Program to End Modern Slavery (PEMS)

Program to End Modern Slavery (PEMS) is sponsored by U.S. Department of State, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP Office). PEMS funds research and implementation projects to measurably reduce human trafficking, with a focus on five priority areas, including financial inclusion. The program encourages partnerships to advance its goals.

The Program to End Modern Slavery (PEMS) is pioneering approaches to combat human trafficking by combining cutting-edge research with targeted programming to rigorously test prevalence research methods and the effectiveness of human trafficking interventions.

The primary goal of PEMS-funded interventions is to show a measurable reduction in human trafficking within the specific countries and geographic areas, industries, or populations where PEMS programs operate.

There is often a lack of established evidence on what types of programs work best to reduce specific forms of human trafficking, coupled with uncertain estimates about how many individuals might be experiencing trafficking within a given population.

PEMS projects include baseline quantitative and qualitative research to inform program design, understand the trafficking context, and contribute to the growing field of rigorous research on human trafficking. After PEMS programming concludes, projects assess the outcomes of interventions to build the evidence base of what activities effectively reduce human trafficking around the world.

The PEMS program began in 2017 and has funded $200 million in programming to date. ### Ongoing Program and Research | Intervention Development Research and Developmental Evaluation In September 2023, the TIP Office issued awards to apply Intervention Development Research (IDR) to better understand, design and test potential interventions for under-studied and complex human trafficking scenarios.

The selected projects are conducting rigorous research into the context in which the identified trafficking issue is occurring and developing a model intervention that has the potential for scale-up and adaptation for other related contexts. The TIP Office also issued an award to conduct a Developmental Evaluation across the IDR programs. **La Isla Network – Nepal****(October 2023 – September 2027)** This $3.

9 million project will design and evaluate an intervention to prevent and respond to forced labor among Nepalese labor migrants and returnees. The project will utilize advisory groups comprised of experts from the government, civil society organizations, as well as potential migrants to the Middle East, returnees, and survivors of human trafficking to develop a scalable intervention.

**Population Council – Ethiopia****(October 2023 – September 2027)** This $3. 1 million project aims to reduce human trafficking within forced begging among people with disabilities (PWD) in Ethiopia. To research and plan for the intervention development, they have conducted key informant interviews, in-depth interviews, observations, and surveys of PWD in begging.

Their intervention will be piloted and analyzed on cost and impact to assess the merits of adapting or scaling it up. They will share findings with the local community in-person and will prepare papers documenting recommendations and lessons learned. **Urban Institute – Mexico****(October 2023 – September 2026)** This $2.

4 million project aims to reduce labor trafficking vulnerability and protect forced labor survivors in some of Mexico’s most impoverished communities, from which men and boys often migrate to other parts of Mexico for agricultural work and encounter exploitation.

This project will (1) engage rural, tribal communities in a whole-system assessment to identify more effective anti-trafficking interventions that decrease reliance on jobs outside of their communities; (2) involve a trusted civil society organization with multidisciplinary expertise in sustainable community development; (3) include survivors as contributors in the research process; (4) focus on trauma-informed trafficking prevention, protection, and partnership; and (5) synthesize and disseminate findings in accessible, scalable deliverables to assist Mexican, Latin American, and other communities facing similar challenges.

#### IDR Developmental Evaluation Project **National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago (NORC)****(October 2023 – September 2027)** This $997,187 project is carrying out a developmental evaluation of the intervention development research projects identified above (benefiting Nepal, Ethiopia, and Mexico).

NORC will provide training and coaching to IDR implementers (La Isla Network, Population Council, and Urban Institute) to help strengthen their IDR methodology and monitoring, evaluation, and learning plans. In addition, NORC will synthesize and disseminate evidence on what works in developing effective IDR models in the anti-trafficking space.

NORC will support IDR implementers to build interventions that consider the complex environments in which they operate, and how people in those environments experience trafficking. ### Prevalence Reduction Innovation Forum Expansion (PRIF) In 2021, the TIP Office issued the following awards for the Prevalence Reduction Innovation Forum (PRIF) Expansion initiative.

Local organizations in Brazil, Costa Rica, Pakistan, and Tanzania are leveraging information gained from prevalence research conducted by the PEMS-funded PRIF in creating targeted programs to reduce human trafficking. Each program pairs researchers with organizations and the teams will evaluate the impact of these programs on reducing the prevalence of human trafficking. Details of each project can be found below.

**Brazil****(October 2021 – September 2025)** Freedom Fund received $1. 3 million to focus on efforts to reduce child sex trafficking in Recife and Olinda, Brazil.

This project is promoting government and civil society coordination in preventing child sex trafficking, developing and sharing evidence on the prevalence of child sex trafficking with multi-sectoral partners, who include mental health, legal, school, healthcare, and government professionals, and increasing child protection through comprehensive survivor-informed care and prevention efforts.

**(October 2021 – September 2026)** The Stanford University’s Human Trafficking Data Lab received $2 million to develop and deploy advanced technology to detect forced labor in Brazil’s charcoal industry in Pará. They have developed a tool that uses satellite imagery to detect charcoal sites in real time.

Stanford has also developed a user-friendly decision support interface software called _Bussola IA_ to deliver results of its remote detection model (along with supplementary features) to users, creating the infrastructure for sustainable nationwide scale up.

Additional aims include the development of broad multispecialty teams across mental health, education, legal and other services, to provide support for survivors and vulnerable communities. **(October 2021 – September 2025)** New York University received $1. 6 million to address forced labor in Costa Rica’s artisanal fishing sector.

