Human trafficking is a global crisis. And it requires a collaborative global response.
Since the beginning it has been our dream to see every nation free of human trafficking. I long for the families trapped in the labor trafficking of brick kilns and rice mills in India and the women in brothels in Thailand and the children forced to be soldiers in the Congo to find total freedom, healing, and justice.
Because this dream is rooted so deeply in our hearts, we have strategically grown our international efforts to include offices in Mongolia, Indonesia, and Poland! Each of our international offices takes our proven programs and services and contextualizes them to meet the unique needs of the populations they serve.
Effectively doing so requires a continued learning from our partners around the world on everything from the current recruitment methods being used by traffickers to foreign law, and how to translate our trauma-informed care models.
This summer, the U.S. State Department published their annual Trafficking in Persons Report, the U.S. Government’s principal diplomatic tool to engage foreign governments on human trafficking. I am proud to share that this year leaders from Unbound Now were honored to inform reporting for countries where we serve.
Understanding the TIP Report Tier System
The report describes each nation and its government’s efforts to eliminate severe forms of trafficking, the nature and scope of trafficking, and trends in their efforts to combat trafficking.
Once reviewed, each country is given a ranking:
- Tier 1: fully compliant with the minimum standards for elimination of severe forms of trafficking in persons.
- Tier 2: not fully compliant, but making “significant efforts” to be compliant with the minimum standards.
- Tier 3: not fully compliant and not making “significant efforts” to be compliant with the minimum standards.
It is important to note that receiving a Tier 1 ranking does not imply that there is no trafficking in that country.
Indonesia
In 2023, Indonesia received a Tier 2 ranking in the U.S. TIP Report.
The government of Indonesia does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking but they have made significant efforts to do so, including:
- Increasing investigations, prosecutions, and convictions for suspected trafficking crimes, including forced labor on a palm oil plantation and in foreign cyber scam operations.
- Securing increased restitution for victims.
- Identification and repatriation of several hundred Indonesian forced labor victims from Cambodia as part of a multinational coordinated efforts to address forced labor in cyber scam operations.
Join us in praying to see changes in the following areas:
- Identification or investigation of forced labor cases in fishing, due to long-standing, pervasive trafficking concerns.
- The creation of a national standard procedure for identifying victims of human trafficking.
- Increased deterrent for traffickers and an official prohibition of all types of trafficking for the protection of all victims of child sex trafficking.
Unbound Now Indonesia serves communities in Lampung and Jakarta, training thousands of individuals across the islands to identify and respond appropriately to human trafficking as well as empowering youth to make positive decisions for their safety before cycles of exploitation ever begin.
Mongolia
In 2023, Mongolia received a Tier 2 ranking in the U.S. TIP Report.
The government of Mongolia does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking but they have made significant efforts to do so, including:
- Prosecuting and convicting more traffickers and identifying more victims.
- Improving information sharing and coordination among ministries and with international partners, revising the law to provide legal assistance to adult and child trafficking victims.
- Increasing court-ordered restitution to trafficking victims.
Join us in praying to see changes in the following areas:
- Pray for more proactive investigations of both sex and labor traffickers.
- Pray for increased identification of male victims of human trafficking.
- Pray for the clarification of a criminal code to facilitate judicial processes and human trafficking investigations.
Unbound Now Mongolia serves communities in Ulaanbaatar and at the China border. Working hand in hand with officials at the Chinggis Khaan International airport and at key points along the border, Unbound Now Mongolia team members have seen many victims identified and offered to the resources they need to find restoration!
Poland
In 2023, Poland received a Tier 2 ranking in the U.S. TIP Report.
The government of Poland does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking but they have made significant efforts to do so, including:
- Increasing penalties for convicted traffickers and identifying more victims.
- Taking extensive steps to prevent the trafficking of those fleeing war in Ukraine through awareness, the creation of a hotline, the creation and use of standard procedures for unaccompanied foreign national children crossing the Poland-Ukraine border, and active coordination with international organizations and NGOs.
Join us in praying to see changes in the following areas:
- Increasing the number of trafficking investigations, prosecutions, and convictions.
- Increasing the funding for victim services, especially shelter capacity for trafficking victims.
Unbound Now Europe serves survivors and resources communities to end human trafficking across Europe. Since responding to the trafficking vulnerabilities identified during the onset of war in Ukraine, our team has seen incredible breakthrough in collaboration with leaders from across the region. Recently, they hosted law enforcement partners from the U.S. to train 65 Polish officials in proactive investigations, trauma-informed care, and survivor centered systems!
Download the 2023 TIP Report Here!
I invite you to learn more about our international work through these findings, so we all can better pray for, give to, and support these efforts and teams abroad.
With great hope,
Susan Peters
Unbound Now Founder & CEO