The UK government has announced plans to force some asylum seekers to be relocated to Rwanda
in order to counter the business model of the human smugglers or traffickers.
We are pleased that the Home Office is keen to break the ‘business model’ of the traffickers and
exploiters.
STOP THE TRAFFIK (STT) recognise that whether individuals are being trafficked or smuggled at different points of their journey, criminals see profit and opportunity. However, the details of the Home Office's methodology are unclear and STT believes that this plan could in fact increase the potential profit to the traffickers and risk to those vulnerable to being exploited.
The traffickers’ business model is agile. The UK government has not evidenced how such plans will
deter those asylum seekers taking risks to reach the UK. We know that the criminals will adapt and
diversify to capitalise on business opportunity.
Over the past 18 years, STT has pioneered a systemic solution to one of the world’s fastest growing
crimes to achieve the disruption and prevention of people trafficking. STT’s analysis of the
traffickers’ business model identifies their reliance on the ability to recruit people, to move the
proceeds of crime and to sustain and grow the demand for services to generate profit.
Disruption is possible by:
1) Tackling recruitment upstream and identifying and providing safe routes with protection and
support in transit and at destination
2) Identifying the money flows, actively tracking payments and proceeds of crime with all
who are enabling this to happen
3) Tackling the demand for exploited labour and the commercial structures that sustain sexual
exploitation
In the last 6 months, Traffik Analysis Hub (TA Hub), the world’s richest repository of trafficking
information, published an intelligence alert, supported in the last week by 2 research reports issued
by GFEMS (Global Fund to End Modern Slavery), detailing the raised risk of trafficking in East Africa
identifying routes to the Middle East. This information needs to be taken into account due to the
impact on regional trafficking routes.
Transparency is our greatest weapon against criminality. By uncovering and understanding the
system we can then drive good practice, create safe passage and trusted work offers and provide the
ability to make choices. Global problems require global solutions.
Technology offers the greatest tools to drive this global transparency at every level: to collect
information at scale and communicate insight targeted to every actor who can use it to inform their
choices and take action.
STT’s intelligence led approach enables the power of survivor stories to lead this response. TAH is
the engine that makes this possible.
International coordination and communication are our greatest levers to disrupt trafficking
networks, undermining the ability for exploiters to deceive the vulnerable, to move money and
sustain demand.
For example, over the past month, STT has been active in delivering an intelligence led response to
those being forced to move out of Ukraine. Working with over 30 organisations across Europe, we
have reached over 1 million people with digital messaging, targeting hotspots and routes,
signposting to trusted support and improving our understanding of what is happening on the ground.
I was talking to a group of Ukrainian women who had fled into Poland. I asked them who they would tell if they turned up to a job and it was exploitative. They said they would want to report but they didn’t know who they could tell or who would care. I shared with them about the STOP APP, our reporting tool, and explained that there were people who would care and people who would take action. They all downloaded the app there and then. I showed them our prevention program material and they commented that it was the information they needed as they travel and find safe places to stay and work. They were grateful that their phone could give them access to information they could trust and signposting to support where needed.
Rebekah Lisgarten, STT Director of Operations
Now is the time to act together. The world’s population is moving, whether from desire to follow dreams or fleeing in fear and the traffickers business model remains largely unchallenged.
NOTES
STOP THE TRAFFIK: stopthetraffik.org
Traffik Analysis Hub: traffikanalysis.org
The STOP APP: https://www.stopthetraffik.org/stopapp/
Global Fund to End Modern Slavery (GFEMS):
Contact for further information:
Traffik Analysis Hub's Assessment Alert below: