A U.N report proposes a series of action against trafficking in human beings in conflict situations

Published on Friday, 16 September 2016 13:22

The United Nations University (UNU) has just published a report entitled "Fighting Human Trafficking in conflict" which features 10 ideas for action by the Security Council in sectors like technology, finance and recruitment, to better combat trafficking in human beings in situations of conflict.
This document confirms the observation made in the 2016 Global Report by the Scelles Foundation whoredom, on the scale of modern slavery today identified as one of the greatest tragedies of our times, increasing vulnerability people to exploitation in conflict situations, by terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and Daesh and the institutionalization and organization of this slavery, which now develops through social networks.

The unprecedented scale of sexual slavery
It's an unprecedented scale since the 2nd World War, that terrorist groups use trafficking in human beings and especially sexual exploitation, to finance their activities. Iraq and Syria, Daesh theorized and organized sexual exploitation of Yazidi population. In Nigeria, Boko Haram has done the same with non-Muslim women captured. These sexual violence persisted since 2014 despite the unanimous condemnation of the international community, and while these groups seem to back militarily. Today, between 3,000 and 5,000 Yazidis are still victims of this exploitation. The testimonies of survivors are enough speaking. Entire families of the Yazidi community were decimated.

The institutionalized sexual slavery
The objectives of these terrorist groups are both strategic, ideological and financial. It is always for these organizations to attract and recruit new fighters to maintain their motivation by offering them slaves "available" to say that the "religious" texts allow and even recommend this slavery and finally sell or exchange these "goods" to fund the organization. Whole range of new technologies is here used for criminal purposes. For several months, the evidence of a commodification of Yazidi women sold in slave markets, exchanged between combatants or auctioned on social networks such as WhatsApp, Twitter or Threema for ransom from their families are increasing.

Increased risks of sexual exploitation
These conflicts have resulted in vast movements of people fleeing war zones. The UN says a record number of 65 million people uprooted by conflict and persecution worldwide. Isolated and disoriented, dependent on local authorities or aid organizations, these particularly vulnerable people fall prey to smugglers and unscrupulous traffickers. Rape, sexual blackmail and abuse, temporary marriages, selling for prostitution networks in and outside refugee camps or in transit zones, likely to persist if suitable means are not implemented - identification and protection victims, specialized teams, information campaigns ...

What solutions ?
No way to give ground to the Daech propaganda on social networks. The detection of illicit financial flows is a major focus of the fight against these organizations. The monitoring of money transfers linked to human trafficking whether cross-border or through social networks (IVTS) from Raqqa or Mosul should increase with the help of specialized private organizations on these issues. Greater international cooperation in monitoring trafficking phenomena of human beings in situations of conflict, data sharing and the use of international criminal law are necessary for the international community to face these challenges.