Fighting Human Trafficking Through Transit Monitoring: A Data-Driven Model Developed in Nepal

Author: Hudlow, Jonathan

Abstract: Transit monitoring is an innovative approach to fighting human trafficking that involves identifying and intercepting potential victims of human trafficking before they are exploited. In doing so, it relies upon established indicators of trafficking, local staff with special training, and data from a customized human-trafficking fusion center. As an anti-trafficking strategy, it provides tangible impact on the dollar, and, by focusing on trafficking as it is occurring, it creates otherwise rare opportunities for engagement. Among these is the opportunity for gathering actionable intelligence on traffickers, which can then be used in proactive investigations. Intervening prior to the exploitation phase of trafficking also presents a number of exceptional challenges from navigating situations with inconclusive evidence to ensuring that interceptions do not infringe upon the human rights of migrants. Transit monitoring has developed as an anti-trafficking strategy through the work of nongovernmental organizations in Nepal, where a unique combination of factors created an urgent need for such an approach. Initial efforts have been made to replicate the model in India and Bangladesh, and there is reason to believe that transit monitoring could be an effective strategy for fighting human trafficking in many other countries as well.

Keywords: analysis, intelligence, interceptions, intervention strategies, transit monitoring