Religious actors in antitrafficking: lessons from Thailand & Cambodia

This policy brief summarizes key findings from a doctoral thesis examining the role and impact offaith in antitrafficking. This research found that faith-based antitrafficking practice is distinguishedby its emphasis on protection. Moreover, faith-based organizations (FBOs) are primarily funded byfaith-based donor networks. This is in part due to secular norms which incentivize the FBOs to eitherde-emphasize their faith identity or orient themselves towards faith-based donor networks. Whilesecular-religious divides can be difficult to bridge, religion is found to be a resource rather than aproblem in the interaction with local communities in the areas where FBOs work. Based on thesefindings, it is recommended that FBOs need to balance their emphasis on protection and individualjustice with equal attention to structural causes of human trafficking; that spaces for dialogue andlearning between secular and religious actors need to be identified; and, to avoid simplified boundariesfor religion in development but continue conversations on the role of religion in specific contextand program activities.