Summary

This policy brief highlights the link between climate change, forced displacement, and human trafficking. It emphasizes how climate-induced vulnerabilities heighten the risk of exploitation for displaced populations, especially women and children. The brief calls for stronger policies to address these risks and better protect vulnerable communities from trafficking and modern slavery.

Introduction 

Over the years, it has become widely recognized that the impacts of the climate crisis are extensive and far-reaching. These effects include health deterioration, triggering of conflicts, infrastructure damage, economic instability, and more notably, forced displacement. Increasing attention has been given to the connection between both the slow and sudden onset effects of climate change and forced displacement. In the context of forced displacement, it is well understood that displaced individuals face significant vulnerabilities, including loss of social networks, lack of access to basic services, and heightened economic insecurity. These vulnerabilities are further exacerbated as they are compelled to leave their homes and communities in search of safety, employment, or sustenance. This heightened vulnerability increases their risk of falling victim to modern forms of slavery, such as forced labor, child exploitation, and human trafficking.

Problem statement

The increasing impacts of climate change, including forced displacement, contribute to significant vulnerabilities, particularly among displaced populations. While there is growing recognition of the link between climate change and displacement, insufficient attention has been given to the connection between climate change and human trafficking. Migrants and refugees, especially women and children, are at heightened risk of exploitation, including forced labor, child exploitation, and human trafficking. Despite this, current policies and protections are not adequately addressing these risks, leaving many vulnerable populations without the safeguards necessary to prevent their exploitation. Recognizing and addressing how climate change exacerbates these vulnerabilities is critical for protecting displaced individuals from becoming victims of human trafficking and modern slavery.

Understanding human trafficking

Human trafficking, defined as “the recruitment, transport, transfer, harboring or receipt of a person by such means as threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud or deception for the purpose of exploitation” according to the UN Trafficking in Persons Protocol, is estimated to affect over 28 million people as per ILO’s 2022 Global estimates (Soken-Huberty, 2024; “Forced Labour, Modern Slavery and Trafficking in Persons” 2024). Examples of human trafficking include child trafficking, organ trafficking, and forced criminality. The individuals most vulnerable to human trafficking are often those living in poverty or affected by armed conflict, with gender inequality serving as a significant driver of this exploitation. Indeed, women and children are particularly susceptible, as more than 70% of human trafficking victims are women and children, with children making up approximately 20% of the victims (“Definition and Scale | STOP THE TRAFFIK” 2024; “Global Report on Trafficking in Persons,” n.d.) These groups are already considered vulnerable due to a range of socio-economic and structural factors even before they experience forced displacement.

For women, entrenched gender inequality often limits access to education, employment, and legal protections, leaving them economically dependent or socially marginalized. This lack of autonomy can push them into exploitative situations as they seek financial stability or security. Women are also disproportionately affected by gender-based violence, making them more likely to be coerced, manipulated, or forced into trafficking scenarios. Children, on the other hand, are vulnerable due to their age, dependency, and lack of legal protection. Many come from impoverished or conflict-ridden areas where they have limited access to education, stable family structures, or community support. Displacement or family separation further increases their vulnerability, as they are often left unaccompanied or in unstable living conditions, making them easy targets for traffickers who exploit their need for care, shelter, or safety. Together, these factors—gender inequality, economic instability, lack of protection, and exposure to violence—compound the risks faced by women and children, making them disproportionately vulnerable to human trafficking even before displacement or migration occurs.

As global populations are increasingly displaced, with an estimated 117.3 million people affected according to the UNHCR- a figure expected to rise due to the worsening effects of climate change, conflict, and economic instability—these groups face heightened risks of falling victim to human trafficking. This is particularly concerning, as migrants and refugees are among the most targeted populations for traffickers (Soken-Huberty, 2024). Their vulnerable circumstances, marked by desperation and uncertainty, make them more susceptible to manipulation and exploitation. Indeed, migrants and refugees have a heightened vulnerability due to their situation of desperation which makes these groups ‘easier’ to manipulate and exploit. Furthermore, additional challenges such as language barriers, lack of awareness about legal protections in unfamiliar countries, and systemic discrimination further hinder their ability to seek help or escape exploitative situations. Consequently, these displaced individuals can find themselves in increasingly precarious conditions, making them prime targets for traffickers who exploit their vulnerability. 

Human trafficking as a second hand effect of climate change

Climate change, as a global and multifaceted issue, significantly exacerbates the vulnerabilities that contribute to human trafficking. Whether through sudden-onset events such as natural disasters or slow-onset effects like environmental degradation, climate change acts as a stress multiplier, intensifying the factors that drive human trafficking—an industry estimated to generate $150 billion annually (Soken-Huberty, 2024). By compounding pre-existing socio-economic pressures such as poverty, inequality, and political instability, climate change amplifies the conditions that make individuals more susceptible to exploitation. It triggers natural disasters and fosters conflict and instability, leading to widespread loss of livelihoods and income. This, in turn, exposes individuals and communities to heightened risks of exploitation. It is, therefore, unsurprising that incidents of human trafficking tend to rise in the aftermath of natural disasters, as documented by The Revelator (Wudan Yan, 2018). Climate-induced disasters, coupled with environmental degradation and increasing resource scarcity, push millions of people into poverty, forcing many to migrate in search of work, food, or safety—further escalating their vulnerability to trafficking.

