I left the conference feeling hopeful after meeting incredible people from outstanding organisations who are working in collaboration to tackle the challenges of trafficking head-on.” – Shanta, Project Manager
Last month, Entrust Project Manager Shanta, was fortunate enough to attend the Asian Region Anti-Trafficking Conference (ARAT) alongside other freedom fighting organisations combatting the dark world of human trafficking. The Asia-Pacific region is a hotspot for human trafficking with 73% of people trafficked for forced commercial sexual exploitation. Preventing and combatting this crime takes a comprehensive and collective approach and that is the purpose of this annual conference. Almost 500 people, representing 15 countries and hundreds of organisations, attended the conference onsite and online.
The four themes covered were:
- Organisational Development & Capacity Building
- Collaboration & Networking
- Current Trends & Research
- Survivor Inclusion
Within that framework, there were many conversations around nationalisation of organisations and equitable access to funding for non-western organisations. The enormous issue of online scamming and scamming compounds was addressed in multiple sessions with organisations of a different focus asking how they could support the efforts of those working against this particular trafficking crime. Country-based working groups met together to discuss the needs and gaps in their contexts, and participants were challenged repeatedly by survivor speakers to think what true inclusion, rather than tokenism, looks like and how we can all work towards achieving that goal.
DB, the host for ARAT 2024, was thrilled with the success of this year’s conference. Dalaina, the Executive Director of DB, said this: “‘I didn’t want to go home’ is consistently the feedback that we get about the Asia Region Anti-Trafficking Conference. It’s a convening unlike any other as it manages to provide a warm, inviting familial environment where collaboration and peer support is prioritized as much as learning. Many attendees return year after year and report that it’s their annual highlight where they feel refreshed, encouraged, and supported as well as informed about the changes in the anti-trafficking movement and the Asian region in particular.”
DB is a coalition of 80 mostly small grassroots anti-trafficking organisations in Indonesia and is one of nine anti-trafficking organisations that Entrust supports. Over the past few years, this organisation noticed a frustrating lack of resources and training around trauma and trauma informed care as well as lack of effective treatment interventions for Post Traumatic Stress. Entrust is now funding the training of up to 40 individuals in the Indonesian anti-trafficking professional community in evidence-based trauma therapy practices which undoubtedly will have a significant impact on the outcomes for survivors.
Entrust supports many other organisations in the anti-trafficking space in Asia. Our partners all have different focus areas in the anti-trafficking movement:
- education and prevention
- rescue
- rehabilitation, counselling and trauma care
- vocational training to provide an alternative source of income
- navigation of the legal system to convict perpetrators
- repatriation of victims to their families
- helping to strengthen local public justice systems
Human trafficking, a $220 billion global industry, affects millions of victims worldwide, with the International Labor Organisation estimating in excess of 50 million people currently trafficked for various exploitative purposes. This pervasive issue touches every country and community, with traffickers relying on banks for laundering money, using transportation services to move victims, booking hotels for sex trafficking, and exploiting social media to recruit and advertise. Addressing this crisis requires a united effort, demanding active collaboration between governments, law enforcement, the private sector, NGOs, and local justice systems to eliminate the exploitation of vulnerable individuals.
“Participating in ARAT was an extraordinary learning experience, and I felt privileged to be involved. While I encountered some confronting and horrific stories, I left the conference feeling hopeful after meeting incredible people from outstanding organisations who are working in collaboration to tackle the challenges of trafficking head-on.” – Shanta (Project Manager).