Human Trafficking and Terrorism

A recently released document published by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) examines the link between Human Trafficking and Terrorism. The paper, Trafficking in Human Beings and Terrorism: Where and how they intersect, provides a comparative study of the two crimes based on a series of illustrative examples collected from throughout the OSCE region. The outcome is a set of targeted recommendations to challenge the trafficking practices of terrorist groups by leveraging existing preventative and protective mechanisms in the anti-trafficking field.

In the forward of the research document Valiant Richey, OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, comments:

“In this work, we have observed that terrorist groups appear to accrue human capital, tactical adaptability and ideological
reinforcement for their organizations by employing traffi cking acts and means to exploit vulnerable adults and children for
a variety of purposes, including sexual exploitation, forced labour and slavery, and even combat. Traffi cking of children by
terrorist groups poses an especially serious challenge for OSCE participating States, since children and youth are more
susceptible to the recruitment and exploitative strategies of terrorist groups.”

The paper offers a set of targeted recommendations aimed at supporting participating States in breaking the silos between two distinct fields: combating human trafficking and countering terrorism. It also notes the expertise of civil society organisations, social services and psychologists are needed to work alongside law enforcement and criminal intelligence to better understand and identify those who are in need of care and to prosecute perpetrators.

Download a copy of the research paper here.