Cross-Border Strategies to Prevent Human Trafficking
Human trafficking crosses borders. Prevention must be able to do the same.
Across countries and communities, unsafe migration, deceptive recruitment, labour exploitation and misinformation can leave people vulnerable long before trafficking becomes visible. These realities are reflected in the Congregation of Jesus’ 2025 Position Paper on Migration, Labour Exploitation, and Human Trafficking, which brings together experiences from different regions and calls for stronger collaboration between local action and global advocacy.
This commitment to working together was at the heart of Cross-Border Strategies to Prevent Human Trafficking, an ancillary event of the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.
The gathering brought together people working in Canada, Mexico, India, Indonesia and international anti-trafficking networks, sharing different perspectives on one common question: How can we reach people earlier, strengthen prevention and better protect human dignity across borders?
Imelda Poole, CJ, President of the Mary Ward Loreto Foundation in Albania, helped guide a conversation grounded in experience from communities around the world.
Cynthia Moreno, Protection Consul of the Consulate of Mexico in Toronto, highlighted the challenges migrant workers can face when recruitment and exploitation span countries. Her contribution underscored the importance of cooperation between consulates, authorities and community organizations when the risks themselves are transnational.
From India, Nabanita Shome, Associate Director of Kolkata Mary Ward Social Center, shared how prevention can begin within communities. Working with young people, families, government networks and law enforcement, her team helps identify risks early and strengthen local systems of protection.
Here in Canada, Eva Rodriguez-Diaz, Program Manager, Migration, Labour Exploitation and Human Trafficking at the Mary Ward Centre, spoke about misinformation and fraudulent recruitment. Through education, outreach and trusted communication, the Centre works to help migrant and temporary foreign workers understand their rights and recognize potential risks before exploitation occurs.
Fransiska Imakulata SSpS, Director of Tim Relawan Untuk Kemanusiaan Flores (TRUK F) in Indonesia, reminded participants that protection continues beyond rescue. Legal and psychosocial support, accompaniment and community networks all play a role in helping people rebuild their lives with dignity.
Bringing a wider international perspective, Abby Avelino, M.M., International Coordinator of Talitha Kum, emphasized the value of strong networks across countries and the importance of listening to young people and survivors when shaping prevention strategies.
Although the contexts were different, a common message ran through the conversation: preventing human trafficking depends on relationships, trusted information and people working together.
A consulate can help someone navigate an unsafe situation. A young person can recognize a warning sign. A community organization can share reliable information. A local ministry can accompany someone at risk. An international network can connect these experiences and bring them into wider conversations.
This is also part of the approach reflected in the Congregation of Jesus’ global work on migration, labour exploitation and human trafficking: local experience informing wider advocacy, while international collaboration strengthens the work happening in communities.
At the Mary Ward Centre, we believe that education, information-sharing, advocacy and collaboration are essential to preventing exploitation and advancing the equitable treatment of migrants and other marginalized people. Prevention means more than raising awareness; it means helping people access trusted information, recognize risks and understand their rights before harm occurs.
No single organization or country can address human trafficking alone. But when people share knowledge, listen to one another and connect their efforts across borders, there are more opportunities to act earlier, strengthen protection and uphold the dignity and rights of every person.
Watch the webinar
Continue the conversation by watching the recording of Cross-Border Strategies to Prevent Human Trafficking.
Event partners: Loreto Generalate NGO to the United Nations, VIVAT International, Mary Ward Centre Toronto, and Kolkata Mary Ward Social Centre.
Human trafficking crosses borders. So can solidarity, knowledge and action.
#CongregationOfJesus #MaryWard #HumanTrafficking #EndHumanTrafficking #LabourExploitation #Migration #HumanRights #SocialJustice #FaithInAction #JusticeAndPeace #GlobalJustice #CrossBorderCollaboration #Prevention #Advocacy #UnitedNations #TalithaKum #MaryWardCentre #DignityForAll #SafeMigration #WorkingTogether
Developed by the Mary Ward Centre with AI-assisted editorial support.
