HIGHLIGHTS

• There is great potential for innovative, low-cost, behavioral interventions to increase the effectiveness of anti-trafficking programs.
• Our four-day virtual masterclass on “Utilizing Behavioral Science for Disrupting Human Trafficking and Protecting Migrants” introduced applied behavioral design to anti-trafficking practitioners and provided best-practice applications.

The Challenge

There is a gap in the application of behavioral science methodologies to address human trafficking and better support victims. As with other complex policy issues, observed outcomes of anti-trafficking efforts (e.g., the identification of victims of trafficking, the referral of victims to services, etc.) result from the decisions and actions of several individuals within the broader ecosystem. 

Our Approach

The anti-human trafficking field would benefit from capacity building in behavioral science to understand impact limiting behavioral barriers and develop behavior-change solutions. By expanding the toolkit available to practitioners, there is potential for innovative, low-cost interventions to increase the effectiveness of anti-trafficking programs.

With this goal in mind, ideas42 hosted a four-day masterclass on “Utilizing Behavioral Science for Disrupting Human Trafficking and Protecting Migrants.” The masterclass was held virtually and attended by approximately 40 anti-trafficking professionals from around the world. The masterclass content included the following:

1. An introduction to applied behavioral design: practitioners learned about behavioral science as a theoretical frame for analyzing policy problems.
2. Training in ideas42’s DDDTS methodology: training included lectures in applying a behavioral lens to problem solving, diagnosing behavioral barriers, creating behaviorally informed solutions, and utilizing best practices for testing.
3. Interactive breakout sessions and individual exercises to apply the learnings to their work in real-time.

Results

The masterclass increased awareness and enthusiasm for behavioral science applications to anti-human trafficking topics. Additionally, it allowed ideas42 to establish a partnership with three anti-human trafficking organizations for continued collaboration.

Takeaway

There is a substantial interest among anti-trafficking professionals to apply behavioral insights to reducing human trafficking and protecting migrants. Moreover, given the funding constraints in this field, there is immense potential value in the application of behavioral insights to develop low-cost, light-touch solutions.

Interested in learning more about this work applying behavioral science to a crucial social problem? Reach out to us at info@ideas42.org or tweet at @ideas42 to join the conversation.