Events

International Conference on Trafficking in Persons

25 Years of Global Action Against Trafficking in Persons: Achievements, Changing Trends, Emerging Challenges and New Directions for Human Rights Protection

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION & CALL FOR PAPERS

The Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO), in collaboration with the Institute of Social & Cultural Studies (ISCS), University of the Punjab, is pleased to announce an International Conference on Trafficking in Persons under the theme:

"25 Years of Global Action Against Trafficking in Persons: Achievements, Changing Trends, Emerging Challenges and New Directions for Human Rights Protection"

The conference will be held on 9–10 December 2026 at Islamabad, Pakistan and will bring together leading academics, researchers, policymakers, parliamentarians, law enforcement and criminal justice professionals, migration experts, international organizations, civil society representatives, development partners, students, and human rights practitioners from Pakistan and abroad to participate as audience and as contributors through panel discussions, working groups and presenting research paper.

Background

The year 2026 marks twenty-five years of global action against trafficking in persons, following the adoption in 2000 of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (Palermo Protocol). Over the past quarter century, these instruments have established the foundation for international cooperation against trafficking as both a serious transnational crime and a grave human rights violation.

Significant progress has been achieved. Governments have strengthened anti-trafficking legislation, national action plans, specialized institutions and law-enforcement capacities, while international organizations, civil society and academia have contributed to prevention, victim identification, protection, prosecution and rehabilitation. The U.S. Department of State's annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, published since 2001, has become an important global mechanism for assessing government efforts, highlighting progress and shortcomings, and encouraging stronger action. The UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 5.2 and SDG 8.7, and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration have further reinforced global commitments to eliminate trafficking, forced labour and exploitation.

Despite these advances, trafficking continues to evolve. Criminal networks increasingly exploit digital platforms, social media, online recruitment, technology, labour migration systems, humanitarian crises, conflict, climate-induced displacement, poverty and irregular migration routes. Emerging forms of exploitation, including technology-facilitated trafficking and forced criminality, present new challenges for victim identification, investigation and prosecution.

At the same time, increasingly complex migration patterns have highlighted the importance of effective migration governance and the prevention of Smuggling of Migrants (SOM). Although TIP and SOM are legally distinct crimes, migrants using irregular routes can face heightened risks of violence, abuse and exploitation and, in some circumstances, may become victims of trafficking during their journey or at destination. Limited safe and regular migration pathways, unethical recruitment practices, weak governance and reliance on informal intermediaries can further increase these vulnerabilities.

The global response also continues to face challenges in implementation, victim protection, access to justice, prosecution, data availability, inter-agency coordination, resources, and sustainable rehabilitation and reintegration. The gap between strong legal frameworks and effective implementation remains a concern in many countries.

The conference therefore seeks to critically reflect on 25 years of global action, its achievements, lessons and remaining gaps, while identifying new directions for the next phase of anti-trafficking efforts. It will examine the interconnected dimensions of TIP, migration governance, SOM, safe migration, labour mobility, organized crime, technology, human rights and sustainable reintegration, bringing together academia, policymakers, law enforcement, international organizations, civil society and practitioners from Pakistan and abroad to develop evidence-based and forward-looking solutions.

Conference Objectives

The conference aims to provide a critical, evidence-based and forward-looking platform to reflect on the evolution of the global response to trafficking in persons and to shape priorities for the next phase of international action. Specifically, the conference will:

• Reflect on the evolution of the global response to trafficking in persons over the past 25 years by assessing achievements, legal and institutional developments, lessons learned, persistent challenges, and the effectiveness of international commitments, while identifying future priorities for stronger, evidence-based and human rights-centred action.
• Examine emerging trends and the evolving nexus between trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants, irregular migration and migration governance by exploring new forms of exploitation, technology-facilitated trafficking, migration-related vulnerabilities, and promoting safe, orderly and regular migration alongside ethical recruitment as key preventive strategies.
• Strengthen policy, institutional and operational responses to trafficking in persons by assessing the effectiveness of prevention, protection, prosecution and partnerships; identifying legislative, institutional and coordination gaps; promoting survivor-centred, gender-responsive and child-sensitive approaches; and advancing regional and international cooperation to combat transnational trafficking networks.
• Promote evidence-based research, innovation and international knowledge exchange by providing a global platform for researchers, policymakers and practitioners to share empirical evidence, comparative experiences and innovative practices, and to contribute to a forward-looking global research and policy agenda that addresses the structural drivers of trafficking and exploitation.

