Dear friends,
Warm greetings from the GAATW International Secretariat.
As we approach year-end, we would like to pause and reflect on our work against the backdrop of the global crisis and the state of human rights worldwide. Across regions, there have been growing concerns around restrictive asylum policies, externalisation of borders, the return directive for undocumented migrants, and the rise in right-wing politics. These crises are often marked by displacement, conflict, unfair labour systems and the systemic erosion of labour and social protections, which heighten vulnerability to trafficking and severe exploitation. Traditional policy advocacy spaces have become problematic or futile at best. Many states have increasingly fallen silent on the rights of migrants and trafficked persons. At this critical moment, it is crucial to strengthen solidarity and mutual support across movements by creating alternative spaces for strategic discussion.