This analysis is based on IOM’s caseload and excludes the hundreds of victims identified and assisted by other partners in Cox’s Bazar. Therefore, the trends described were compiled from Rohingya who were directly assisted by IOM. The trends provide some insight to the current trafficking context affecting the Rohingya but do not indicate the prevalence of human trafficking in the district. Human trafficking is a crime that is often underreported for many reasons including but not limited to lack of general awareness on the complex dynamics of human trafficking, the services available for victims, the verbal, physical and psychological coercive tactics used by the trafficking network, and stigma and discrimination against victims.

The years 2015-2016 saw an unprecedented increase in the numbers of people travelling by sea and overland along the migration route to the European Union (EU), with almost one and a half million people irregularly entering EU countries.This situation required frontline responders in these regions to be able to quickly identify and refer potential victims of trafficking in human beings (THB) among refugees, asylum applicants and migrants in an irregular situation. It also required the adoption of tailored protection and rehabilitation programmes for identified victims of trafficking among these people. This is particularly important for the protection of specific vulnerable groups, such as separated and unaccompanied children. The TRAM research assessment aims to contribute to the establishment of a solid knowledge base on this crucially important issue. It examines the incidence of trafficking in human beings and risk factors for THB in the context of the Balkan route and in destination countries. It also looks at the gaps, needs and challenges that exist in the identification, referral, protection and rehabilitation of victims of trafficking. The study found indications that trafficking and exploitation are a major cause of concern for migrants and refugees travelling along the Western Balkans route, yet the number of identified victims remains extremely low. The lack of statistical data is to a certain extent the result of a vicious circle, whereby if there is no evidence of trafficking cases among a certain group, the necessary resources are not mobilised to address THB and proactively identify cases, which in turn prevents the gathering of accurate statistics. The low number of identifications is also due to the lack of harmonisation and incorporation of anti-trafficking procedures into the first reception and asylum systems for new arrivals, leading to a disconnect between the two processes. The research also highlighted that in the context of the Balkan route, trafficking is often related to the migrant smuggling process, with exploitation occurring due to people being in debt to smugglers, and due to smugglers requesting increasing amounts of money for their services. The complexity of differentiating between the two distinct phenomena of smuggling of migrants and trafficking in human beings, and of understanding the points of convergence, contributes to making identification and referral procedures more difficult. From a migration policy perspective, the study found that increasingly restrictive border control policies and the lack of legal alternatives for onward movement play into the hands of unscrupulous smugglers, who use this opportunity to also perpetrate trafficking and other forms of exploitation, taking advantage of the vulnerable situation of migrants and refugees.

This report is developed in response to an official request submitted to the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) by the Main Department on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The Department requested a feedback on the National Action Plan for fight against trafficking in human beings of the Republic of Azerbaijan 2014-2018 as well as support and suggestions for the development of the next 2019-2023 plan. The report is produced in the framework of the Prague Process Migration Observatory implemented through the “Prague Process: Dialogue, Analyses and Training in Action” (PP DATA) initiative, funded by the European Union and implemented by ICMPD in its capacity of Prague Process Secretariat. PP DATA aims at sustaining and further enhancing the cooperation established in the area of migration and asylum between the countries of the European Union, the Schengen Area, the Eastern Partnership, the Western Balkans, Central Asia, Russia and Turkey.

The manual is produced in the framework of the Prague Process Migration Observatory implemented through the “Prague Process: Dialogue, Analyses and Training in Action” (PP DATA) initiative, funded by the European Union and implemented by ICMPD in its capacity of Prague Process Secretariat. PP DATA aims at sustaining and further enhancing the cooperation established in the area of migration and asylum between the countries of the European Union, the Schengen Area, the Eastern Partnership, the Western Balkans, Central Asia, Russia and Turkey. The goal of this manual is to guide its users in developing and delivering training sessions covering ten key areas concerning combating trafficking in human beings. The manual provides content and technical implementation information for each session, as well as brief instructions on the process of teaching and useful insights about adult learning. The manual is developed to serve the anti-trafficking stakeholders from the participating countries of Prague Process. The Manual is a practical guide that can be adapted to fit the training needs of the participants. It can be used for in-house trainings, delivered by professionals with a certain level of training experience to an audience with no or basic knowledge on the topic of trafficking in human beings, or it can also be used for training-of-trainers programmes. Having in mind the diversity of the human trafficking phenomenon across the Prague Process region and the specificities of the national anti-trafficking responses, the manual is designed in a way that can be also adapted to any country-specific context. The information for the manual was collected through desk research of the available handbooks and manuals on the topic of combating trafficking in human beings, adding the knowledge and expertise of ICMPD Anti-trafficking Programme.

