Every year, the U.S. State Department issues an annual Trafficking in Persons Report, otherwise known as the TIP Report, via its Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.
This report ranks governments worldwide based on their perceived efforts to acknowledge and combat human trafficking, gives a thorough analysis on the factors that drive the statistics, and offers insight on the path forward.
Among the “Topics of Special Interest,” the 2019 TIP Report lists several factors that can disrupt the data collection and management in the fight against human trafficking.
DeliverFund’s Solution to the Data Problem in the Fight Against Human Trafficking
The Platform for the Analysis and Targeting of Human Traffickers, otherwise known as PATH, is DeliverFund’s proprietary technology tool that allows the identification of networks of traffickers. It is an essential tool that addresses many of the problems described in the TIP report.
The U.S. State Department Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons states that the “availability of reliable, high-quality data is critical for designing the most effective strategies and interventions in the global fight against human trafficking.” But it also acknowledges that there is a general lack of effective data collection and management.
This results in:
1. Poor data management practices and systems
DeliverFund’s PATH system is a Software-as-a-service (SaaS), which allows for the easy input and searching of data related to human trafficking. The system is searchable by multiple identifiers to include name, DOB, and other identifiers associated with a particular personality.
PATH is designed to be an information sharing and data management system for law enforcement, whereby human trafficking cases from different jurisdictions can be connected regardless of geography.
Another result of poor data collection and management identified by the 2019 Trafficking in Persons report is:
2. Weak privacy protections
DeliverFund’s PATH is hosted in the Microsoft Government secure cloud, making it one of the most secure systems for data privacy. Additionally, DeliverFund’s PATH is “Law Enforcement only.”
PATH allows for data sharing between law enforcement and allows administrators to audit the activity of users. Users also have the option of not sharing data, further protecting data if the agency so chooses.
Poor data collection and management, according to the U.S. State Department, can also result in:
3. “Siloed” data
DeliverFund’s PATH is specifically designed to facilitate the information sharing of human trafficking cases investigated by law enforcement. As an example; if a particular piece of data is already in the system, when an investigator goes to input the piece of data, he or she will receive an alert the data may already exist, and they may then validate that it does so.
PATH allows for the investigator to import the data surrounding that entity that was already input into the system and provides a point of contact for the original inputting investigator.
DeliverFund’s PATH system is most effective when it is being used as an information sharing platform for law enforcement.
The last issue that the State Department identifies as a result of poor data collection and management is:
4. Lack of standardization
DeliverFund’s PATH allows for agencies to require particular pieces of information to be input into the system. However, because of the unique aspects of human trafficking investigations that do not always allow for investigators to get potentially required information, PATH assists by connecting additional data if another investigator has already input a piece of data that has more information attached to it.
PATH is the cleanest dataset available to law enforcement, and it prevents the duplication of data while allowing investigators and agencies the flexibility to develop and input additional data as the investigation continues.
To read more about how DeliverFund is combatting human trafficking in the United States, click here.
