“Strengthening Government and CSO Capacity to Combat Trafficking in Persons and Create Greater Impact” (IMPACT) aims to strengthen national and local/community level capacities and scale up community driven responses to effectively combat and respond to trafficking in persons (TIP). 

Since 2020, national responses have deteriorated, with detection rates dropping globally by 11% and convictions by 27%. The COVID-19 pandemic furthermore changed the characteristics of human trafficking, pushing it further underground and away from the public eye, and consequently increasing the dangers to victims. The complexity of the crime, the difficulty in identifying victims, challenges in prosecuting perpetrators and the ever-changing nature of the crime itself requires a more collective and comprehensive response from the government, civil society, private sector, and other stakeholders.  

As coordination mechanisms and strategies (procedural and legal) are assessed, reviewed, upgraded, and operationalized at national level and in selected districts, Sarvodaya in its capacity as a non-governmental stakeholder in the IMPACT project is empowered to prevent, identify, and report victims of trafficking as well as provide access to them for direct assistance provision and systemized services.

The IMPACT project will contribute to the effective implementation of the National Strategic Action Plan (NSAP 2021-2025) to Monitor and Combat human trafficking, and will increase the understanding of trafficking in persons, enhancing victim identification and provision of protection services, and implementing a reporting and referral mechanism from the village to the central government levels.