OU contribution to the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration

Dr Avi Boukli, Lecturer in Criminology and Dr Tendayi Bloom, Lecturer in Politics & International Studies participated in the thematic meetings relating to smuggling and trafficking of persons at the UN in Vienna at the beginning of September. They attended the meetings and gave a spoken intervention on behalf of The Open University, based on research into private sector migration management. This session was entitled 'Smuggling of migrants, trafficking in persons and contemporary forms of slavery, including appropriate identification, protection and assistance to migrants and trafficking victims’ and was the fifth of six thematic sessions that will form part of the process towards the creation of the first ever global compact on migration.

The session focused on processes of identification of trafficking victims, on tackling contemporary forms of smuggling and slavery, and on building comprehensive responses to trafficking and smuggling. The process arose out of a summit on the large movement of refugees and migrants held by the United Nations in New York in September 2016. As a result of this summit it was decided that two compacts should be developed, one relating to refugees and one relating to migrants. The migration compact is scheduled to be launched at a summit in 2018. The trip was funded by the Strategic Research Area in International Development and Inclusive Innovation (SRA-IDII).