The Strength to Carry On: Resilience and Vulnerability to Trafficking among People Travelling along Migration Routes to Europe analyses the incidence of human trafficking among people travelling along migration routes to Europe; factors of resilience to trafficking and other abuses; and factors of vulnerability to trafficking and other abuses. The study covers the Eastern Mediterranean, Balkan and Central Mediterranean migration routes.The research findings indicate the significance of the context of the migration routes for people’s experiences: the geography of the routes; and the policies and practices applied during different periods in different places. Due to the lack of legal channels for migrating and seeking asylum, and the lack of possibilities to transit regularly along the routes, almost everyone who travels the routes uses migrant smuggling services, at least at some point. Migration policies and responses to the situation on the migration routes have focused largely on combating irregular movement and are characterised by border restrictions and fortification, which significantly increases the vulnerabilities of people using the routes. 69 potential trafficking cases were identified in the course of the research, and 14 cases of deprivation of liberty for extortion. A minority of these cases were officially identified by the authorities. People on the move are trafficked for sexual exploitation, labour exploitation and forced migrant smuggling. The study also shows that deprivation of liberty for extortion involves the abuse of a person’s rights in order to obtain financial or material benefits. The main modus operandi of traffickers in the context of the migration routes, regardless of whether or not they also provide migrant smuggling services, is abusing people’s position of vulnerability. This vulnerability arises from their need to use, and to pay for, migrant smuggling, due to the lack of alternatives for regular travel.

The draft Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Identification and Referral of Trafficked Persons in Lebanon have been elaborated in the framework of the project ‘’Training to Enhance Lebanese Anti-trafficking Effort (TELAE): Identification, Referral and Policy Responses’’ implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and financially supported by the United States Department of State, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. The SOPs are carefully in line with human rights and international standards and policy developments. The SOPs are adapted to the national procedures and anti-trafficking legislation in Lebanon, Law Number 164 Punishment of the Crime of Trafficking in Persons, and are meant to build upon the existing national mechanisms and take them a step further towards more coordinated action. The draft document, divided into two Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) sections, was jointly developed and validated by the nominated focal points from the relevant governmental, non- governmental and international organizations in Lebanon. Each institution/organization nominated two representatives to participate in the elaboration of the SOPs as well as in the other activities of the project.

It is evident that transnational cooperation is a fundamental component for any successful strategy to prevent and fight human trafficking as well as to protect trafficked persons. The aim of the present report is to provide an overview of the forms and tools of transnational cooperation used in cases of human trafficking in the South-Eastern Europe (SEE) countries with the view to further enhance their implementation or development within and beyond the region. Furthermore, the report includes useful reflections and recommendations based on interviews with 83 representatives of governmental institutions, law enforcement agencies, judiciary, labour inspectorates, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and international organisations (IOs) engaged in the anti-trafficking field in South-Eastern Europe (SEE).Geographically, the report specifically targeted SEE, namelyAlbania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo1 , Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia.Notwithstanding its primary geographical scope,the report serves as a useful tool to all countries that have embarked on the process of developing a transnational referral mechanism, or considering doing so in the future. Practical advise on how to design and implement a functioning TRM can be found in the many recommendations thatthis report brings forward.The report is strictly based on qualitative methods and its outcomes derive from the analysis of findings gathered through desk research and semi-structured interviews with the aforementioned anti-trafficking stakeholders carried out by a research team in each participating country. The report elaborates on the concept of the transnational referral mechanisms (TRM), their development and applicability. It offers a detailed description of what the TRM is and equips the reader with a theoretical understanding of its functioning. It provides a solid background for national stakeholders from countries that have a TRM in place, and serves as an introduction to the TRM concept for all those that in the process of implementing it.

A practical guideline for frontline workers

This guide is designed to support European Red Cross National Societies services to respond to trafficking in human beings. Building on and complementing the Migration Policy of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the document provides additional guidance to assist and protect trafficked persons (but it is not itself a policy). It focuses mostly on human trafficking in relation to migration. However, victims can be trafficked either transnationally (crossing at least one international border) or domestically (within the borders of one country). The International Red Cross and Red Crescent (RCRC) Movement assists and protects all types of victims of trafficking, including persons who have been trafficked without crossing international borders. Working with and for vulnerable migrants is one of the long standing traditions of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The humanitarian response of National Societies in Europe to support vulnerable migrants increases the likelihood of encountering (potential) victims of human trafficking.The IFRC Migration Policy sets out principles for National Societies that they shall take into account and adopt in their work in this field. It acknowledges that “migrants may be subject to human trafficking, sexual or labour exploitation” that expose them to heightened and acute risks to their physical integrity and well-being.

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.