More than 200 Organisations: Inhumane Deportation Rules Should be Rejected
On 11 March 2025, the European Commission presented a new proposal for a Return Regulation to replace the current Return Directive. Behind the euphemistic name, the proposal outlines coercive, traumatising, and rights-violating measures premised on an imperative of increasing deportation rates. Instead of focusing on protection, housing, healthcare and education, the Regulation is premised on punitive policies, detention centres, deportation and enforcement.
More than 200 Organisations: Inhumane Deportation Rules Should be Rejected
On 11 March 2025, the European Commission presented a new proposal for a Return Regulation to replace the current Return Directive. Behind the euphemistic name, the proposal outlines coercive, traumatising, and rights-violating measures premised on an imperative of increasing deportation rates. Instead of focusing on protection, housing, healthcare and education, the Regulation is premised on punitive policies, detention centres, deportation and enforcement.
Uphold Human Security And Human Rights, End Mass Deportations And State Repression
Please click here for the PDF version. Para leer la versión en español, dé click aquí.
GAATW stands in full solidarity with human rights advocates and organisations in the urgent call to stop the systems of securitisation, surveillance, and state-led repression that are being used across the US and beyond to criminalise migrants, immigrants and refugees, including trafficked persons.
Under the guise of national security, states are justifying mass deportations, detention and racial profiling, acts that violate fundamental rights and human dignity. In the past months, we have witnessed reports of migrants from working-class groups in the US being forcibly removed from homes, school premises and workplaces by authorities WITHOUT any due process. Many have taken the matter to social media to alert people and disseminate information about raids, checkpoints and patrols in targeted areas.[1]
Uphold Human Security And Human Rights, End Mass Deportations And State Repression
Please click here for the PDF version. Para leer la versión en español, dé click aquí.
GAATW stands in full solidarity with human rights advocates and organisations in the urgent call to stop the systems of securitisation, surveillance, and state-led repression that are being used across the US and beyond to criminalise migrants, immigrants and refugees, including trafficked persons.
Under the guise of national security, states are justifying mass deportations, detention and racial profiling, acts that violate fundamental rights and human dignity. In the past months, we have witnessed reports of migrants from working-class groups in the US being forcibly removed from homes, school premises and workplaces by authorities WITHOUT any due process. Many have taken the matter to social media to alert people and disseminate information about raids, checkpoints and patrols in targeted areas.[1]
2012 marked the second year of GAATW’s 2011-2013 activity cycle. During this year, we continued our programmes outlined in our multi-annual proposal.
Our 2011-2013 plans focus on creating and increasing spaces for civil society to influence global anti-trafficking efforts. This includes: (1) calling for accountability in anti- trafficking through the creation of an inclusive and transparent review mechanism to UNTOC, researching monitoring and evaluation methods in anti-trafficking; (2) strengthening women’s power in migration and labour processes through our work on labour exploitation, smuggling, and the impact of demand discourses on sex workers; (3) engaging with UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies as a strategy for Members to access justice (e.g. capacity-building, compiling cases); and (4) on-going communications work to produce and disseminate information within the Alliance and the broader anti-trafficking sector.
2011 marked the beginning of GAATW’s 2011-2013 activity cycle. During this year, we began many of our programmes outlined in our multi-annual proposal.
Our 2011-2013 plans focus on creating and increasing spaces for civil society to influence global anti-trafficking efforts. This includes: (1) calling for accountability in anti- trafficking through the creation of an inclusive and transparent review mechanism to UNTOC, researching monitoring and evaluation methods in anti-trafficking; (2) strengthening women’s power in migration and labour processes through our work on labour exploitation, smuggling, and the impact of demand discourses on sex workers; (3) engaging with UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies as a strategy for Members to access justice (e.g. capacity-building, compiling cases); and (4) ongoing communications work to produce and disseminate information within the Alliance and the broader anti-trafficking sector.
