At the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70), held in New York from 9–20 March 2026, global conversations focused on strengthening access to justice for women and girls. Within this context, World Freedom Network hosted a side event titled “Identifying Exploitation: The Gateway to Justice,” highlighting the critical role of victim identification in addressing human trafficking and exploitation.
Advocating for stronger victim identification is central to World Freedom Network’s work. As Global Director Jennifer Roemhildt Tunehag explains:
“The challenge we face today is not only the vast scope of human trafficking and exploitation; it is also the problem of failed identification. The best global estimates suggest fewer than 0.4% of trafficked people are formally identified each year, leaving the vast majority invisible to the systems designed to protect them.”
A clear message emerged: victim identification is not a single moment, but a process – one in which every sector has a role to play.
The event aimed to:
- clarify what victim identification involves
- explore how victims intersect with health, legal, and other frontline systems
- highlight challenges and opportunities across global contexts
- provide practical examples of how government, private sector, civil society, and faith-based actors can contribute to identification efforts
The session was introduced by Dr Jason Pope, Acting Permanent Representative for WEA UN NYC, and moderated by Jennifer Roemhildt Tunehag. Speakers included:
- Helen Avadiar-Nimbalker, Director, Asia Freedom Network
- Peta-Ann Small, Director, Africa Freedom Network
- Sarah Scott Webb, Director, Oceania Freedom Network
The discussion underscored the critical role of frontline stakeholders, who often encounter victims in everyday settings. Strengthening these moments requires training, awareness, and coordinated systems that enable early recognition and safe response.
As global efforts to advance access to justice continue, victim identification remains foundational — the step that determines whether pathways to protection, accountability, and freedom can begin at all.