Preventing trafficking for labour exploitation in China EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: PREVENTING TRAFFICKING FOR LAOUBOUR EXPLOITATION IN CHINA Background and Rationale The ILO estimates there are 2.45 million cases of trafficking into forced labour and exploitation worldwide, with more than half occurring in the Asia-Pacific region. Human trafficking is not a new phenomenon, but since the early 1990’s a number of factors have conspired to increase it world-wide. In China, most trafficking occurs within the context of mass rural-to-urban internal migration in search of employment. Poverty is the root cause, but not the only factor. Additional factors include gender preference for boys, strains on education and decent work opportunities, young people leaving home at a young age (event dropping out of school), and the opportunity for unscrupulous employers to exploit their vulnerability. The Project to Prevent Trafficking in Girls and Young Women for Labour Exploitation, CP-TING, (2004-2008), found that there are substantial risks involved in this ‘blind migration.’ The project implemented and documented several good practice models on both the supply and demand side, and established effective process-based approaches for partner action and mainstreaming. It also provided technical inputs in aid of establishing China’s National Plan of Action in Combating Trafficking in Women and Children (December 2007). CP-TING’s independent evaluator recommended continuation of project work in order to make practices fully sustainable and available nationally. The proposed project accepts and incorporates recommendations of the evaluation. It addresses the needs of China’s young migrant population in the economic downturn, and expands good project models to cover more of China’s high migration regions. It supports the implementation of provincial level Plans of Action in trafficking prevention. Provinces include: Yunnan, Anhui, Hunan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Fujian, Jiangsu, and Guangdong. Project Description The project, Preventing Trafficking for Labour Exploitation in China, aims to reduce trafficking in women and children for labour exploitation within China, which is on the rise. The project will empower vulnerable internal migrants to protect themselves through improved education, rights awareness raising, and safe migration services; and will facilitate policy dialogue. The International Labour Organization (ILO) and its primary partner, the All-China Women’s Federation (ACWF), will work closely with relevant Chinese Government agencies, including ILO’s social partners. The project will address trafficking issues by: • strengthening the implementation of provincial action plans against trafficking, and other relevant policy frameworks; • setting up trafficking prevention mechanisms and safe migration services, including training and referral services for vulnerable women, children and communities; • strengthening civil society organisations, including media and research institutes to engage in anti-trafficking policy dialogue, taking into account international instruments; • consulting with the target group to facilitate peer-to-peer support networks; • disseminating information on legal and labour rights and how to exercise them; • working with employers and workers associations to protect the labour rights of migrants in the workplace; • developing and implementing inter-provincial arrangements for safe migration. Direct recipients of project services are agencies, social partners, and community leaders, that are enabled to carry out advocacy and development activities. The ultimate beneficiaries are women (19-24) and children (boys and girls under 18) at risk of being trafficked. Those at high risk include: young migrants, drop-outs, poor rural youth, ethnic minorities, and left-behind children. At then end of the project 75,000 direct beneficiaries will be prevented from being trafficked (that is, a target group member receives a project service, and is tracked as a beneficiary). Provinci