Commercial Sexual Exploitation

Practitioner note: Supporting victims and survivors of sex trafficking

Traditional Indian Women in sari Costume

In August 2020, GFEMS commissioned the Rights Lab at the University of Nottingham to conduct policy and practices to address commercial sexual exploitation in India and Bangladesh. This summary examines and documents current CSE policy in India and Bangladesh across three specific areas: Repatriation of victims Survivor rehabilitation Livelihood support. This summary also aims to

Characteristics and Prevalence of Child Sex Trafficking in the Kampala Region

People on the road street - in Africa

Through March and April 2021, ICF and the Department of Social Work and Social Administration, Makerere University, undertook a respondent-driven sampling (RDS) study, involving in-person interviews, in Kampala to measure the characteristics of commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) and to estimate the prevalence of children among all people engaged in CSE. This study, along with our

The Impact of COVID-19 on trafficking in Kenya and Uganda

Uganda

Responding to COVID-19 in Uganda and Kenya: In the spring of 2021, GFEMS commissioned a series of interrelated studies to assess the short, medium, and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations in key sectors in Kenya and Uganda and identify ways in which GFEMS-funded programming can be adapted to better support them. The studies revealed

Estimating the Prevalence of Child Sex Trafficking in Uganda

Group of young African kids walking with buckets and jerrycans on their head as they prepare to bring clean water back to their village.

Karamoja is a rural region in northeast Uganda. The majority of internal trafficking child victims in Uganda are ethnically Karamojong. Karamoja’s extremely high rate of multidimensional child poverty (84%) and a traditional acceptance of migration for livelihood increase children’s vulnerability to commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). Although child sex trafficking is believed to be

From Repatriation to Reintegration: Centering Survivors to Effect Systemic Change

Every year, approximately 50,000 girls and women are trafficked to India across Bangladesh’s western border. In India, they are forced to labor, sold into prostitution, or trafficked out to be exploited and abused in another country. Around 500,000 Bangladeshi women and children from 12-30 years old have been illegally trafficked to India in the last decade. Despite

Making trauma-informed care the norm for survivors

People walk in village in India

Trauma-informed care is crucial to the empowerment of survivors. It ensures survivors are not re-traumatized during legal proceedings or while receiving recovery services; provides self-ownership over their own recovery; and helps them to lead safe and empowered futures. Yet, it is frequently not implemented by governments, law enforcement, judiciary, or care providers, who are frequently

Making Modern Slavery Prevalence Studies Count (Accurately)

field research

GFEMS recently funded a prevalence study in Karamoja, Uganda to determine the proportion of children in households (age 12-17) who have been sexually exploited for commercial gain. Although analysis is on-going, the data indicate that the prevalence of commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) in Karamoja is gender agnostic. In other words, there is no

GFEMS and IJM partner to strengthen justice delivery in Kenya

Magnifying Glass

As a part of our partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, GFEMS is excited to share the launch of our new project with International Justice Mission (IJM). The project aims to build community and survivor confidence in the criminal justice system and increase capacity of local