Climate change and climate action can both have destabilizing effects on individuals and communities, and research suggests that one of these effects may be increased vulnerability to human trafficking. However, because most research contributions have focused on a single pathway, the range and complexity of intersections between climate change and human trafficking have yet to be aggregated and analyzed as a whole. In this research, the presenters contribute to this emerging body of knowledge by compiling and comprehensively discussing the multiple, complex, and mutually reinforcing pathways through which climate change has been found to exacerbate vulnerability to human trafficking in the extant literature. Based on the literature, they developed a causal loop diagram to illustrate the existing empirical findings on the individual, household, community, and structural factors that interplay and determine vulnerability to human trafficking in the context of climate change. They conducted a thematic analysis of relevant studies to illuminate how climate change can act as a factor that introduces risk and exacerbates vulnerability to human trafficking. Findings show that the extant literature has linked climate change to various forms of human trafficking (i.e., child marriage, forced marriage, debt bondage, sex trafficking, labor exploitation, and child labor) through three main pathways: poverty, food insecurity, and migration. The presenters will identify theoretical, methodological, and geographic gaps in the literature and explore points where interventions may enhance resilience to human trafficking in climate change-affected contexts.
Angela Robinson is a full-time researcher at the University of California, Irvine. She has dedicated her career to using research and program evaluation to maximize the impact of community-based work. Her research interests include the fight against human trafficking, asset-based interventions, and participatory co-creation of knowledge.
Marta Furlan is the Senior Program Manager for Research at Free the Slaves. Her research interests include armed conflicts, violence against women and children, and human trafficking. She is passionate about the use of participatory research methods and the inclusion of local knowledge systems in the formulation of sustainable solutions.