COVID-19

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the novel coronavirus that was first identified in Wuhan, China in 2019. COVID-19 has spread globally and has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. The virus is primarily spread through respiratory droplets and can cause a range of symptoms, from mild to severe, including fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. COVID-19 has had a significant impact on global health and the economy and efforts are ongoing to control the spread of the virus and develop treatments and vaccines.

 

The wicked problem of drug trafficking in the Western Hemisphere
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The wicked problem of drug trafficking in the Western Hemisphere

ByEyes on Trafficking News

How to address the ongoing threat of illegal drug use in the United States remains a persistent challenge. The activities of increasingly sophisticated transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) exacerbate that challenge for the whole of the Western Hemisphere. The incoming Biden administration should be especially wary of the likely inevitable growth of fentanyl shipment through maritime…

FROM THE FIELD: Trafficked teenager advocates for women’s rights in Central America
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FROM THE FIELD: Trafficked teenager advocates for women’s rights in Central America

ByEyes on Trafficking News

Maxwell Matewere, a Malawian crime prevention expert with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), has been active in the anti-human trafficking field for more than two decades. Today, he trains officials throughout Malawi to prevent and combat this crime: this year alone, despite COVID-19 restrictions, his work has led to the rescue of around three hundred human trafficking victims and 31 arrests.  

The impact of COVID-19 on human rights
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The impact of COVID-19 on human rights

ByEyes on Trafficking News

I want to focus on how COVID-19 has changed the structural environment in Latin America and what this means for human rights. Also, what it means for crime and anti-crime policies and consequently on human rights issues. Let me first start with those structural changes. Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has had an effect so far…

Fact check: Mask-wearing not connected to child trafficking
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Fact check: Mask-wearing not connected to child trafficking

ByEyes on Trafficking News

The claim: Mask wearing makes children more at risk for child sex trafficking Misinformation about the causes of sex trafficking and how to protect minors can be especially damaging in the fight against it, yet a web of conspiracy theories about the crime has grown over the past few years. The latest false claim is that…

That was when I was informed that my friend recruited me as a prostitute to pay off a long term debt…
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That was when I was informed that my friend recruited me as a prostitute to pay off a long term debt…

ByEyes on Trafficking News

My name is Vanessa and I am a single mother of one child living in Thika, Kiambu. After being in an abusive relationship, I chose to walk out and start a new life with my son. It wasn’t an easy journey. Soon, I was depending on well-wishers and my family for basic need support. A…

My life was horrible, but this did not deter me from pushing through, as I had to support my children.
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My life was horrible, but this did not deter me from pushing through, as I had to support my children.

ByEyes on Trafficking News

I am a 48-year old Kenyan woman from Kilifi. I have a diploma in front office management but my original profession could not support my four children. The father of my children abandoned us and remarried, so I was their only option for a better future. In 2011, a close friend introduced me to a…

I was excited to finally get out of sex work.
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I was excited to finally get out of sex work.

ByEyes on Trafficking News

I am a 34-year-old single mother of two girls from Eldoret. I used to work as a sex worker in a nightclub. In March 2018, I was approached by one of my clients, Kim. He promised me a well-paying job in South Africa as a residential apartment caretaker. I was excited to finally get out…

Instead of facilitating my career as a singer, they forced me into sex work.
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Instead of facilitating my career as a singer, they forced me into sex work.

ByEyes on Trafficking News

I am an artist, songwriter and performer. It was extremely difficult for me to make a living from my passion in Uganda. A friend mentioned there are lots of opportunities for performing abroad. She referred me to an agent who recommended Dubai as a starting point. I was thrilled that I was finally getting the…

My dream, the dreaded nightmare
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My dream, the dreaded nightmare

ByEyes on Trafficking News

I always dreamt of becoming a model. Two months after completing high school, I was introduced to a modeling agency. My dream came true. As i was doing a photo shoot one day, a middle aged man approached me and offered a two weeks paid modeling job out of Nairobi. I was to spend the…