Reports

State of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Maharashtra - 2022

India is a global hotspot for trafficking of women and minors for commercial sexual exploitation (CSE), and Maharashtra, as its financial and commercial capital, is one of the largest destinations for CSE in the country. However, reliably estimating the size of child sex trafficking victims has historically been challenging owing to the hidden nature of …

Child Labor in the Coffee Sector in Eastern Uganda

Child labor in coffee production in Eastern Uganda is widespread. Engaged in such activities as picking and sorting berries or transporting beans and supplies, children working in Uganda’s coffee supply chain (CSC) experience risks to their safety and mental and physical wellbeing. In 2022, GFEMS commissioned the Centre for the Study of the African Child …

Decent Work for Ugandan Domestic Workers: Findings and Recommendations for Funders

In Uganda and Kenya, thousands of Ugandan children work as domestic workers. Despite laws prohibiting employment of children under the age of 16 in Uganda, there is little enforcement in the domestic work sector. While poverty drives children to enter domestic work, employers also prefer to hire child domestic workers because they can pay them …

Tackling Labor Exploitation in the Construction Sector in India

India’s construction industry is complex, multi-tiered, and marked by a high degree of informality. While developers and large contracting companies exist at the top tier, it is most often “micro-contractors,” or employers of small teams of construction workers (less than 50 workers), who are the first point of contact for migrant workers. Click below to …

Sexual Exploitation of Children in Kenya: Changes in Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices

From November 2020 to October 2022, GFEMS supported Terre des Hommes Netherlands (TdH) to implement the “Building A Future” (BAF) project. Designed to combat the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) in Kwale and Kilifi counties- two known sex trafficking hotspots in coastal Kenya- the BAF project centered on community-based prevention methods, formal education for …

Forced Labor Among Informal Apparel Workers in Bangladesh: A Prevalence Estimation Report

Since 2018, GFEMS has invested in several studies to shed light on exploitative labor practices in the informal apparel sector of Bangladesh, including law and policy analysis and a rapid assessment of the impacts of COVID-19 on workers. GFEMS has also created practical resources for use by practitioners and policy-makers to reduce exploitation in this …

Lessons Learned from Inaugural Programs

In 2018, the Global Fund launched its first projects, with the support of the U.S. State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. This inaugural portfolio focused on sex trafficking in India, the Philippines, and Vietnam, forced labor in India’s construction industry, and exploitation and abuse of overseas migrant workers in the Philippines …

Overseas Filipino Worker Voices: A Study of Forced Labor Among Migrant Workers from the Philippines

Overseas labor migration has been a feature of the Filipino economy for over a century. Over the last thirty years, overseas labor migration has become an increasingly important part of the country’s economy, reducing unemployment and strengthening US dollar reserves. However, many Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) —particularly those employed as domestic workers or in occupations …

Strengthening Criminal Justice Systems for Trafficking Victims in Maharashtra

India is a global hotspot for trafficking of women and minors for commercial sexual exploitation (CSE), and Maharashtra, as its financial and commercial capital, is one of the largest destinations for CSE in the country¹. While obtaining reliable estimates of the number of minor sex trafficking victims has historically been challenging owing to the hidden …