Exacerbating Pre-Existing Vulnerabilities: an Analysis of the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Human Trafficking in Sudan

Abstract

COVID-19 has caused far-reaching humanitarian challenges. Amongst the emerging impacts of the pandemic is on the dynamics of human trafficking. This paper presents findings from a multi-methods study interrogating the impacts of COVID-19 on human trafficking in Sudan—a critical source, destination, and transit country. The analysis combines a systematic evidence review, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group with survivors, conducted between January and May of 2021. We find key risks have been exacerbated, and simultaneously, critical infrastructure for identifying victims, providing support, and ensuring accountability of perpetrators has been impeded. Centrally, the co-occurrence of the pandemic and the democratic transition undercut the institutional and governance capacity, limiting the anti-trafficking response and exposing already vulnerable groups to increased risks of human trafficking. Findings point to increased vulnerabilities for individuals with one or more of the following identities: migrants, refugees, females, and informal labourers.

COVID-19 and (Im)migrant Carers in Italy: The Production of Carer Precarity

“…Consequently, migrants with various statuses have differential access to entitlements and socioeconomic and legal rights including the right to work, social welfare benefits, healthcare, and housing [ 18 ]. Status may determine the duration of stay, access to rights to remain, threats of deportation, and family reunification [ 21 ]. Restrictions on access to entitlements associated with status means that migrants are more likely to lack a social safety net and have fewer resources to fall back on and fewer forms of protection [ 18 ].…”