Welcome to the Slavery Research Bulletin, the Freedom Fund’s monthly brief designed to bring you new & compelling research from the global anti-slavery movement.

U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report

According to the 2016 TIP Report, released on June 30, global prosecutions rose in 2015 by 88%, convictions rose by 49%, and victims identified by law enforcement increased by 75% over the previous reporting period. Two key movements are Thailand’s upgrade to the Tier 2 Watch List and Myanmar’s downgrade to Tier 3.

The human cost of conflict palm oil

A report by International Labor Rights Forum, Rainforest Action Network and OPPUK assessed working conditions of labourers on two palm oil plantations owned by PepsiCo’s joint venture partner, Indofood. The investigation found worker rights on Indofood plantations are not being upheld in accordance with international labour conventions, the UN ‘Protect, Respect and Remedy’ Framework for Business and Human Rights, or PepsiCo’s palm oil procurement policy.

Migration and LGBTI communities

A recent study by the Sexuality, Poverty and Law program at the Institute of Development Studies highlights the dilemma faced by LGBTI migrant workers. On the one hand, migration can provide an escape from marginalisation and an ability to contribute economically towards family households. On the other, many LGBTI workers end up migrating to even riskier environments – made worse by weak recognition of their legal status and poor protection of workers’ rights.

Involving medical staff in detecting human trafficking

Researchers from Turkey investigated the physician-patient relationship as a means of identifying victims of human trafficking. The study found that physicians have a high level of awareness and compassion for foreign sex workers, but rarely share information with law enforcement.

Linking project performance and M&E

The World Bank’s Independent Evaluation Group pooled data from across 1,300 past projects to examine the value of robust M&E in development projects. Using propensity score matching, the study found a positive and significant relationship between M&E quality and project performance – projects with strong M&E were 85% more likely to deliver better outcomes, compared to similar projects.

Read on…

• A new series of country reports by DemandAT and policy briefs on trafficking in the context of domestic work are now available on the DemandAT website.
• This paper in the International Journal of Science and Research analyses child labour in Nigeria and the potential of information & communications technology in tackling the problem.

And finally

The Palgrave Handbook of International Development [gated] includes an assessment of the implications of slavery on international development.

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