Conference Themes

Submissions are invited around, but not limited to, the following themes:

A. Trafficking in Persons: Global Progress and Emerging Trends

• Twenty-five years of the Palermo Protocol: achievements, lessons learned and future directions
• Twenty-five years of the US Annual TIP Report: contributions in achieving state parties the status of anti-TIP regimes, lessons learned and future directions
• Emerging global and reginal trends and evolving forms of trafficking in persons
• Technology-facilitated trafficking, cyber recruitment and online exploitation
• Trafficking for forced labour, sexual exploitation, domestic servitude and forced criminality
• Child trafficking and exploitation
• Gender dimensions of trafficking and protection of women and girls

B. Migration Governance and Smuggling of Migrants

• Migration governance and protection of migrants in an increasingly complex mobility environment
• Smuggling of Migrants (SOM): emerging trends, routes and transnational criminal networks
• The nexus between SOM and TIP: vulnerabilities, exploitation pathways and transitions from smuggling to trafficking
• Distinguishing trafficking in persons from smuggling of migrants: legal, operational and policy challenges
• Irregular migration and protection risks
• Safe, orderly and regular migration as a strategy for reducing trafficking vulnerabilities
• Ethical labour migration, fair recruitment and prevention of exploitation
• Border governance and cross-border cooperation
• Return, readmission and sustainable reintegration of migrants and trafficking survivors

C. Human Rights, Protection and Justice

• Human rights-based and survivor-centred approaches
• Victim identification, referral and protection
• Access to justice, compensation and legal assistance
• Rehabilitation and sustainable reintegration
• Protection of refugees, asylum seekers, displaced persons and other vulnerable populations
• Gender-responsive and child-sensitive anti-trafficking responses

D. Criminal Justice and Institutional Responses

• Legislative reforms and implementation of anti-trafficking laws
• Parliamentary oversight and institutional accountability
• Investigation and prosecution of trafficking and migrant smuggling networks
• Financial investigations, illicit financial flows and asset recovery
• International mutual legal assistance and cross-border cooperation
• Whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches

E. Emerging Drivers and Vulnerabilities

• Climate change, disasters, conflict and displacement
• Poverty, inequality and lack of economic opportunities
• Humanitarian crises and trafficking risks
• Digital technologies, social media and online recruitment
• Artificial intelligence and emerging technologies
• Labour market vulnerabilities and exploitative recruitment practices

F. Prevention, Research and Innovation

• Community-based prevention strategies
• Behavioural change communication and public awareness
• Youth engagement and education
• Data, research and evidence-based policymaking
• Role of academia and interdisciplinary research
• Media and responsible reporting on trafficking and migration
• Public-private partnerships
• Regional and international cooperation

CALL FOR PAPERS

The organizers invite researchers, academics, practitioners, policymakers, parliamentarians, migration and human rights experts, law enforcement and criminal justice professionals, students, civil society representatives, and other relevant professionals from Pakistan and abroad to submit proposals for presentation at the conference.

The Call for Papers seeks to bring together diverse academic, policy and practitioner perspectives and create a substantive exchange between research and practice. Contributors may propose a paper addressing any of the conference themes outlined above or another closely related issue concerning trafficking in persons (TIP), migration governance, smuggling of migrants (SOM), safe and regular migration, human rights protection, labour mobility, victim protection, or transnational organized crime.

The organizers particularly welcome submissions that generate new knowledge, challenge existing assumptions, document emerging practices, or offer practical and evidence-based solutions to contemporary trafficking and migration challenges.

Submissions are particularly encouraged on:

• Empirical findings that contribute new evidence to the understanding of trafficking, migrant smuggling, exploitation and related vulnerabilities.
• New datasets, data-driven analysis and comparative research, including national, regional and cross-country perspectives.
• Policy research and legislative analysis examining the effectiveness of laws, policies, institutional frameworks and international commitments.
• Case studies and lessons learned from government, law enforcement, civil society, international organizations and field-based interventions.
• Research on the TIP–SOM nexus, including the vulnerability of migrants using irregular routes to exploitation and trafficking.
• Migration governance and safe migration approaches, including ethical recruitment, regular migration pathways, border governance, return and sustainable reintegration.
• Innovative approaches, models and interventions for prevention, victim identification, protection, prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration.
• Technology and digital dimensions of trafficking, including online recruitment, social media exploitation, technology-enabled criminal networks and emerging technological risks.
• Cross-country, regional or international comparisons highlighting differences, good practices and transferable lessons.
• Practitioner and survivor-informed perspectives, drawing on field experience, operational challenges and evidence from implementation.
• Analysis of emerging trends and future scenarios, including the implications of climate change, conflict, displacement, economic vulnerability and technological change.
• Human rights-based, gender-responsive and child-sensitive approaches to preventing trafficking and protecting vulnerable populations.
• Institutional coordination and international cooperation, including investigation, prosecution, information sharing, mutual legal assistance and cross-border responses.
• Recommendations for legislative, policy and institutional reform aimed at strengthening national, regional and global responses to trafficking and exploitation.

