Untitled Document

Prevention of Youth Trafficking Initiative

Each year 1.2 million adolescents are trafficked. These youth are subject to sexual exploitation, forced marriage, domestic servitude, bonded labor and other atrocities that are dangerous to their short and long-term mental health and physical well-being.

The UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children defines trafficking as:

Trafficking in persons shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.

More specifically as it relates to children

The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of a child for the purpose of exploitation shall be considered "trafficking in persons" even if this does not involve any of the means set forth in subparagraph (a) of this article.
(d) "Child" shall mean any person under eighteen years of age.

IOFA's Youth Trafficking Prevention Projects

Projects in the Baltic States

Prevention, Investigation, & Repatriation of Victims of Human Trafficking in Latvia: This project provides training to encourage cooperation among law enforcement officials and NGO leaders in combating trafficking of young people in Latvia. Regional Trafficking Response Teams have been established in three regions.
Strengthening Social Service Provision to Victims of Human Trafficking in Latvia: This project strengthens social service provision to victims of human trafficking by assessing current services, creating partnerships between service providers and a local shelter; and by ensuring that the shelter staff is properly trained to respond to victims' needs.

Projects in Africa

Project for the Prevention of Adolescent Trafficking, Tanzania: This project aims to increase the capacity of NGOs in the lake region of Tanzania to work with the government to ensure more effective implementation of laws dealing with the protection of female victims of violence and human trafficking.

Projects in Latin America

Community Response to Trafficking, Dominican Republic: This project aims to enhance ongoing efforts to combat trafficking in the Dominican Republic; and to develop community-based responses to trafficking. This project also includes anti-trafficking awareness raising activities at the grassroots level.

Projects in Asia

Taiwan Community Response to Trafficking Project: In collaboration with the Taiwan Women's Rescue Foundation, IOFA provided training on human trafficking, and facilitated the formation of anti-trafficking working groups by bringing together NGOs, community groups, law enforcement and government officials to combat human trafficking in Taiwan.

Projects in the United States

Assessing the Extent of Human Trafficking - A Community Outreach Approach: In conjunction with the Vera Institute of Justice, IOFA will conduct a test of a new data collection instrument that will identify and gather data on victims of trafficking in New York City (NYC); and provide critical information to law enforcement and service providers on how to effectively respond to the problem in NYC, and elsewhere.

Freedom Network (USA) to Empower Trafficked or Enslaved Persons: IOFA is a founding member of the Freedom Network (USA), a coalition of 25 US-based organizations working to advocate for the rights of trafficked and enslaved persons in the United States.

Freedom Network (USA) Trafficking in Persons Training Institute: Freedom Network members are providing national training, specialized hands-on capacity building, and mentoring for organizations providing services or advocacy for victims of trafficking in the United States. IOFA serves as Northeast Regional Coordinator for the Training Institute.

NYC Community Response to Trafficking Project: In collaboration with ECPAT-USA and partners from the New York City (NYC) Task Force Against Sexual Exploitation of Young People, this project seeks to raise awareness about human trafficking in NYC and to increase the capacity of community-based organizations, public and private service providers, members of at-risk communities, other NGOs, and local law enforcement to identify and provide services to victims of human trafficking in the NYC area. The project has been featured on National Public Radio and has been lauded by NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg as an exemplary anti-trafficking effort.

Trafficking in Persons Information and Referral Hotline: IOFA, in coordination with various partners, provides training and technical assistance to the management staff and hotline operators of the Trafficking in Persons Information and Referral Hotline, the first national 24-hour hotline for victims of human trafficking, which is operated by Covenant House. IOFA has also developed a ‘Trafficking Quick Reference Guide' to assist hotline operators with answering calls and referring potential victims.

Multi-National Projects

Preliminary Global Assessment of Shelters Serving Victims of Human Trafficking: For this project, IOFA surveyed existing shelters that serve victims of human trafficking and created a best practices manual for governments and NGO's that are interested in establishing new shelters that serve this population.

top

about | donate | support | jobs/volunteer | contact