Current policies & gaps

As climate change has been considered an environmental issue till now, overlooking the human rights exploitation it has caused in the last decades, policymakers and practitioners have recently begun to pay increased attention to the nexus. This can be evidenced by the revaluation of ‘Temporary Protected Status’ in the USA. This statutory provision currently provides a short stay to qualified individuals from designated countries that are facing environmental disasters (CSIS, 2020). Similarly, the “Community Defenders” project in Bolivia aims to educate and spread awareness amongst poor women in local communities on human trafficking and modern slavery victimization. Being a high-risk country for human trafficking, the program also trains vulnerable communities to cooperate with the government in the prevention and investigation of trafficking. Other countries, such as Argentina, provide humanitarian leave to remain for three years in the case of displacement by environmental hazards. Peru and Chile are also on the way to designing policies for climate-induced migration on similar lines to New Zealand’s “Climate refugee” visa (Huckstep, Samuel, and Helen Dempster, 2022).

Although the ‘sudden onset’ of war and natural disasters instills a sense of urgency amongst governments to draft policies and regulations for refugees, the gradual long-term changes have constantly been overlooked. On the other hand, a climate or conflict-induced migration is perceived as a potential threat to security and poses social and economic challenges to the receiving country (Mai, Chelsea, 2022). This stalls the policy processes and exacerbates the living conditions of refugees, consequently forcing them into illegal businesses and markets. 

Gaps
The complexity of designing and introducing policies for refugees impacted by climate change involves the intervention of various governmental and international organizations with a coordinated approach. As the recent legislation is in the infancy stage, a few gaps shall be addressed to deliver holistic and effective solutions for refugees in order to prevent the exploitation of vulnerable communities. 

Firstly, the nexus of human trafficking and climate change lacks standardized methods for data collection and reporting. Furthermore, the scant literature studying the cycle of climate change and vulnerable communities reflects the blurred vision of policies in this area.

Secondly, different regions experience climate change and trafficking in varied ways. Thus, a singular solution won’t serve the localized socio-economic, cultural, and political issues that communities face.

Lastly, a succinct mapping out of factors that cause vulnerabilities amongst the refugee communities will aid practitioners and policymakers in delivering targeted interventions and regulations.

Way Ahead

The traction gained by climate change and its induced effects in the last decades has made governments and international organizations realize their responsibilities to sign various agreements and amend frameworks such as The Cancun Adaptation Framework (CAF), adopted during COP16, recognised the growing prevalence of migration, displacement and planned relocation due to climate impacts. However, it is high time to build on the agreements and start studying the varied effects and consequences of climate change. As is the motivation of this policy brief, there is less research on the consensus of climate change and trafficking and even less mention of the humanitarian responses and relief that can be provided to climate refugees worldwide. 

A coordinated approach between humanitarian agencies and UN organizations can pave the way to highlight the exploitation of workers in underdeveloped regions of the world. Introducing capacity-building initiatives amongst local aid providers and NGOs to support and aid the development of refugees will not only empower vulnerable communities but will also serve as an initiator to collect and analyze data. A broader set of measures will also include training and educating the communities to prevent them from falling into debt traps or human trafficking rackets. Additionally, more focused and evidenced-based research connecting the two strands of climate change and human trafficking is needed to understand the nuances of psychological and social drivers of migration.

References

“Definition and Scale | STOP THE TRAFFIK.” 2024. STOP THE TRAFFIK. September 2. https://stopthetraffik.org/what-is-human-trafficking/definition-and-scale/. 

“Forced Labour, Modern Slavery and Trafficking in Persons.” 2024. International Labour Organization. September 9. https://www.ilo.org/topics/forced-labour-modern-slavery-and-trafficking-persons#:~:text=Facts%20and%20figures,22%20million%20in%20forced%20marriage.  

“Global Report on Trafficking in Persons.” n.d. United Nations : Office on Drugs and Crime. https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/global-report-on-trafficking-in-persons.html. Soken-Huberty, Emmaline. 2024. 

“Human Trafficking 101: Facts, Examples, Ways to Help.” Human Rights Careers. August 28. https://www.humanrightscareers.com/issues/human-trafficking-101-facts-examples-ways-to-help/. 

“A New Framework for U.S. Leadership on Climate Migration”. Center for Strategic & International Studies, 2020

https://www.csis.org/analysis/new-framework-us-leadership-climate-migration

Climate Migration, Huckstep, Samuel, and Helen Dempster (2022), 2022 International Migration Review Forum. 

https://www.cgdev.org/blog/climate-migration-2022-international-migration-review-forum

The Securitization of Climate-Induced Migration: Environmental Conflict Discourses and the Imaginative Geographies of Fear, Mai, Chelsea (2022).
https://thesecuritydistillery.org/all-articles/the-securitization-of-climate-induced-migration-environmental-conflict-discourses-and-the-imaginative-geographies-of-fea