Scalable model proves to be effective solution to human trafficking in India
Labour TraffickingSoniya and her husband moved their young family to a rice mill in 2015 with hopes of making a stable living. Instead, they became trapped in brutal working conditions, ensnared by threats of abuse, unfair wages and fabricated debt. Eventually, the strain resulted in the miscarriage of their child. Freed by local authorities with International Justice Mission's (IJM) support in 2019, they received assistance to overcome their trauma. They now live with their three children in freedom and dignity with Soniya learning to advocate for those still trapped in bonded labour.
According to the 2022 “Global Estimates of Modern Slavery” report, an estimated 50 million people live in modern slavery. Every story represents one life and a network of relationships. Each one is someone’s child, often a mother or father, aunt or uncle or dearly loved friend.
In the face of this immense humanitarian challenge, there is hope, thanks to the dedicated work of governments and anti-trafficking advocates such as IJM. Soniya’s story demonstrates the incredible difference these efforts make in just one life and exemplifies the effectiveness of IJM’s collaborative, evidence-based model in bringing freedom and dignity to millions.
What is bonded labour?
Since 2001, IJM has worked with the government in Soniya’s region of Tamil Nadu in India to combat bonded labour. An estimated 15.5 million people in South Asia are exploited by traffickers through this common form of labour trafficking.
Traffickers target victims in underserved communities without access to education and economic resources who can be manipulated into accepting loans to meet urgent needs. Perpetrators then manipulate debts by artificially inflating them, forcing victims into working to pay off the debt indefinitely. This endless cycle of violence can trap children, women and men in modern slavery for generations.
But Tamil Nadu serves of an example of how the tide is changing thanks to a partnership among IJM, the government, community partners, and bonded labour survivor networks. Hundreds of thousands of children, women and men have been protected from human trafficking and are now free to pursue life on their own terms.
Independent review of IJM's program shows 82% relative reduction of bonded labour in Tamil Nadu, India.
This progress is documented in a third-party, end-of-program evaluation of IJM’s work in Tamil Nadu. Released in March 2022 with assistance from external firms ASK Training & Learning and Praxis, the study engaged 10,519 respondents.
According to this rigorous assessment, IJM’s partnership with the government in Tamil Nadu has helped reduce the prevalence of manual labourers in the state held in bonded labour from 29.9% to 5.4% (a relative drop of 82%). IJM estimates that this represents nearly 400,000 children, women and men moved from bondage to freedom.
This progress has been enabled by IJM’s efforts to build the capacity of law enforcement officers to recognize human trafficking, bring relief to victims and prosecute criminals. It is hard to believe slavery was once a common practice in Tamil Nadu. Once hesitant to act, police in the state now regularly report incidents of bonded labour within 24 hours.
Moreover, consistent law enforcement has created a clear message of deterrence to business owners. Today, more companies operate with standard licenses, proper salary documentation and increased awareness of bonded labour and the punitive measures against the crime.
As of the time of publication, none of the sites where labourers were liberated in 2018 or 2019 had returned to using bonded labour.
Momentum continues to grow in Tamil Nadu with survivors learning to advocate for people trapped in bondage. IJM partner Released Bonded Laborers’ Association includes more than 3,500 survivors of human trafficking working for justice. The network has helped facilitate the release of over 250 labourers, secured government entitlements and education for survivors and fostered partnerships for community development.
IJM’s solution to human trafficking is an evidence-based model of success
But here’s what makes this story even more notable: This region in India is one of nine locations where IJM’s programs have been shown to have drastically reduced violence. We have now seen millions of people protected from violence in countries across Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Latin America.
Consider another example: the Dominican Republic. When IJM first set up an office in 2013, we found that one out of every 10 people being exploited was a child, openly sold for sex on the streets. For a decade we worked with local authorities throughout the country to stop this unspeakable violence, and last year outside auditors found that our work led directly to a 78% decrease in the prevalence of child sex trafficking across the country. This means millions of children in the Dominican Republic will never be abused, thanks to effective collaboration between IJM and local law enforcement.
Working to end human trafficking in our lifetime
Human trafficking is a big problem, but IJM has a big solution. By collaborating with governments, law enforcement agencies, anti-trafficking groups and like-minded citizens and donors all over the world, we can make justice unstoppable.