Paper details
| Paper authors | Olivia Karp |
| In panel on | Alternative humanitarian approaches to the intersection between climate change and displacement |
| Paper presenter(s) will be presenting |
|
Abstract
Climate change is already causing many people to migrate, according to the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) it is estimated that as many as one billion people will be migrating because of the environment in the next 30 years. The causes of people migrating has to do with extreme weather and climate related disasters over the years. Which makes people even more vulnerable and are at a heightened risk of being trafficked and exploited. According to organizations like Anti-Slavery International, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, The Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Human Trafficking explain that more than 1.4 million people will be at risk of being trafficked or exploited where climate change is imminent. In areas like in Bangladesh after Cyclone Sidr in 2007 demonstrated an increase of trafficking in disaster affected areas. The same goes for Nepal during the Gorkha earthquake in 2015 when more than 300 people were trafficked. Another example is when Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines in 2013 where more than 500 people were displaced and brought into trafficking or exploitation. These examples show how climate change events can leave people to be trafficked and exploited as a means in escaping climate disasters. Which is why the role of humanitarian organizations and civil society actors play an important role in addressing and preventing the matter. Organizations like Anti-Slavery International are already doing work on this through awareness campaigns, educational workshops and data collection. Same goes for the International Organizations for Migration (IOM) did a paper back in 2016 looking at the intersectionality between climate change and human trafficking. Also the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime back in 2022 published a report exploring the two topics through stakeholder consultations with civil society actors. Even though some organizations have done work on the topic, more needs to be done. Therefore, it is vital for humanitarian organizations and civil society groups to keep engaging in the climate human trafficking nexus space.
Back