Human trafficking is defined as the recruitment, movement and holding of people against their will for the purpose of forced labour, predominantly for working on construction sites and for sex work, through the use of threats, force, deception, coercion, abuse of power or position of vulnerability. The International Labour Organization estimates that 50 million people found themselves in modern slavery conditions at the end of 2021, 10 million more than in 2016.
The practice — and the financial industry’s role in recognising and stopping it — was one of the main topics on the agenda of the annual event and awards evening of the European Women Payments Network (EWPN), a non-profit organisation dedicated to building an inclusive community for people in fintech and payments. Registered in the Netherlands but pan-European in composition (as well as also having representation in parts of Africa and the Middle East), EWPN is a movement committed to having difficult conversations that are necessary for impactful change.
