Assessment results: NGO initiatives and practices in engaging the business sector in addressing human trafficking
- Document number
- 3018
- Date
- 2014
- Title
- Assessment results: NGO initiatives and practices in engaging the business sector in addressing human trafficking
- Author/publisher
- La Strada International
- Availability
- View/save PDF version of this document
- Document type(s)
- LSI publication, Research/Study/Analysis,
- Keywords
- human trafficking, exploitation, human rights, businesses, fair trade, labour trafficking
- Summary
- The crucial role of the private sector in fighting human trafficking is acknowledged by a wide range of international institutions, academics, and non-governmental organisations. “Public-private partnerships” is one of the favourite catchphrases in the anti-trafficking field, as it is justly recognised that a wide range of businesses can either knowingly or recklessly become complicit in human trafficking practices and has a role to play “through changing how they do businesses in order to prevent … exploitation or using their resources and skills to help communities directly affected by trafficking”.
As agents of change in the global public sphere, civil society organisations are thus encouraged to embrace multi-stakeholder partnerships, engaging and collaborating with the for-profit sector to broker positive social change.
However, so far no assessment has been conducted as to the implications of this expert consensus in the European context, the practical understanding of partnering with the private sector, or the extent of organisational willingness and the status quo of hands-on experience with private sector engagement possessed by anti-trafficking NGOs as drivers of positive change.
In this report, we present the results of a survey carried out among 27 European anti-trafficking NGOs, assessing the overall level of engagement as well as perceived obstacles, enablers and lessons learnt in partnering with businesses. Some of the insights presented in the report have been gained during follow-up interviews with respondents and participants in thematic events organised by La Strada International for European anti-trafficking NGOs in 2013.