The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is tapping tech-savvy students to combat one of the most complex human rights issues of the 21st Century – human trafficking.
On Wednesday, October 24, the agency launched ChallengeSlavery.org, its Counter Trafficking in Persons (C-TIP) Campus Challenge. The initiative calls on university students to develop creative technology solutions to prevent human trafficking, to enable victims to escape from traffickers, and to assist survivors in recovering from trauma so that they can lead productive lives.
CCLP Research director Mark Latonero will moderate the second in a series of online forums on ChallengeSlavery.org as part of the initial USAID open source initiative to combat modern day slavery.
The discussion topic is outlined as follows:
Traffickers use technology to recruit and exploit victims. How can we use technology in a positive, proactive way to prevent trafficking, help rescue victims, and provide assistance to survivors?
The Center on Communication Leadership & Policy will participant in this innovative interactive forum as a part of our continued Technology & Human Trafficking initiative, which studies the current use and broader implementation of information communication technologies in the international fight against human trafficking and modern slavery.
Latonero’s participation comes as the center prepares to release its second Human Trafficking Online report, which will foster further dialogue about the role that the Internet and mobile devices are playing in facilitating, yet also combating, human trafficking.
College and university students in the United States and abroad are invited to participate in the interactive discussion with research director Latonero by clicking through the following link: Using Technology to Combat TIP
ChallengeSlavery.org is a new USAID project to inspire activism in combating trafficking on campuses in the United States and overseas.