Lori Forman

Global Summit of Women 2007 Remarks

Lori Forman

“Combating the Business of Trafficking: Public/Private Sector Strategies”

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Thank you Ambassador Brister. And thanks to the summit orga= nizers for including this important topic on the agenda.

It is an honor to address this assembly= and share our experiences in creating public private partnerships to combat human trafficking.

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You may already know the dimensions of = this problem. The numbers vary based upon which definition you use, be it forced labor, trafficking, slavery or another term. Regardless of the term, the common denominator is the use of threats, lies, coercion, force or fraud to exploit a person for profit= .

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The International Labor Organization estimates forced labor at more than 12 million people, while other estimates range beyond 25 million.&nb= sp;

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In the ILO’s= calculations, about 2.5 million are considered trafficking victims, of which 1.1 million are victims of economic or labor exploitation, while= 1.4 million are subject to commercial sex exploitation.

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The US government released i= ts annual Trafficking in Persons report this week, noting 800,000 people = are trafficked across borders. Of those 800,000, the report estimates “80 percent are women and gi= rls, and up to 50 percent are minors”. Even without considering the millions of people who are trafficked within their own countries, these are alarming numbers.

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Looking at the economics of trafficking, the figures are also staggering. The ILO estimates annual profits from trafficking at over 31 billion US dollars, and other sources estimate 10 billion US dollars or more as the profits made directly by the traffickers and trafficking syndicates.

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Whatever numbers you use, several unfortunate things are true:

<= span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";mso-fareast-font-family= :"Courier New"'>o&nb= sp; The numbers are increasing

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The drivers for trafficking – such as poverty and demand -- are not lessening

The bad guys have technology.

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Living in Southe= ast Asia, it’s hard not to notice this problem. From reading about abuse of f= oreign domestic workers to seeing vacationers visiting brothels, it would take very opaque blinders to ignore this issue.

NGOs have been active in this field for many years, and governments which rely on overseas worker remittances = to supplement the national income are increasingly concerned about protec= ting their overseas workforce. But few corporations have taken up the challenge.

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When I joined Microsoft, the first thin= g I learned is that we like challenges. Or, I should say, we like solving challenges.

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We looked around the company and noted = that Microsoft can bring a number of things to bear on this issue.

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Sure, like most corporations, we can – and do -- raise awareness with both internal and external PR campaigns.

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But such campaigns have been going for a while yet the problem grows. We asked ourselves, “So can we bring something else to the table? What in our core competencies do we have to work with?”

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It turns out we have several different = ways to engage on this issue.

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To begin with, we have an ongoing relationship with law enforcement agencies, and have been conducting l= aw enforcement training on cybercrime issues = around the world. While these programs originally started with – and still include -- spam, phishing, and related cyber= crimes, when we saw the rise of trafficking, particularly children, through th= e interet, that became a new part of the training.=

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Our law enforcement training programs a= re done in partnership with a variety of NGOs and agencies, including the= International <= st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Center for Missing and Exploi= ted Children (ICMEC), International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA), UK Chi= ld Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, the Australian Federal Poli= ce, Interpol and the US Department of Justice.

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With ICMEC alone, 2231 law enforcement officers from 105 countries have been trained on computer-facilitated crimes against children, through 25 regional sessions conducted around= the world.

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Microsoft also has investigators -- who primarily focus on those who traffic in pirated goods, but those same investigative skills can be brought to bear on this issue. It happens = that sometimes those who traffic in other goods will also traffic in person= s, as if humans are just another commodity.

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We also collaborate with law enforcemen= t to research these issues and trends, and have information on such topics = as the role of internet cafes in trafficking of youth in key hotspot and border areas.

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Combining these programs with the core competency in software, two years ago Microsoft launched a tool that h= elps law enforcement officials analyze, organize and share data of pedofiles who use the internet for trafficking in children.

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This program is called CETS, the Child Exploitation Tracking System.

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CETS is already deployed or about to be deployed in Chile= , Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Italy, England, and Spain. Seven more countries are acti= vely evaluating CETS. To date= , Micrsoft has invested over 9 million US dollars = in this program.

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Beyond our law enforcement partnerships= , we also have programs which address poverty by increasing the skills of underserved people so they can earn new or higher incomes.

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The primary vehicle is the Unlimited Potential Community Technology Skills program, which provides grants to NGOs to bring the benefits of technology to underserved populations.

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This is a global program, operating in = more than 100 countries, supporting programs in over 29,000 community train= ing centers, and reaching more than 48 million people over the last four years. Many of the parti= cipants are women, and many of them are just one unfortunate circumstance away from being trafficked.

