Acciones tomadas:
The British Red Cross is pleased to report on actions taken to implement the commitments of this pledge. We have organised our report based on the action plan and indicators in the pledge.
Work together to address the humanitarian needs of trafficked persons, through bilateral peer support and/or through sharing of good practices in the European Red Cross Action for Trafficked persons Network (ATN), the Asia-Pacific Migration Network (APMN) or other networks; and by utilising the Red Cross Trafficking Response Hub and the ICRC Protection Community of Practice;
The British Red Cross has continued to co-chair the Action for Trafficked Persons Network (ATN). Through the ATN we coordinated in-person meetings in 2019 in Brussels, 2022 in the Netherlands and will be holding the next meeting in 2024 in Portugal. There would have been in-person meetings in 2020 and 2021 had travel been possible.
Outside of the in-person meetings, we coordinated webinars to bring the European National Societies together – to discuss issues such as trafficking risks and Covid, trafficking-issues in connection to the review of the EU Directive on Trafficking in Persons. We also developed e-bulletins to update and inform European NS about trafficking-related news.
The British Red Cross has a growing team of Anti-Trafficking Advisors (ATA) who provide trafficking-technical advice and support to our Movement colleagues. Our focus of work is to improve the Movement’s response to trafficking by working with Movement-counterparts to understand the local contexts and develop training, guidance and other responses to increase capability to respond to trafficking.
We have an ATA based in Kuala Lumpur, linked into the work of the APMN and work across the wider Asia Pacific region. We also have ATAs focused on other regions such as the Ukraine and Impacted countries response, and the Middle East and North Africa, and West, Central and East Africa responses.
The Head of Anti-trafficking and the ATAs are all participating in the Protection Community of Practice and utilise the resource. They are also part of the new IFRC Protection, Gender and Inclusion (PGI) network and attend the calls regularly.
The British Red Cross continues to host the Trafficking Response Hub and has plans in 2024 to continue to grow this site to provide more information about the Movement’s approach to responding to human trafficking.
The British Red Cross has been involved, both through the ATN and outside of the ATN, in the development of the Migration Strategy and Protection Resolutions (both being submitted for endorsement at the 2024 Statutory Meetings). The British Red Cross included trafficking-considerations in its feedback to both documents.
Map out the needs, gaps and possible referral pathways in the humanitarian response to human trafficking in their national context;
The British Red Cross carried out mapping of our context (UK wide and local areas we work in) at the inception of our programme across 2014-2018. We regularly review these assessments and adapt our programmes to meet new and emerging needs, and to ensure our programmes are addressing relevant needs.
Develop strategies in accordance with the International Red Cross Red Crescent mandate, the role of National Societies as auxiliaries to their public authorities, the Fundamental Principles, and the IFRC Minimum Standards on Protection, Gender and Inclusion;
The British Red Cross has included trafficking within our existing 2030 strategy, and we continue to review our role in the trafficking-sector, in relation to public authorities and the Fundamental Principles. We review this regularly, for example in connection to considering whether we apply for government contracts to provide support to survivors of trafficking, and the way we engage with police-led operations to disrupt trafficking.
As above, we have engaged extensively with the PGI work of the Movement, by engaging with IFRC staff, contributing to documents and to the Protection resolution, and participating in the Community of Practice.
Strengthen capacities of relevant staff and volunteers to recognise signs of human trafficking and safely refer or assist potential trafficked persons, by using existing tools such as the IFRC Trainer Toolkit ‘Human Trafficking in the context of migration’, the IFRC Action to Protect and Assist Trafficked Persons Guidance document and the IFRC Labour Migration and Trafficking Guidance for Asia Pacific National Societies, where appropriate;
The British Red Cross continues to roll out our training packages. The British Red Cross co-authored the documents listed in the pledge and funded the development of the Trainer Toolkit.
Our internal BRC training aims to ensure more of our people are aware of trafficking, are equipped to spot the signs, and know the internal referral pathway by which they can raise or report a concern.
Trafficking awareness is embedded within wider mandatory training for British Red Cross staff and volunteers, particularly the safeguarding training.
We have two specific trafficking training modules:
Module 1 provides an introduction on how to identify and respond to trafficking and is aimed at all staff and volunteers.
Module 2 is specifically aimed at refugee support caseworkers. This blended learning package provides additional information and advice about how to address the needs of trafficked people and help them to navigate very complex systems. Our independence and neutrality, which are two of our Fundamental Principles, help us provide non-directive information, enabling people to make their own informed choices.
In addition to this, in 2020 the e-module Understanding and Responding to Trafficking in Persons, was developed. It provides an introduction to trafficking for Red Cross and Red Crescent staff and volunteers. The development of the e-module was led and funded by the British Red Cross, in partnership with the Australian Red Cross and the IFRC. It included a global working group of staff and consultation with survivors. The e-module aims to increase the ability of Red Cross and Red Crescent staff and volunteers to recognise and respond to trafficking. It continues to be actively monitored and promoted on a global scale in English, French, Spanish and Arabic. User-engagement metrics are regularly reviewed to measure the impact and reach of the e-module and respond to regional requests to develop it.
During 2023 we delivered training and learning sessions to a number of National Societies, including the Hungarian, Polish and Romanian National Societies. Collaborative knowledge-sharing mechanisms have been established to foster a unified and effective approach to combatting trafficking across the Movement. Working closely with Protection, Gender and Inclusion (PGI) teams at the IFRC we incorporated trafficking learning into PGI training and delivered sessions in the Asia-Pacific Region (attended by 11 National Societies), Europe (attended by eight country cluster delegations responding to the crisis in Ukraine) and the Canadian Red Cross. The British Red Cross also led an introductory webinar on trafficking for the Europe & Central Asia region.
Where relevant, and in accordance with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent mandate and the Fundamental Principles, develop advocacy strategies to discuss with authorities and civil society organisations:
that victims/survivors must be provided with appropriate support and protection, which should be unconditional and irrespective of their cooperation in criminal procedures and legal status;
that migrants who have experienced, or are at risk of, human trafficking can seek help from the authorities without fear of being criminally pursued, detained or deported.
The British Red Cross has actively engaged in evidence-based advocacy work consistently throughout the period of this pledge. More information on this can be found here:
– https://www.redcross.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/we-speak-up-for-change/human-trafficking-and-slavery
– https://www.redcross.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/modern-slavery-and-trafficking
– https://www.redcross.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/research-publications#Human%20trafficking%20and%20modern%20slavery
Indicators:
Number and type of practical measures strengthening the response to address the humanitarian needs resulting from human trafficking.
Our UK and International programmes (outlined above) have introduced a range of measures to support survivors of trafficking (as detailed above)
Actions taken to cooperate through bi-lateral peer support and/or sharing good practice through networks and online platforms.
As above:
a. Maintaining the Trafficking response hub
b. Co-chairing the ATN
c. Organising European meetings, and training events
d. Participation in the PGI network.