NYU is working alongside local partners to address forced labor in the Gulf of Nicoya. The program focuses on capacity development to identify and safely refer possible victims of human trafficking and empower at-risk communities to know their rights and to access legal aid. **Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health** **Pakistan****(October 2021 – September 2025)** Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health received $1.

6 million to partner with local organizations to address forced labor in the brick-kiln industry within the Sindh Province of Pakistan. The project engages stakeholders to support local committees and protection mechanisms, including providing access to legal aid for those in debt bondage and case management services for brick kiln workers and their families.

**Tanzania****(October 2021 – September 2025)** New York University (NYU) received $1. 5 million to reduce forced labor among domestic workers in Tanzania.

NYU and local partners are working in Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam to reduce forced labor among domestic workers traveling to the Middle East through prevention and rights awareness trainings in vulnerable communities, pre-departure education, and follow up monitoring of workers post-departure.

The program also includes testing of other prevention approaches including provision of vocational training for prospective migrants to expand work opportunities in their home communities.

### Additional PEMS Programs **Ethiopia****(October 2019 – June 2025)** The Freedom Fund received an $11 million award to reduce the prevalence of domestic servitude among female adults and children in Ethiopia and those who have traveled to the Middle East. The Freedom Fund is working with local organizations and government stakeholders in Addis Ababa and Amhara.

**Innovations for Poverty Action** **Global****(October 2020 – September 2025)** Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) received $9. 4 million to increase the evidence base on the effectiveness of anti-trafficking interventions around the world. IPA is working with partner organizations and researchers to design and conduct impact evaluations testing the effectiveness of anti-trafficking programming.

IPA and partners regularly share the results and programming and policy implications with relevant policymakers and practitioners to inform future efforts. **International Labour Organization** **Global****(October 2022- December 2026)** The International Labour Organization (ILO) is spearheading a $5. 8 million initiative to establish standardized frameworks for measuring and understanding human trafficking and forced labor globally.

Working in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the University of Georgia (UGA), the ILO is developing operational definitions for consistent classification, rigorous methodologies for data collection, and uniform guidance for researchers and practitioners.

The ILO is also partnering with Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) to develop a prioritized global research agenda focused on identifying effective interventions. This agenda will strengthen the evidence base around “what works” in anti-trafficking efforts, directly informing program development and implementation.

The ultimate goals are to reduce human trafficking prevalence worldwide and enhance the quality and accessibility of support services for survivors. **International Labour Organization** **Brazil****(October 2024-October 2026)** The International Labour Organization (ILO) received $1. 3 million in 2024 to consolidate, expand, and disseminate _Nossa Voz_ (Our Voice), a grievance mechanism for workers in the coffee industry.

Piloted through a Global Fund to End Modern Slavery (GFEMS) award, the tool allows producers and companies in the coffee supply chain to discover information about hidden risks before they become high-risk problems.

The helpline system, which is part of the grievance mechanism, offers technology-enabled communication channels through a toll-free number and a WhatsApp Business account, which is commonly used among Brazilian workers and has been demonstrated to have maximum reach and impact. **Pan American Development Foundation** **Brazil****(October 2021 – September 2026)** Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) received a $12.

3 million award to reduce forced labor in the cattle industry in Pará, Brazil through coordinated efforts that include raising awareness, building law enforcement and employer capacity, and increasing access to victim-centered protection services. PADF is also focused on increasing government capacity to collect data, to enhance coordination among agencies, and to provide victim-centered services.

All these efforts have been tailored based on research PADF conducted to better understand the nature of forced labor in Brazil’s cattle industry. **United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime** **Brazil****(October 2021 – September 2026)** This $7. 6 million project in the Tapajós Region of Pará State, Brazil, aims to combat forced labor in the gold mining sector.

During the initial phase (October 2021 – September 2023), f our k ey studies were conducted to understand the prevalence of forced labor, economic supply chains, convergence with other crimes, and the factors affecting worker vulnerability to forced labor.

In Phase 2, UNODC is developing training programs for labor inspectors, law enforcement, and criminal justice authorities, and enhancing coordination with State and National Commissions to Eradicate Forced Labor. The project also includes livelihood programs and addresses mercury contamination and access to social services.

Recognized for following and guiding international best practices, the project continues to focus on reducing forced labor and empowering vulnerable groups through ongoing research and targeted interventions. **University of Georgia** **Global****(October 2018 – September 2025)** The University of Georgia Research Foundation (UGA) has received a total of $25. 9 million for multiple PEMS-funded projects.

UGA is working to reduce sex trafficking in Senegal and child labor trafficking in Sierra Leone by conducting targeted prevalence baselines and developing programs based on this research. UGA also partnered with academics to conduct human trafficking prevalence estimates through the Prevalence Reduction Innovation Forum (PRIF) in Brazil, Costa Rica, Morocco, Pakistan, Tanzania, and Tunisia.

The PRIF aims to build a global community of researchers focused on human trafficking prevalence estimation and documenting the efficacy of various approaches. Of this total, UGA received a $7. 4 million award to improve financial access for labor trafficking survivors and those at-risk in Zambia and Malawi, providing them with access to essential financial products and services.

This involves creating and strengthening financial savings groups for trafficking survivors and vulnerable youth seeking safer economic opportunities. The program incorporates rigorous research to measure its effectiveness and long–term impact. **Costa Rica****(October 2020 – September 2025)** The Warnath Group’s $12.

5 million project works to combat child sex trafficking in the Guanacaste and Puntarenas provinces of Costa Rica. The Warnath Group is working on prevalence measurement in these provinces and programming activities that focus on intensive training and technical assistance for Costa Rican government officials, particularly criminal justice professionals and social service providers.