Climate Change, Migration and Vulnerability to Trafficking Exploring the Extent and Impact
TerraGreen|March 2023
In this incisive article, Daljeet Kaur and Ritu Bharadwaj present empirical evidence on the links between climate change, migration, and trafficking and explore the extent and impact of climate change on distress migration and human trafficking in two diverse areas affected by slow-onset and rapid-onset climatic events. The research conducted by International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and supported by Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) unpacks the underlying drivers that policymakers should target to deal with this nexus.
Daljeet Kaur and Ritu Bharadwaj
Climate Change, Migration and Vulnerability to Trafficking Exploring the Extent and Impact

Climate-related hazards affected close to 20 million people in India in 2020. Climate disasters add to the stress of socioeconomic factors like population density, income inequality, and degrading environment. Together, they increase the risk of loss of life, food insecurity and loss of livelihoods, compelling vulnerable communities to adopt migration as a coping strategy. Although a coping mechanism, migration can put the most vulnerable migrants at risk of modern slavery and trafficking.

Climate change and/or climate-induced migration intersects with severe forms of exploitation along at least three pathways: slow-onset disasters (droughts, crop failures), rapid-onset disasters (floods, cyclones) and an amalgamation of conflicts and climate change events. Yet policymakers have rarely considered climate change as a driver of human trafficking. This article builds on the limited evidence with respect to the links between climate change, migration, and trafficking.

Methodology

IIED FCDO's research partner on Technical Assistance Programme Infrastructure for Climate Resilient Growth partnered with two grassroots organizations in Jharkhand and Odisha. Through both qualitative and quantitative tools, including a household survey, the research covered two contrasting geographies: rapid-onset events in Kendrapara district in Odisha and slow-onset events in Palamu district in Jharkhand. In all, 420 households were covered, 210 in each location. The sample was distributed evenly across 14 villages (7 in each location). The sample comprised households with migrants and without migrants. The research captured responses related to employment and working conditions questions from the sampled households that conformed to the definition of trafficking to identify trafficked households.

Findings of the Research

This story is from the March 2023 edition of TerraGreen.

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