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AFTERSHOCK Abuse, Exploitation & Human Trafficking in the Wake of COVID-19

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AFTERSHOCK Abuse, Exploitation & Human Trafficking in the Wake of COVID-19 GLOBAL PROTECTION UPDATE NOVEMBER 2020 AFTERSHOCK Abuse, exploitation & human trafficking in the wake of COVID-19 This Global Protection Update covers 28 out of 35 countries where Protection Clusters are active This week, 20 years ago, the global community adopted the world’s first international law on trafficking in persons. Its adoption followed damning cases of peacekeeper and humanitarian involvement in trafficking rings during the Balkans wars of the 1990s. Today, the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons is almost universally ratified, symbolic of our collective will to eradicate the sale and exploitation of human beings. Despite 20 years of progress, the devastating social and economic shocks induced by COVID-19 mark our greatest challenge to combating trafficking. As we observe the 20th anniversary of the Protocol, the Global Protection Cluster is taking stock of the humanitarian Protection communities’ anti-trafficking response and how we can improve. Trafficking in persons remains the single largest rights violation exacerbated in times of crisis in which the humanitarian community does not have a predictable, at-scale way to respond. This must change. Context Update Mid-year predictions that deteriorating protection conditions caused by COVID-19, conflict and climate change would lead to an unprecedented uptick in hunger, displacement, and the adoption of adverse coping strategies are proving worryingly accurate as we near the end of 2020. Between September and November 2020, multiple Protection Clusters delivered lifesaving services amidst renewals of armed violence and a fresh wave of disasters, including heavy rains, flooding and cyclones that have driven immediate protection needs in Burkina Faso, Chad, DRC, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen. The escalation of tensions between federal Government troops and Tigray forces in Ethiopia has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people since 4 November, and the displacement of over 27,000 people into Sudan since 10 November. Phonelines and internet are blocked, and banks shut, complicating coordination and delivery of humanitarian supplies. Tigray, already home to 100,000 internally displaced people and 600,000 people dependent on food aid prior to the conflict, risks descent into crisis. The Global Protection Cluster is also alarmed by reports of massacres by non-State armed groups in several villages in northern Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, on 7-8 November, which resulted in beheadings and abductions of women and children. This follows months of escalating conflict compounded by chronic underdevelopment, consecutive climatic shocks and recurrent disease outbreak across the region in 2020, contributing to rising-by-the-day numbers of IDPs. Over 33,000 people were displaced in the last week. GLOBAL PROTECTION UPDATE, NOVEMBER 2020 The Global Protection Cluster is monitoring and responding to escalating protection needs in Iraq, Cote d’Ivoire and Nagorno-Karabakh. In Iraq, ongoing and sudden closures of IDP camps and informal sites are displacing families and exacerbating protection risks; while almost 14,000 Ivorians have fled Cote d’Ivoire amid tensions over election results. An estimated 300,000 civilians have fled their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh, many into Armenia. A Protection Working Group has been established in Azerbaijan. Conflict and disasters, and the protection issues they generate, create conditions for trafficking in persons to thrive. Across operations, we see that crises (1) act as amplifiers of pre-existing trafficking practices (e.g. forced marriages to members of armed groups usually occur in contexts where child marriage is already embedded in local culture), (2) create new demands (e.g. trafficking for forced recruitment), and (3) increase supply of potential victims. Trafficking is being used as a tactic to spread terror among local populations and to suppress ethnic minorities. It is also perpetrated opportunistically by host communities, displaced families, armed groups and authorities. 