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TOPICS OF SPECIAL INTEREST 2022 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT, U.S Dept. of State, pp 41-
43 https://gvnet.com/humantrafficking/HT-2022-TIP-Report.pdf The
Climate Crisis: Exacerbating Vulnerabilities and
the Looming Increase of Exploitation The climate crisis, and the many ways it will reshape the world,
necessitates that governments everywhere sharpen their focus not only on
taking action to limit the severity of this crisis but also on mitigating the
worst outcomes for vulnerable populations.
Political and civil instability and economic uncertainty exacerbate
pre-existing human trafficking vulnerabilities. Crisis situations often
expose deficiencies in the efforts of governments, international
organizations (IOs), and the global community to protect and support
vulnerable populations from human trafficking. Climate change-linked events
such as wildfires, droughts, flooding, extreme weather conditions, heat
waves, environmental degradation, and rapid ice loss have cost hundreds of
thousands of lives and billions of dollars in damages. While climate change
does not discriminate, displaced populations, vulnerable migrants, Indigenous
communities, women and children, and minority populations are more likely to
experience its impacts and, consequently, are likely to become even more
vulnerable to exploitation. Global and government commitments to combat human
trafficking and protect the world’s most vulnerable from further exploitation
must accelerate given such trends. Climate
Change - A Humanitarian Crisis Climate change is a threat multiplier. It exacerbates risks and creates
numerous insecurities that place more people at risk. The UNHCR 2021 Mid-Year
Trends Report estimated that by the first half of 2021, millions of people
around the globe were forcibly displaced due to generalized violence, human
rights violations, armed conflicts, and increasing threats caused by climate
change. As environmental conditions
worsen, the percentage of those vulnerable to exploitation will increase. The
UN Environment Programme indicates that human
trafficking has the potential to increase by 20-30 percent during
humanitarian disasters due to lost livelihoods and disrupted families. Displaced
Populations and Refugees Asylum-seekers, IDPs, and refugees are at very high risk of
trafficking due to their lack of legal, financial, and food security. Limited
access to legal protections such as identity documents and citizenship rights
exacerbate displaced populations’ vulnerabilities to traffickers. Climate
change has the potential to become one of the main drivers of population
displacement, internally and across international borders. Extreme weather
can cause sudden and long-term damage to homes and communities. Some studies
have estimated 150 million people could be displaced due to the climate
crisis by 2050. Moreover, people that are forced to leave their homes due to
extreme weather events generally do not benefit from legal protections under
international refugee law, leaving them particularly vulnerable. Without
effective strategies, a uniform understanding of the movement of populations
caused by climate change and its implications, and international mechanisms
to protect these populations, a rapidly warming planet presents geopolitical
risks and threatens the survival of marginalized societies. Women
and Children Climate variability and extreme weather impact human health and
safety, food and water security, and socio-economic conditions globally, but
with especially severe effects in Sub-Saharan Africa, Central America and the
Caribbean, and Asia, with particularly negative repercussions on women and
children. NGO studies show that drops in crop productivity or increases in
pest, flood, and drought damage have a significant impact on food security
and, consequently, the livelihoods of women. The International Labour Organization has reported that economic and food
insecurity are directly linked to an increase of both forced child labor and
child sex trafficking. Experts are concerned that rising temperatures will
exacerbate women’s and children’s vulnerability to human trafficking. As a result
of high youth populations and labor-heavy industries like agriculture,
domestic services, and manufacturing, children and youth in
climate-vulnerable countries are often forced to work in dangerous,
vulnerable, or isolated situations. With limited options for work, women and
children become more vulnerable to sexual exploitation and familial
trafficking. In addition, traffickers
frequently target girls and exploit the vulnerabilities created by
compounded, systemic inequalities, such as a lack of access to education,
which are driven by cultural norms that undervalue women and girls. In more
rural and low-income countries, social expectations often result in girls
being pulled out of school to complete domestic and agricultural chores. With
natural disasters, droughts, floods, extreme weather, increased exposure to
zoonotic (diseases that can be transmitted naturally from animals to humans)
and vector-borne diseases, and air pollution, those expectations only
increase for girls, further delaying girls’ return to education. The NGO
Malala Fund found that four million girls in low and lower-middle income
countries will be prevented from completing their education due to climate
change and, consequently, will be more vulnerable to exploitation. 2022 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT | 43 Marginalized
Populations, including Indigenous Populations Racial and ethnic minority groups, the LGBTQI+ community, and
Indigenous populations are extremely vulnerable to exploitation due to
social, legal, and cultural marginalization. Marginalized groups are more
likely to endure human rights abuses, racism, discrimination, and trauma and
have limited access to job opportunities and community resources, including
healthcare. These same groups are more likely to be affected by climate
change as it places them in more vulnerable situations. Indigenous
communities are often at additional risk due to their symbiotic relationships
with the environments in which they live. Extreme weather events that are
exacerbated by climate change, such as high temperatures, severe flooding,
drought, tornadoes, and high–winds—and their resulting destructive impacts on
land and modern infrastructure and, therefore, food and water sources—disrupt
local economies and force displacement. Those inhabiting coastal regions and
low–income urban communities are more likely to be affected by the damage of
severe weather and, consequently, be more vulnerable to exploitation, while
limited access to resources increases their vulnerability to traffickers’ coercive
tactics. Taking
Action: Governments, International Organizations, and Community Activists Significant legal and governmental action is required to protect
and support those impacted by the climate crisis. Lack of action will expose
an overwhelming number of people to the risk of trafficking. Climate change
and its many repercussions also hinder strides that governments and the
global community have undertaken to address and prevent human trafficking.
Leaders, activists, governments, NGOs, and IOs are increasing efforts to
protect those most vulnerable by mitigating and preparing for climate–related
disasters, developing programs for those displaced by climate change, and
advocating for rights of those marginalized and most vulnerable to climate
change and exploitation. All such efforts should be informed not only by
climate experts but also by survivor leaders and other individuals who have
experienced displacement or other vulnerabilities as a result of climate
change. |