Webinar 3: Data Analysis and Triangulation to Inform Anti-Trafficking Policymaking

On 22 August 2023, the Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons (ICAT) held the third event in its 2023 Webinar Series on trafficking in persons data and research. The event focused on Trafficking in Persons Data Analysis and Triangulation.

During the webinar, Dr. Fabrizio Sarrica from the Research and Trend Analysis Branch (RAB) of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Dr. Michaëlle de Cock from the International Labour Organization (ILO), and Elise Gordon from the International Human Rights Organization Walk Free presented the methodologies used for data collection, analysis, and triangulation for two major global reports on trafficking in persons – the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons (GLOTIP) and the Global Estimates on Modern Slavery (GEMS). The webinar was moderated by Daniela Knoppik, representing the UNICEF Migration and Displacement Hub.

The recording of the webinar is available on the ICAT YouTube channel.

Data triangulation

Multiple sources of data on trafficking in persons exist from governments, international organizations, local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and other stakeholders. To enhance the validity of findings, data triangulation from various data sources is essential and is used by major international reports on trafficking in persons. This webinar discussed two examples of global reports on trafficking in persons that use a variety of data to draw conclusions on trafficking in persons trends and prevalence at different levels – global, regional, and national.

Global Report on Trafficking in Persons (GLOTIP)

UNODC’s Global Report on Trafficking in Persons (GLOTIP) is mandated by the General Assembly through the 2010 United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons (adopted through General Assembly resolution 64/293). This biennial Report provides a snapshot of the trafficking patterns and flows, covering over 140 countries, and provides an overview of the response to trafficking in persons at the global, regional and national levels. The latest edition of the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons is available online here.

Get involved! To inform the next edition of the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, UNODC is undertaking a survey to assess the challenges of anti-trafficking responses from the perspective of Civil Society and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) working with victims of trafficking. All workers of NGOs supporting victims of trafficking are welcome to participate to the online survey by November 30, 2023. The survey is currently available in five languages: Arabic, English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.

Global Estimates of Modern Slavery

The Global Estimates of Modern Slavery (GEMS) is a joint initiative of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), International Labour Organization (ILO), and Walk Free producing regular reports on the prevalence of modern slavery, using national survey data, Counter-Trafficking Data Collaborative (CTDC) data, and comments of the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations. The latest Global Estimates of Modern Slavery was published in 2022 and is available online.