Instead of convening regional members meetings or global thematic meetings, IS staff spent more time working with members in specific countries. This resulted in some really good research publications that have now been disseminated widely. The round table we held on smuggling resulted in the UNOHCHR getting interested in the issue and a joint expert consultation in Geneva is being discussed. This new strategy of working closely with members and allies in their home country provided the IS with the much needed on-the ground knowledge and understanding.
2010 marked the end of GAATW’s 2008-2010 activity cycle. During this year, we completed many of the priorities we outlined at the end of 2007.
Reassessing the anti-trafficking terrain and strengthening the Alliance
During the first part of this activity cycle, there was an effort to reassess the anti-trafficking terrain and our role within the anti-trafficking arena. Over the past 3 years, there was a concerted effort to strengthen the Alliance, and the links between regional priorities and the work of the International Secretariat. In 2008-2009, GAATW held four regional consultations. In 2009-2010, GAATW organised a feminist participatory action research initiative with 12 Member Organisations and allies.
Our Alliance strengthening work also involved direct engagement with self-organised groups. GAATW has always highlighted the pivotal role of women directly affected by trafficking and/or anti-trafficking measures (such as trafficking survivors, migrant women, sex workers, rural women, women workers, and returnee migrants). Over the past few years, this has involved organising capacity-building activities, producing advocacy products, facilitating organising efforts, and providing material and educational support.
A feminist participatory action research project carried out in Thailand by the Foundation for Women, Bangkok, revealed the complexities around women’s cross border migration, entry into prostitution, sexual and other exploitations. The findings of this study were shared at an international conference in Chiang Mai in 1994. Discussions at the conference found parallels in research studies and direct assistance experiences in other countries. Participants identified problematic areas in the contemporary discourse and activism around trafficking in women. A collective decision was taken to launch the GLOBAL ALLIANCE AGAINST TRAFFIC IN WOMEN.
GAATW started her work by asking simple questions: why do women migrate, why do some of them end up in difficult situations, what indeed are the elements of trafficking, are trafficking and prostitution synonymous and what could be done so that the human rights of women who experience exploitation in migration can be protected.
The Roots of GAATW
The story of GAATW is a women’s story; it is a story of women building alliances across borders. This story also marks a moment of maturity in the feminist movement when women:
Acknowledged that the vision of global sisterhood is fraught with numerous tensions – including those of class, race, sexuality and nationality - and began to understand that they need to listen before speaking on behalf of other women;
Recognised that alliances, feminist or otherwise, are built around unequal power relationships;
Understood that solidarities for political action can only be effective if one is able to negotiate different agendas.
Many of the founding mothers of GAATW are women from the Global South who had personal experiences of migration and displacement. As politically active women, all of them had engaged with issues of violence against women, sex tourism and sexual exploitation of women in the context of armed conflict. Years of working on, or being involved with the situation of migrant women both in countries of origin and destination had led them to rethink issues of migration and trafficking. As migrant women themselves, albeit with comparatively better social privileges, they were drawn into the plight of women from their own countries in the industrialised North.
As care givers, translators, interviewers and advocates in law courts the women, who later founded GAATW, had heard the stories of their compatriots who had undertaken multiple journeys in search of their dreams. Typically, the stories were narrated by women who were in difficult situations. Promises made to them by the agents/recruiters were broken, conditions at work were unbearable, or after years of hard work, they had returned home without much financial gain. However, each story was a testimony to the women’s courage, enterprise and determination. Complex, powerful and open-ended, the stories were challenging the stereotype of the victim as well as the prevailing understanding of trafficking.
Interns at GAATW International Secretariat
GAATW Intern Programme
GAATW strives to maintain the international nature of its work through opportunities for students from different countries and regions. GAATW is committed to work for changes in the political, economic, social and legal systems and structures that contribute to the persistence of trafficking in persons and other human rights violations in the context of migratory movements for diverse purposes, including security of labour and livelihood. GAATW supports the sharing of knowledge, working experiences and working methodologies amongst its members and allies, in order to enhance the efficiency of collective anti-trafficking activities.
The GAATW-IS receives a large number of enquiries and expressions of interest from people wanting to volunteer or take up an internship programme.