The conference particularly encourages interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary submissions that connect trafficking in persons with broader questions of migration, development, labour, human rights, technology, organized crime, governance and social protection.

Contributions may be conceptual, empirical, comparative, policy-oriented or practice-based, provided that they make a clear and substantive contribution to the conference theme and its objective of shaping the next 25 years of global action against trafficking in persons.

Who Can Submit?

The Call for Papers is open to national and international participants with related experience and interest.

Registration Fee:

International Participants: USD 300

National Participants (Pakistan): PKR 5,000

The registration fee includes participation in all conference sessions, presenting and publishing papers, conference materials, and meals for the duration of the conference. The accommodation will be provided to participant on need basis and subject to available resources.

CALL FOR CONFERENCE PARTICIPATION

Participation in the conference is open to interested aspirants from Pakistan and abroad.

Individuals who wish to attend the conference without presenting a paper are also required to submit an application for participation.

Interested applicants may apply under either of the following categories:

Category 1 – Paper Presenter

For applicants wishing to present a research paper, policy paper, case study or other scholarly/practitioner contribution.

Submission Process

Applicants wishing to present a paper should submit an Abstract containing:

Registration Form

Proposals should clearly identify the research question/problem, methodology or analytical approach, key findings or arguments, and relevance to the conference theme.

Category 2 – Conference Participant

For applicants wishing to attend the conference, participate in discussions, network with experts and contribute to thematic sessions without presenting a paper.

Applicants may indicate their preferred category in the application form.

Application Process

All prospective participants and paper presenters are required to complete the Online Conference Application Form.

Registration Form

For International Applicants

International applicants selected for participation will receive an official confirmation/invitation letter from the organizers, subject to the applicable conference participation and visa requirements.

Participants are responsible for ensuring that they meet all applicable visa, travel, immigration and entry requirements. Further information concerning participation arrangements will be communicated to selected applicants.

Important Dates

Activity Deadline

Opening of Call for Papers & Participation: September 1, 2026

Deadline for Abstract/Proposal Submission: September 30th, 2026

Notification of Abstract Selection: September 30th, 2026

Deadline for Conference Registration: October 15, 2026

Submission of Full Papers: October 30, 2026

International Conference: 9–10 December 2026

The organizers reserve the right to revise the above dates, if necessary.

Why Participate?

The International Conference offers a unique opportunity for participants from Pakistan and around the world to engage in a high-level, multidisciplinary dialogue on the past, present and future of global action against trafficking in persons. Participants will have the opportunity to:

• Present research, evidence and field-based insights to an international audience of academics, policymakers, practitioners and subject-matter experts.
• Engage directly with policymakers and practitioners from government, parliament, law enforcement, criminal justice institutions, international organizations, civil society and academia.
• Exchange knowledge, experiences and good practices across countries, regions and professional disciplines.
• Explore the evolving nexus between TIP, SOM and migration governance, including the challenges and opportunities associated with safe, orderly and regular migration.
• Build national, regional and international professional networks and develop opportunities for future research, institutional partnerships and collaborative initiatives.
• Gain exposure to emerging research and innovative practices addressing technology-facilitated trafficking, irregular migration, labour exploitation, victim protection and transnational organized crime.
• Contribute to shaping future policy and research agendas by sharing evidence, identifying gaps and proposing practical and forward-looking solutions.
• Contribute to global learning and knowledge generation on effective approaches to prevention, protection, prosecution, partnership, international cooperation, rehabilitation and sustainable reintegration.
• Contribute to a global dialogue on human rights and safe migration, with particular emphasis on protecting vulnerable migrants and preventing exploitation throughout the migration cycle.
• Shape the next 25 years of global action against trafficking in persons by contributing research, policy perspectives and practical recommendations to a forward-looking international agenda.

Join the Global Dialogue

Twenty-five years of global action against trafficking in persons have demonstrated that legislation alone cannot eliminate trafficking. Effective responses require strong institutions, informed migration governance, safe migration pathways, international cooperation, evidence-based policies, empowered communities, responsible recruitment systems, and meaningful protection for victims and vulnerable migrants.

The International Conference on Trafficking in Persons will provide a platform to look beyond the achievements of the past twenty-five years and ask a critical question:

What should the next twenty-five years of global action against trafficking in persons look like?

SSDO and ISCS invite researchers, policymakers, practitioners, academics, students, civil society organizations, international partners and other stakeholders from Pakistan and around the world to submit their proposals, apply to present their research, and join this important international conversation.

9–10 December 2026, at Islamabad Pakistan

Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO)

Institute of Social & Cultural Studies (ISCS), University of the Punjab

Advancing Research | Strengthening Partnerships | Promoting Safe Migration | Protecting Human Rights | Ending Trafficking