Hope for Justice made three key recommendations during our intervention at the UN Constructive Dialogue on Human Trafficking in Vienna.
We shared insights and expertise from our frontline work and from the lived experience of our Survivor Leadership Council, on how governments can work with civil society to improve the implementation of the Palermo Protocol (a key piece of international law on countering human trafficking).
Phillipa Roberts, our Head of Policy and Research (Solicitor), spoke at the United Nations Office last month, highlighting the critical role that civil society plays in addressing evidentiary challenges, particularly in the area of survivor protection.
The thematic focus of the constructive dialogue was “evidential issues related to trafficking in persons cases, especially regarding online scams.”
Our contribution underscored several essential priorities:
- Ethical and meaningful inclusion of survivors: survivors must be central to the design of systems that are trauma-informed, child-friendly, and rights-based. Their involvement strengthens both protection mechanisms and the quality of evidence gathered.
- Testimony is vital but support is foundational: survivor testimony is vital, but it must be underpinned by access to high-quality, holistic, long-term support. This includes independent advocacy to ensure survivors feel safe, can recover, and access all forms of justice including criminal justice.
- Strengthening investigative capacity and oversight: governments must invest in investigative resources and embed independent oversight into anti-trafficking initiatives to ensure accountability and effectiveness.
Spotlight on Uganda
During the intervention, we shared an example of good practice; in Uganda, recognizing a gap in survivor care standards, Hope for Justice partnered with the Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development and the University of Nottingham Rights Lab to coordinate the co-development of evidence-based National Guidelines on Care and Support for Survivors. This was informed by the extensive review of existing practice, engagement with survivors and practitioners. Hope for Justice has also created an immersive learning center to train practitioners including criminal justice agencies, ensuring these guidelines, once formally launched this year, are implemented through trauma-informed practice.
It is important to provide examples of how the international framework can work in practice as this helps governments practically understand how they can drive forward better implementation of the Palermo Protocol.
Kaleidoscope Justice
Phillipa Roberts concluded the intervention by emphasizing that justice for trafficking survivors does not necessarily mean criminal conviction. She said: “Finally, we must remember that justice, through the eyes of a survivor, is not always a conviction. It is often a kaleidoscope—a mosaic of safeguarding, recovery, remedies, accountability, and the restoration of dignity and hope.”
