Welcome to the Freedom Fund’s monthly bulletin designed to bring you new and compelling research from the global anti-slavery movement.
Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Population Council and the Freedom Fund conduct a large-scale prevalence study on CSEC in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Based on surveys of 1,245 young female sex workers in street and brothel settings, the study estimates that roughly 1-in-5 female sex workers were minors aged 17 or younger. Among the survivors, 80% report that financial desperation was the primary reason for their initial involvement in CSEC, and 33% were introduced to it by a pimp, boss or madam. In addition to sexual exploitation, 48% of survivors also suffered other forms of physical, sexual, financial and emotional violence.
Gaps in addressing technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV)
Rutgers’ Generation G programme examines the nature and efforts to address TFGBV in Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda. Through a literature review and 50 stakeholder interviews, the study finds that the most common forms of TFGBV are non-consensual intimate image abuse, online harassment and the publishing of personal information, known as doxing. High-risk groups include activists, women in the public eye, LGBTQI+, children and young people. The study highlights that TFGBV is not widely recognised as a legitimate form of gender-based violence, with complex reporting mechanisms and gaps in legislation hindering the much-needed efforts to address it.
Trafficking risks faced by Ethiopian women before departing their home country
Research by New York University and the Freedom Fund explores the experiences of Ethiopian women before they depart for domestic work in the Middle East. Interviews and focus group discussions with 173 female migrants reveal that most of the women found their jobs through employment agents and brokers, who play an influential role in these women’s decision-making. The findings indicate a lack of reliable information about the migration process, limited room for prospective migrants to ask about or negotiate their employment conditions, and a gap between the rights that are mentioned in pre-departure training versus women’s ability to enforce these rights in the destination countries.
The impact of cash transfers on addressing child work in Bangladesh
A consortium led by the Institute of Development Study evaluates an unconditional cash transfer program in Dhaka aimed at supporting low-income families and reducing child labour. The study surveyed 4,197 households before and 1,523 households after the intervention. The evidence suggests that the cash transfer improved household income, food security and use of financial services, but did not have a statistically significant impact on children’s school enrolment or child work. These results highlight the potential of cash transfers to reduce child work, but emphasise the need for more complementary interventions such as direct advocacy to improve working conditions for children.
How workers are trafficked into scam compounds in Cambodia
Winrock International investigates human trafficking into scam compounds in Cambodia. Drawing on accounts from survivors, scam victims, civil society organisations, law enforcement officials and other experts, the study reveals how job seekers are recruited, transported across borders and forced into online criminal activities. Trafficked workers have their communications constantly monitored and are forced to meet targets in how much they scam from victims, facing consequences such as physical punishment or being sold onto other criminal gangs if they fail. Survivors often need to pay ransoms to traffickers and penalties to immigration officers to escape and return home.
Read on
The Modern Slavery & Human Rights Policy & Evidence Centre reports on the potential of Natural Language Processing (NLP) for efficiently analysing large datasets to better understand survivor needs, but emphasises the need for human oversight and interpretation.
Ignited Word and the Freedom Fund use Social Network Analysis to empirically map the movement of anti-slavery leaders in Brazil, revealing challenges in resource sharing and the inclusion of survivors.
University of Girona discusses the involvement of children as experts and informants in gender-based violence research, exploring ethical issues such as power dynamics, protection and privacy, recognition of capacities and remuneration.
Freedom Fund news
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Research library
Visit our Slavery Research Library to access anti-slavery resources from across the globe.
Contact
The Slavery Research Bulletin is produced monthly by the Freedom Fund, a global fund with the sole aim of helping end modern slavery.
Research being featured in this bulletin does not equal endorsement by the Freedom Fund.
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Photo credit: JDot / The Freedom Fund
