A one-day conference at UN Women’s Headquarters in New York on 9 March discussed and agreed on collaborative modalities to tackle human trafficking and modern slavery. Co-hosted by the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund) and the UK-based Shiva Foundation, the event brought together the hospitality industry, the private sector, civil society, Government representatives and the UN to design joint efforts to end this human rights violation.
The conference, which was held in the lead up to the 62nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women, presented and distributed resources that show how hotels and private sector industries can help curb human trafficking. Participants in the event explored the many ramifications of trafficking including the continuum of violence against women across different forms of violence and during different stages of life, as well as the gender dimensions of this pervasive form of organized crime where 71% of victims are women.
Topics discussed at the conference included:
- how to implement survivor-centred approaches from service delivery to decision-making about adequate solutions;
- leveraging the purchasing power of private companies to end and prevent human trafficking;
- effective use of technology towards the goal of ending and preventing human trafficking; and
- moving from a corporate social responsibility approach towards a more holistic model for companies to effectively contribute to ending human trafficking.
Marija Andjelkovic, Executive Director of ASTRA had an opportunity to present organization and cooperation with UN Trust Fund and she said: “Anti-trafficking is not only [about] implementing projects, awareness raising campaigns or helping persons who survived trafficking. It is also – even more importantly – building a world where human trafficking is not possible.”
