Anti-trafficking programs in South Asia: Appropriate activities, indicators and evaluation methodologies

Throughout South Asia, men, women, boys, and girls are trafficked within their own countries and across international borders against their wills in what is essentially a clandestine slave trade. The Congressional Research Service and the U.S. State Department estimate that between 1 to 2 million people are trafficked each year worldwide with the majority originating in Asia. Root causes include extreme disparities of wealth, increased awareness of job opportunities far from home, pervasive inequality due to caste, class, and gender bias, lack of transparency in regulations governing labor migration, poor enforcement of internationally agreed-upon human rights standards, and the enormous profitability for traffickers. The Population Council, UNIFEM, and PATH led a participatory approach to explore activities that address the problem of human trafficking in South Asia. A meeting was held in Kathmandu, Nepal, September 11– 13, 2001 to discuss these issues. Approximately 50 representatives from South Asian institutions, United Nations agencies, and international and local NGOs attended. This report summarizes the principal points from each paper presented and captures important discussion points that emerged from each panel presentation.