According to the International labour Organisation over 40.3 million people are currently victims to human trafficking globally. 

Despite the numbers and their significance, little is known about Human Trafficking by the general public, and the little that has been done in an attempt to combat human trafficking has been unsuccessful. Instances of Human Trafficking continue to increase and solutions to effectively combat it must be established. 

More slaves exist today than at any other point in history. 

Unfortunately, law enforcement and their systems have limited resources, and are poorly equipped to battle the problem. The use of UN Peacekeepers is an example of such a system that has proved to be problematic. Since the early 2000s reports of abuse, sexual assault, inappropriate conduct, and human trafficking BY Peacekeepers have emerged, and attempts to hold these perpetrators accountable have proved futile. Governments and the international community are faced with a challenge to rearrange the system to ensure individuals, such as peacekeepers, who are supposed to help combat the issue, do not become part of it. 

The changing global environment has shifted the way Human Trafficking exists. The current move to a more Global society has seen an ease in access to victims of Human Trafficking by perpetrators and an emergence of new platforms that make these crimes more frequent, while law enforcement struggles to keep up. This can be seen in the increase of Extraterritorial Child Sexual Exploitation and Extraterritorial Commercial Child Exploitation due to travel becoming easier and less expensive.

Human Trafficking and Drugs 

There is a strong connection between Human Trafficking and Drugs. 

According to the 2020 Trafficking in Persons Report (20th Edition) (from now on referred to as The Report) by the Department of State USA, addiction increases an individual’s vulnerability to being trafficked, drug addiction can be induced and manipulated by the trafficker as a tool for control, and drugs are often used by victims and survivors as a means of handling the psychological and physician traumas of their experience. The Report refers to evidence that shows some traffickers recruit directly from detox and treatment facilities. In addition to this, the social stigma surrounding substance use and abuse can prevent health care providers, law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and other professionals from successfully identifying victims of human trafficking.

Modern Problems require Modern Solutions 

IOSI aims to help battle Human Trafficking in the following ways. 

OSINT:

OSINT is an Open Source Intelligence methodology that is used to collect and analyse data from publicly accessible sources. The IOSI – Human Trafficking project and its members aim to use OSINT to access data relevant to human trafficking that can assist law enforcement in identifying perpetrators of human trafficking and locating victims. 

IOSI has access to a sea of individual OSINT experts all around the world. The use of OSINT in Human Trafficking cases can, and will, increase the number of victims found and saved, and decrease the time that it takes.

OSINT Training: 

IOSI experts provide OSINT training. This training is available to first responders as well as member of the general public, and the newly acquired knowledge can be used for a wide variety of things, including the collection of data important to the fight against Human Trafficking. 

Education, Awareness and Communication:

The new IOSI Members Platform has been created to combat the changing nature of Global Crime. The platform acts as a virtual space that connects all members, allowing the free and unfiltered communication between them. With the option of anonymity, members can publish articles regarding Human Trafficking, connect with experts, express opinions and views, and develop strategies. 

A Future without Human Trafficking 

The future of Human Trafficking is dependent on our ability to create and sustain effective instruments to combat it. Sole communities nor countries will be able to abolish human trafficking. It will take a global community to tackle a global problem – people with specialised training, years of experience, and expert knowledge, as well as the general public. If the general public turns a blind eye to Human Trafficking, it will continue to live and thrive. 

40.3 million people are currently victims. How many more will it take?

IOSI INSTRUMENT 

Anonymous POST

We cannot succeed without the active involvement of citizens IN BUILDING A BETTER SOCIETY. This applies to all of us, not just people involved in politics, law enforcement or the field of law. In society, we play different roles – mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, friends, teachers, firefighters, rescuers and so much more. All of us, irrespective of our roles, face constant security threats, even when they are not blatantly obvious. This includes the numerous consequences that Human Trafficking and drug-trafficking has created, and despite not being starkly evident, these consequences compromise and endanger us all. 

This is where IOSI comes into play. The IOSI PLATFORM for members strives to serve as the catalyst to a global shift away from the old paradigm. IOSI wants to serve as a virtual safe space for all persons involved in SECURITY AND INTELLIGENCE, where they can express themselves accordingly, and freely exchange opinions. To offer a trustworthy and safe space, our platform allows everyone to publish articles anonymously, if they so desire; hence, issues relating to the Human Trafficking  and drug trade, among other critical matters in our society, can be exposed confidently. In this sense, it is important to emphasize that IOSI neither censors nor spies, however harassment is not tolerated as per our Platform Rules ( which can be found at https://dev.iosi.global/platform-rules ). 

Fundamentally, our platform respects freedom of expression and the right of individuals to live in a secure society. Our team knows what it is like to be at the center of risk. The ability to post anonymously opens doors to victims or other individuals caught up in the criminal world of narcotics to share sensitive and critical information that they would otherwise be unable to, due to realistic fears for their safety.  

The purpose of posting anonymously is not, as it might seem, to break rules. The objective is to protect a level of freedom that is important to our community, ourselves, and our loved ones, and to protect us from the dangers that exist when identity is revealed. Our professional experience has shown us that this danger is not unrealistic.  

Global Organization for Security and Intelligence – IOSI

2020