individual. The absence of comprehensive data presents a major issue, including in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. Many cases go unreported as victims are too afraid to testify, cannot escape exploitation, are expelled once identified or do not seek official protection. Trafficking in persons from refugee camps and shelters after disasters is also of concern. Trafficking does not only occur across international boundaries, but also internally.This background note presents an overview of concepts and trends on trafficking in persons in ACP countries. Innovative initiatives taken by ACP countries are highlighted as they provide example of best practices that may be of interest for various stakeholders.

Although African countries face challenges in effectively responding to all forms of modern slavery, many countries in the region are taking steps to strengthen their responses. Improvements in the legislative framework have occurred across the region with some notable examples. Cote d'Ivoire, Morocco, and Tunisia enacted comprehensive trafficking legislation in 2016- a new development since the 2016 Global Slavery Index. As a result, in 2017, nearly 70 percent of African countries had criminalised human trafficking, an increase from the nearly 60 percent reported in the previous Global Slavery Index in 2016.

The Arab States are currently both the source and recipient of the largest numbers of refugees and internally displaced people globally. As the region experiences conflict and resulting displacement – and given its position at the junction of migratory paths for Afghans, Sudanese, and Somalis fleeing conflicts in their homelands – vulnerability to modern slavery in the Arab States has sharply increased. An estimated 5.7 million refugees originated in the region since mid-2016 and 12 million people were displaced internally in Middle Eastern countries.This displacement, accompanied by severe economic decline, widespread violence and psychological distress, collapse of essential public services in many districts, and weak labour laws has contributed towards the vulnerability of refugees, internally displaced persons, minority groups, and ordinary citizens to trafficking and exploitation.

The economic, geographic, and cultural diversity of Asia and the Pacific region is reflected in the varying prevalence and forms of modern slavery found across the region. In Asia and the Pacific, there are instances of debt bondage, including hereditary forms of bonded labour in South Asia, forced labour exists in migrant dominated sectors across the region, forced marriage persists, and state-imposed forced labour, while most commonly known to exist in North Korea, occurs in several countries within the region. The Asia and Pacific region is home to the two most populous countries in the world, India and China, as well as some of the least populous island nations, among them Tuvalu, Nauru and Palau.