What Can Organizations Do to Combat Human Trafficking?

Introduction

Human trafficking has become a relatively common term used by the media, policy makers, and scholars. In particular, criminologists and sociologists have been interested in this social issue for decades, but numerous other disciplines such as psychology (especially in the area of dealing with the complex trauma that victims undergo), economics, political science and others have been tackling the issue. However, it appears as a still relatively new topic for industrial-organizational psychologists.

The objectives of this chapter consist of discussing the most influential definitions of human trafficking and presenting the latest statistics that articulate diverse forms of this crime, in order to delineate specific ways in which the organization managers can actively participate in efforts to combat it.

This chapter discusses human trafficking in the context of organization management and corporate social responsibility. On the one hand, workplaces may directly or indirectly benefit from slave labor; on the other hand, there is a potential for some less obvious links with sex trafficking, especially when it comes to individual workers and some unspoken rules of organizational culture. This creates a number of possibilities for a workplace to actively engage in fighting human trafficking, especially in the areas of prevention and partnership. Annually updated Trafficking in Persons Report consistently pays more attention to the role of organizations. The latest edition draws the readers’ attention to using financial transactions to uncover human trafficking and features a number of tools developed by inter-governmental organizations.

Efforts to combat human trafficking should start with corporate leadership taking a stand. Sensitive leaders encourage employee training programs that empower workers to report suspicious activities to management and law enforcement. Once there is a level of basic knowledge in the company, some entities can be open to hosting corporate volunteer days or launching an initiative that personally engages employees in the fight against human trafficking, in cooperation with local anti-trafficking organizations in the community to cater to the greatest local needs. Simple acts such delivering meals, hosting a clothing drive, or creating amenity kits for survivors can make a difference, while at the same time integrating employees. In some cases, employee volunteers may be able to provide a skillset that helps further the work of a local anti-trafficking organization. Such efforts should be promoted and recognized by the leaders. Aside from educating employees, many organizations can further spread awareness on the issue of human trafficking by educating their customers. For example, the travel and tourism industry can distribute resources for customers to spot and report trafficking incidents on travel itineraries. Regardless of the type of organization, each and every one should be committed to slavery-free supply chains. A good start is to have a requirement for every supplier and vendor to sign a contract saying that they will not knowingly engage in labor and/or sex trafficking. Moreover, multiple organizations have financial resources that permit them to engage in anti-trafficking philanthropy. Companies can create employee campaign funds specifically dedicated to this cause; service organizations, corporate and family foundations also provide much-needed funding for anti-trafficking organizations.

While the above actions resonate with many corporate managers, this chapter intends to provide a systemic, theoretical lenses to present and assess the ways in which organizations can wisely engage in the global and local fight against human trafficking.