GFEMS COVID-19 RESPONSE AND RECOVERY FUND
What We’re Seeing: Impact of COVID-19 on Victims and Vulnerable Populations
Organizations around the world are working to address the effects of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations. Victims of modern slavery faced restricted freedom of movement, isolation, and withheld wages even before the pandemic. Many now face increasingly dire situations: Online sexual exploitation of children is on the rise. Domestic workers are at increased risk of physical and sexual violence and there are reports of bonded and migrant laborers forced to walk hundreds of kilometers to their home villages after losing their jobs on construction sites. Often these migrants hardly have enough food and water to get through the day. As the Fund continues to monitor the impact of COVID-19, we anticipate more reports like these in the days and weeks ahead.
GFEMS anticipates that the pandemic will continue to expose and exacerbate vulnerabilities for victims of modern slavery and at-risk populations in at least two additional ways:
Those most vulnerable to modern slavery will face increasingly dire circumstances, potentially leading them to pursue risky migration or exploitative offers of employment.
AND
Once restrictions are lifted and economic production resumes, incentives for companies to rapidly scale up production can create demand pressure that drives exploitation and unauthorized subcontracting, exponentially increasing risk of modern slavery in supply chains.
What We’re Doing: GFEMS Emergency Response & Recovery Fund
GFEMS is acting now to address urgent needs on the ground and looking ahead to prepare for risks of increased exploitation and modern slavery through our Response and Recovery Fund.
By donating, you can support frontline efforts to protect victims of modern slavery and vulnerable populations and help us to prepare for the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on the fight against modern slavery.
“While we address urgent humanitarian needs, we must also re-evaluate social protections and supply chains, working with our public and private sector partners to prevent a future surge of exploitation and modern slavery.”
Dr. Jean Baderschneider, CEO
Your Contributions at Work
Frontline Emergency Responses
GFEMS works in geographies where precautionary measures like social distancing are often not possible and hygiene products, personal protective equipment (PPE), and medical attention are not available or are inadequate to address the needs. Many of the Fund’s partners on the ground are providing emergency services such as hygiene kits, food, medicine, rent support, and counseling services for the vulnerable populations they serve. Your contributions to GFEMS will help support activities such as:
Emergency rescues and rehabilitation services for trafficking victims
Provision of emergency financial support for families who have lost their income
Distribution of essential safety materials and PPE
Distribution of food packages
Awareness campaigns to help prevent spread of the virus
Responsible Recovery
As the economic fallout of the pandemic deepens, the global community should anticipate that millions more may fall into labor and sex trafficking in the aftermath of the crisis. The medium and long-term impacts on vulnerable populations must not be ignored. GFEMS is planning for these impacts now.
We expect that once restrictions are lifted and economic production resumes, incentives for companies to rapidly scale up production will create demand pressures that increase risks of exploitation and modern slavery in industries like construction, manufacturing, and apparel.
Your contributions to GFEMS will help prepare for these risks by supporting activities such as:
Rapid assessments of conditions on the ground to plan for likely impacts of the pandemic, and implications for populations vulnerable to modern slavery and
Development of strategies for proactive intervention and responsible recovery to confront the next wave of modern slavery.
Updates
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