As a child-focused international development organization, Plan International USA is committed to respecting, protecting, and fulfilling the rights of all people. Trafficking in Persons (TIP) is a form of modern-day slavery affecting 21 million people worldwide, with one in four victims being children. Vulnerable populations, such as migrant workers, runaway youth, and women and children living in poverty, are typical trafficking victims. Given Plan’s work with vulnerable populations around the world, our organization is in a unique position to prevent and report trafficking, as well as educate partners and communities.
Plan International USA has a zero-tolerance policy on engaging in or supporting trafficking activities. Our Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Policy provides the framework outlining the organization’s responsibility to protect all people from forced labor or human trafficking, ensuring that no one is harmed as a result of their engagement with Plan in any form.
Our policy details our responsibility to ensure we minimize risks to everyone with whom we come into contact and obligates us to report concerns we have over anyone’s safety or wellbeing. Through our TIP policy implementation framework, we aim to provide safe environments for vulnerable populations to be respected, treated without discrimination, and supported to realize their potential. The policy governs the behaviors of Plan International USA employees, volunteers, associates, and visitors, ensuring we minimize the risk to community members and have the ability to report any concerns about an individual’s welfare appropriately.
To reduce the risks for vulnerable populations, we have developed the following measures and mechanisms designed to prevent harm:
- Policy and Guidance: We have in place a strong policy protecting vulnerable populations, including guidelines on the behavior of employees, agents, and subcontractors. Our policy outlines Plan’s zero tolerance for trafficking and details standards for behavior. Our compliance plan outlines standards for implementation that are used to measure how well the policy is being enforced based on employee awareness, measures for prevention, ability to recognize, and reporting procedures in the event of a breach of the TIP policy that allow Plan to respond quickly and effectively.
- Awareness and Prevention: We create a culture of awareness where:
- Employees of Plan International USA and USG-funded projects are aware of and understand the problem of human trafficking, what is expected of their behavior with vulnerable populations, their responsibilities to prevent harm and promote awareness, and the consequences associated with violating policy;
- Subrecipients of USG funding and others associated with Plan International USA understand their responsibilities to prevent harm and protect vulnerable populations; and
- Communities we work with are aware of our policy, so that they know what behaviors to expect from us and how to report any concerns.
- Staff and Partner Development: We provide comprehensive on-site training to ensure that our staff and any associates are appropriately skilled, confident, and supported in meeting their counter-trafficking responsibilities. This includes training events in our two U.S. national offices as well as all country offices that presently receive USG funding.