Interns:
GAATW-IS offers internships as a possibility to learn and gain practical experience for students or recent graduates. An internship can complement academic experience by linking theory and practice in one of our areas of work communications, documentation, research and advocacy.
To support this approach, interns need to have a clear research and documentation project to work on in addition to the work assigned to them by the supervising staff member. The project can be initiated by the intern or it can be developed in consultation with the International Coordinator of GAATW. In any case, the project will need to be in line with GAATW's strategic goals and current programme priorities.
GAATW-IS considers internships as an agreement of mutual interest: GAATW-IS gains support to its ongoing work through the intern’s assistance and the intern gains experience working in the field and developing their own project.
Also in support of this ideal, GAATW-IS strongly encourages interns to seek academic credit, external scholarship or funding opportunities for their internships. Structured supervision can be arranged for the intern in line with her/his university’s requirement and GAATW’s personnel policies, and support with applications for funding can be offered. GAATW-IS currently does not have the resources to provide a stipend or salary to interns.
Interested persons are requested to apply in response to a posted call for internships on this website. Position announcements will include more information on what should be included in the application.
Interested persons may apply on their own initiative by emailing a letter of interest and a resume to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; such applications will be kept on file until a new announcement is posted, but we do not guarantee that such applications will be considered for future openings.
GAATW-IS receives a lot of internship applications, but is only able to offer 1-2 internships per year.
Other opportunities: Intern with GAATW Members
We have been receiving applications from graduate students who would like to do hands-on work for organisations providing direct support services. As the International Secretariat of an Alliance, we take the initiative to referring some applications to our Thailand-based members or other member organisations who have the capacity to take in interns.
What do previous interns say about the Programme?
As an intern for GAATW-IS, I worked on an exciting project that aims to increase access to justice for South Asian migrant workers in the Middle East. This contributed to my understanding of the international legal framework that governs the rights of workers, as well as the obligations state parties have to combat human trafficking under the UN Trafficking Protocol. The staff at GAATW is truly supportive and a wonderful team to work with. Katya Richardson, Juris Doctor Candidate, Western University May-August 2015
I received valuable knowledge not just from individual projects but from previously produced materials from GAATW. Every member of GAATW-IS welcomed me into their team very warmly. They explained their expectations of my participation very clearly while also providing as much freedom and time as I needed for my own fieldwork. They provided me with my own desk and every tool I needed to conduct my internship and my own research. They made me feel very involved in their progressive work. Mark Kim, York University May-August 2014
As a research intern with GAATW-IS I was trusted with the making of a GAATW Working Paper relating to the theme: Borders between trafficking and migration. The process involved field research in the Philippines, review of relevant literature and interviews via social media. The internship resulted in a working paper “Au Pair – Challenges to Safe Migration and Decent Work”, which can be downloaded from GAATW’s web-page.Being a research intern with GAATW requires being able to work independently with limited supervision and guidance and being very clear on one’s own wishes and expectations to the internship program. To such a person I can warmly recommend the internship position with GAATW. Agnete Kjaer June-August 2013
Frequently Asked Questions
How to apply for GAATW’s Internship Programme:
All prospective interns are requested to visit the GAATW website and read the relevant information such as the Basic Principles, Mission Statement, and our current strategic priorities.
Applications are received and reviewed according to internship programme announcements. Please check the call for applications for deadlines and requirements before applying.
If there is not an open call for applications, interested persons can send us a letter of motivation, resume and a short writing sample (1-3 pages) to be placed on file.
For all applications, GAATW-IS asks for a clear and concise application to help us make a decision and expedite the process. We encourage you to share with us your main motivation behind wanting to pursue an internship programme with GAATW-IS, specify the skills and experience which you have that might be useful for our work and tell us the timeframe which is suitable for you.
Send your application to GAATW-IS at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please note that interns are personally responsible for obtaining their visa at the Thai Embassy or Consulate in the country of their nationality/residence. Visa matters are handled solely by the Thai Government through their representations abroad. Usually, prospective interns are granted non-immigrant O visa for 3 or 6 months.
