Trafficking in persons and other forms of exploitation occur in times of crisis yet remain largely overlooked in the context of humanitarian response. This briefing document provides contemporary, evidence-based findings indicating that trafficking in persons is not a side effect of crises but is often directly interrelated.

Based on fieldwork that assessed ongoing crises in Iraq and Libya, as well as case studies of man-made and environmental crises in Indonesia, the Philippines, the Mediterranean and more, the briefing document draws on over 120 expert interviews and provides a 20-year reflective analysis of various crises dating back from the 1990s.

The briefing offers a number of recommendations for States, the humanitarian community and the donor community to ensure that counter-trafficking and the protection of vulnerable migrants no longer remain at the margins of humanitarian response efforts.