The Program on Human Trafficking and Forced Labor launched its Rights Work initiative in 2011 to challenge existing discourses on human trafficking and forced labor for the purpose of ensuring that critical national and global debates, policies, and responses were well-grounded within a human rights and evidence-based framework. Rights Work sought to address research gaps and facilitate debates about ‘what works.’ After over a decade of programs to combat human trafficking into forced labor, very little reliable evidence exists on the question of which interventions work, which do harm and which are ineffective. Trafficking narratives abound, but they mainly rely upon conventional myths and stereotypes about the problem. Rights Works aimed to counter this trend through innovative in-country evaluations of existing programs and on-line discussions about critical issues from an evidence and rights-based perspective.

For more information about this program, please contact humlaw@wcl.american.edu.