In 1997, GAATW-Canada, a GAATW member, hosted the first North American Regional Consultative Forum on Trafficking in Women and organised an Asia-Pacific consultation on sex work in Bangkok, aimed at developing a human rights approach in line with the emerging sex workers rights movement. Reports from these consultations were published as "Whores, Maids & Wives: Making Links" (1998) and "Moving the Whore Stigma" (1997).
GAATW’s First International Advocacy
The 1990s brought hope for feminist movements that used multilateralism and the UN system to pursue social justice. GAATW and allies pushed for a new international human rights instrument on trafficking, which acknowledged the socio-economic realities of globalisation and prioritised the rights of trafficked women and children.
The global advocacy for human rights provisions within a crime control instrument was an important experience for Alliance members. GAATW and allies formed a Human Rights Caucus and lobbied hard for strong human rights protection for trafficked persons. GAATW’s Human Rights Standards for the Treatment of Trafficked Persons was used as a lobby tool to convince states that trafficked people needed rights protection and must not be treated as criminals for having violated immigration laws of the countries into which they were trafficked. Their efforts contributed to the broadening of the definition of trafficking beyond the sex work sector, by distinguishing between forced and voluntary prostitution, and emphasises that exploitation is derived from the working conditions.
However these negotiations revealed divisions among feminists regarding prostitution/sex work, with some advocating for stronger measures against it, while GAATW and allies emphasised recognising sex workers' rights and delinking prostitution from trafficking.
Soon after the adoption of the UNTOC, GAATW worked with members on national policy advocacy and used the Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking published by the OHCHR to lobby for stronger human rights protection for trafficked persons.
Towards Greater Accountability, Assessing Human Rights Impact of Anti-Trafficking Initiatives
At the 10th Anniversary Members Congress in 2004, many founding members and old allies of GAATW expressed concern that the crime control elements of anti-trafficking policies were violating the human rights of working-class migrants and sex workers. An eight-country study was carried out and in 2007 we launched Collateral Damage: The Impact of Anti-Trafficking Measures on Human Rights around the World, which exposed the negative impacts that anti-trafficking measures have on the human rights of migrants, trafficked persons, and sex workers around the world.
During 2008-2010, GAATW members engaged in advocacy for a ‘Victim-centred Review Mechanism’ to the UNTOC and its Trafficking Protocol that would engage with CSOs and trafficked persons to review state action. Sadly, despite a decade of GAATW’s advocacy on this issue, the unwillingness of many countries to commit to rigorous peer review mechanisms led to a very formal but very weak UNTOC Review Mechanism with little opportunity for meaningful CSO intervention.
GAATW has not only demanded accountability from states, but members of the alliance have also periodically gone through participatory reflective processes to look into their own practices. GAATW members from around the world have taken part in various GAATW FPAR initiatives to reflect on their own work in the areas of psycho-social assistance, access to justice and prevention of trafficking. These analyses led to more careful focus on the holistic wellbeing of trafficked persons, the utilisation of non-legal frameworks for accessing justice and a collective assessment of prevention initiatives.
Defending The Rights Of Women On The Move
GAATW has a long history of advocating for women’s right to work and mobility as part of its broader anti-trafficking efforts. Over the years, GAATW has developed several projects with women migrants that have contributed to strategic influence and collective action as an Alliance.
In 1997, a joint international research report by GAATW and the Dutch Foundation Against Trafficking was perhaps the first anti-trafficking study to point out that repressive migration policies such as strict border controls and mass deportation of undocumented migrants are ineffective measures. The report called for simpler immigration procedures and stronger rights protection for migrants regardless of their legal status. Along with other human rights activists, GAATW lobbied for a nuanced understanding of ‘irregular migration’, which led state representatives from the Asia-Pacific region to sign the Bangkok Declaration on Irregular Migration in 1999. The same year, a handbook was released as part of GAATW’s campaign to promote safe migration and fair working conditions.