What will I learn and take away from this experience?
The aim of our internship programme is to offer learning experience through exposure to the GAATW programme work. You will work together with a multi-cultural team, gain knowledge and skills in supporting the actual and daily work of GAATW-IS and have the possibility to share and discuss your creative ideas, academic thinking and research experience with the GAATW-IS.
How long is the Internship?
The minimum period of internship is 3 months and the maximum is 6 months.
Is the internship paid?
GAATW does not remunerate interns in any way. All costs related to an intern's participation in the programme must be borne by the applicant who will have to make his/her own arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation, etc. We encourage prospective interns to apply for student grants beforehand and are happy to assist with such applications. We also encourage interns to seek academic credit for internships.
However, if there are costs incurred by an intern/volunteer in as part of his/her function at the International Secretariat, s/he shall be reimbursed by the GAATW Finance Officer under the same rules as costs reimbursed to full-time staff members.
[1] GAATW-IS asks for volunteers only in cases of specific occasions, such as big events. Calls might be released on these occasions. Apart from this we are not able to respond to applications.
Volunteers and Interns at GAATW International Secretariat
GAATW Intern/Volunteer Program
GAATW strives to maintain the international nature of its work through opportunities for students/volunteers from different countries and regions. GAATW is committed to work for changes in the political, economic, social and legal systems and structures which contribute to the persistence of trafficking in persons and other human rights violations in the context of migratory movements for diverse purposes, including security of labour and livelihood. GAATW supports the sharing of knowledge, working experiences and working methodologies amongst its members and allies, in order to enhance the efficiency of collective anti-trafficking activities. If you are interested in joining the GAATW-International Secretariat (GAATW-IS) as an intern you will enhance the work and advocacy of GAATW so it reaches across regions.
The GAATW International Secretariat (IS) receives a large number of enquiries and expressions of interest from people wanting to volunteer or take up an internship programme. Volunteers & Interns: Although many people seem to be using these two terms synonymously we make a clear distinction between the two.
The Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW) is a network of non-governmental organisations from all regions of the world, who share a deep concern for the women, children and men whose human rights have been violated by the criminal practice of human trafficking.
GAATW is committed to work for changes in the political, economic, social and legal systems and structures which contribute to the persistence of trafficking in persons and other human rights violations in the context of migratory movements for diverse purposes, including security of labour and livelihood. In particular, GAATW addresses the diverse issues arising from the trafficking in persons as currently defined in the Palermo Protocol. Within this framework, it addresses the core aspects of trafficking in persons: forced labour and services in all sectors of the formal and informal economy as well as the public and private organisation of work. Furthermore, GAATW promotes and defends the rights and safety of all migrants and their families against the threats of an increasingly globalised and informal labour market.
Principles
GAATW applies a Human Rights Based Approach to address trafficking issues, which means:
Centring the human rights of trafficked persons and those in vulnerable situations, in all anti-trafficking activities
Acknowledging the equality of all persons to exercise, defend and promote their inherent, universal and indivisible human rights
Non-discrimination on any grounds, including – singly or in combination - race, ethnicity, descent, sexual orientation or gender identity, religion, gender, age, migrant status, national or social origin, birth or other status, or occupation (including work in the informal sectors such as domestic work, sex work, etc.)
Primacy of the principles of accountability, participation and inclusivity/non-discrimination in working methodologies, and organisational structures and procedures. In this respect, self-representation and organisation of those directly affected by trafficking are strongly encouraged and supported.
GAATW supports the sharing of knowledge, working experiences and working methodologies amongst its members, in order to enhance the effectiveness of collective anti-trafficking activities.
GAATW welcomes co-operation with all organisations, agencies or persons who share its principles.
GAATW is organisationally independent and will refrain from any party political, governmental, commercial or religious affiliations. However, members are autonomous and free to enter into affiliations of their choice, as long as these are not contradictory to GAATW's Basic Principles.