66% of Protection Clusters are reporting trafficking in persons as a current risk, and associated phenomena are also increasing – forced recruitment and forced labour (72% of operations), sale and exchange of sex as a coping mechanism (78%), and child and forced marriage (78%). Left unaddressed, trafficking corrodes relations between host communities, the displaced, and humanitarian responders; inflates the informal economy; exacerbates, as well as fuels, corruption and organised crime; and undermines national and regional socio-political and economic stability. As global data indicates almost 60% of victims of trafficking are exploited within their own country, protection actors must be increasingly alert to trafficking risks locally, rather than assuming exploitation will occur transnationally. As we enter the new year, the aftershocks of 2020 will begin to take effect. The dual role of protection – in responding to immediate needs while putting in place systems to counter deeply rooted, negative beliefs that allow abuse and exploitation to thrive – has never been so critical. Investing in these systems is our litmus test if we are to preserve the hard-fought for gains in combating trafficking and related abuses. Emerging Protection Trends AT A GLANCE SEVERITY OF PROTECTION RISKS AS REPORTED BY PROTECTION CLUSTERS Active conflict or violence 25 operations report Explosive ordinance 100% of operations is occurring in 75% of new forced movement contamination is a risk describe psychological operations. 20 operations and displacement, across 16 operations. In distress and growing report the situation as severe including forced returns. Afghanistan, Libya & mental health needs of or extreme. 16 operations classify the Yemen the risks for affected populations. 74% situation as severe or civilians are extreme. rate the risk of distress as extreme. severe; 15% as extreme. 27 operations report an 25 out of 28 operations 50% of operations report 75% of Protection Clusters increase in Gender-Based report an increase in severe or extreme risks report child marriage as a Violence; 89% describe the violence against related to housing, moderate to extreme risk. GBV risk as severe or children. evictions, land and 16 operations rate the risk extreme. property as significant or major. 2 GLOBAL PROTECTION UPDATE, NOVEMBER 2020 Key Country News The security situation in Cameroon In Iraq, ongoing and sudden closures of IDP In northeast Nigeria, the Government remains volatile, with armed group camps and informal sites are displacing intensified their efforts to return IDPs to attacks on civilians and schools, families and exacerbating protection risks. their areas of origin amid deteriorating kidnapping of students, and mass Families unable to afford rental costs of conditions in overcrowded camps. The arrests. 11 civilians were killed by state apartments are forced to erect their tents humanitarian community is concerned that security forces; hundreds of GBV brought from the camps, others with limited returns are premature and that areas incidents were reported in North-West means to pay rent risk eviction. Some IDPs identified for return are unsafe. and South-West; 33% of victims were with perceived affiliation with armed groups children. Over 130,000 people were are being turned away from areas of origin. In Somalia, GBV is increasing as well as affected or displaced by floods. Increasing reports of forced labour among trafficking of children for recruitment by Al- out-of-camp IDPs may indicate households Shabaab (AS). In South West state, about Serious human rights violations against are being compelled to accept exploitative 20 attacks targeting the transport of the civilian population are reported in work as their only means of income. commercial goods to towns resulted in food Central African Republic. A quarter of and vehicles burned, and owners arrested the population is displaced. One GBV In Libya, as of 1 October, there are an and interrogated by AS. An economic incident is recorded every hour by the estimated 3,500 individuals held in state-run blockade has since been imposed which, humanitarian alert system which covers detention centres including over 1,200 of coupled with the COVID-19-19 restrictions, 42% of the country. concern to cluster members. 27% are resulted in a sharp increase of food prices. children between the ages of 12-17; 12% of Despite peace talks in Doha, heavy detainees are female. In Zimbabwe, national hotlines continue to fighting continues in southern record increased rates of GBV and child Afghanistan causing displacement and Flooding has affected 8 provinces in Niger protection violations (increase of 50% significant civilian casualties especially in causing loss of life, material damage, and compared to pre-lockdown trends). Risk of Helmand, Uruzgan and Kandahar the displacement of 400,000 people. More intimate partner violence, sexual abuse and provinces. than 400 schools are closed, and solutions exploitation, trafficking, and child marriage have not yet been found for access to remain high. A Government ban on mobile Heavy floods in Chad have affected education for these children. payments to counter hyperinflation is close to 400,000 people. Security pushing families and individuals into incidents & flooding in the Lake Chad In Syria, civilians continue to suffer death adverse survival strategies, including Basin required the establishment of 25 and injuries
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