Case Study: Fighting Trafficking Across Borders
 |
| The South Asia Regional Initiative/ Equity Support Project (SARI/Equity) built partnerships with nearly 600 organizations in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. |
ChallengeTrafficking is a pervasive problem throughout South Asia. Although each country faces its own challenges,
the phenomenon crosses borders and affects communities across the subcontinent.
- Bangladeshi men and women migrate to Malaysia,
the Persian Gulf, and Jordan to work in the construction or garment industries or as domestic servants. Recruitment offers are
sometimes misleading or fraudulent, and victims may find themselves in situations of involuntary servitude or abuse.
- Women and
girls are trafficked in India for commercial sexual exploitation and forced marriage, and men, women, and children are held in
debt bondage.
- As a result of decades of conflict in Nepal and Sri Lanka, both are now source countries for men, women, and
children trafficked for involuntary servitude, forced labor, and commercial sexual exploitation in India, the Middle East,
and Southeast Asia.
Despite a desire across the subcontinent to address this problem, a lack of institutional capacity and
cross-border networks has hampered the ability of governments and civil society to respond effectively to the problem.
Initiative
Between 2000 and 2006, USAID supported the South Asia Regional Initiative/Equity Support Project (SARI/Equity) in its
efforts to build and strengthen local capacity to address trafficking and violence against women in South Asian countries.
SARI/Equity launched regional action forums, awarded small grants and fellowships for action-oriented research, provided
technical support, and set up a Web site to serve as a platform for sharing best practices. The initiative built partnerships
with almost 600 organizations in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
Results
SARI/Equity strengthened networking and cooperation within and across borders by identifying effective approaches, encouraging
their replication, and enhancing the knowledge and skills to fight trafficking.
The regional action forums brought together
prominent experts from the region to collaborate on anti-trafficking initiatives. They produced several guides, including a
Victim Witness Protection Protocol, a Handbook for Practitioners on Minimum Standards of Care and Support, and a Resource Book
on Livelihood Options for survivors of trafficking. All were translated into local languages and widely disseminated. These
guides are now used globally as a model by the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT).
SARI/Equity's subgrants program encouraged innovation and sharing. For example, one subgrant enlisted rickshaw drivers to
distribute anti-trafficking stickers and watch for unusual movements and events.
Finally, SARI/Equity created a cross-regional NGO exchange program to build capacity and establish stronger networks.
 Case Study: Fighting Trafficking Across Borders (92K)
More USAID Anti-Trafficking Success Stories
Back to Top ^
|
Child Marriage