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These programs range from:

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<= span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";mso-fareast-font-family= :"Courier New"'>o&nb= sp; our efforts with Overseas Filipino workers – many who are maids, nannies = and caregivers throughout the world,

to the addit= ion of IT skills in Promujer’s microfinance programs in Me= xico
to a program in B= elgium with a consortium of 11 NGOs called “Do IT!”, which provi= des IT trainng for immigrant women to facility their entry into the job market,
to programs in Japan with women who ar= e victims of domestic violence, and need marketable skills training so they can support themselves economically once they have left the violent relationship.

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Last year, our A= sia team decided to devote over US$1 million in cash grants specifically to NGOs working with those vulnerable to or already victimized by human trafficking. =

In this program, we are combining the benefits derived from IT training with the counseling, protection and rehabilitation expertise of these NGOs to specifically confront the is= sue of trafficking in the region. &n= bsp;

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Through grants and subgrants, nearly 40 NGOs across 9 countries will be involved in this effort.

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The easiest way to tell you about our programs is to show a short video, which conveys our approach in the w= ords of some of our partners.

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<<SHOW VIDEO= : Note to interpreters: In the AUDIO column, the bold text is the narrator’s voice, and the ita= lic text are people who are interviewed. >

VIDEO	AUDIO	TRANSLATION NOTES
TEXT: “…The emerging human rights issue of the 21^st century.” – US State Department, 2006 Trafficking in Persons Report = TEXT: “12.3 million adults and children forced into involuntary servitude.” - United Nations International Labour Organisation=	Human Trafficking has been described as “the emerging human rights issue of the 21^st century”. And it’s estimated that there’re currently 12.3 million adults and children globally who are victims of Human Trafficking. Their numbers are growing.	=
SALEEMAH ISMAIL, PRESIDENT, THE NATIONAL COM= MITTEE FOR UNIFEM, SINGAPORE=	“Human Trafficking is more than just prostitution. Human Trafficki= ng is the use of threats, lies and coercion, the detention of people against their will for exploitation purpose. This involves all kinds of labour, not just prostitution.”	=
= = =	In Asia, Microsoft = helps to tackle serious issues like Human Trafficking through its Unlimited Potential program.
LORI FORMAN, REGIONAL DIRECTOR, COMMUNITY AFFAIRS ASIA, MICROSOFT	“Unlimited Potential is MicrosoftR= 17;s global response to citizenship. And one component of that are community grants which go to non-profit organisations who help bring IT skills to those communities who are currently underserved by technology.”<= /o:p>
	Through Unlimited Potential, Microsoft can create partnerships with governments and community organisa= tions to fight Human Trafficking.
JOLOVAN WHAM, SOCIAL WORKER, Humanitarian Organisat= ion for Migration Economics (H.O.M.E.), Singapore= = = =	“This has been a good collaboration f= or us actually because as a small NGO we lack funds,= we lack resources so Microsoft partnering with us has been really useful. Th= is is actually a very good example of how corporate social responsibility can work.”<= /span>	=
=	Together, Microsoft and its partners use 4 main strate= gies to stop Human Trafficking. They are = Awareness, Prevention, Enforcement and Reintegration.	=
TEXT: AWARENESS	=	=
	“In the area where the exploitation h= appens we need to raise that awareness because we want people, members of the community to be aroused and say ‘Hey this is not right.’ So we want them to be the catalyst and mobilise social change. “	=
	In Thailand, Microsoft used its MSN platform to run a public information video on the dangers of human trafficking with the help of their local partner the Mir= ror Foundation.	=
	“…Sometimes from the outside, Human Trafficking is difficult to spot. By raising awareness we = can force it out into the open.”	=
TEXT: PREVENTION	=	=
	The single biggest contributing factor towards Human Trafficking is poverty.	=
PROM AN, CHIEF O= F LVEA COMMUNE, KAMPONG CHAM PROVIN= CE, CAMBODIA	“Countries like Cambodia are developing countries. People here are poor and illiterate. Because of that, they are very easily tricked by traffickers who promise them work overseas.= 221;	=
	In Asia, non-govern= ment organisations or NGOs use the Unlimited Potential p= rogram to teach Information Technology or IT to those most at risk so as to give them real economic alternatives.	=
NALINI GANGAHDAR= AN, CHAIRPERSON, CAP FOUNDATION =	“Today is a knowledge society and access to that which gives them knowledge is empowerment. And for us...the access to Unlimited Potential curriculum has made these people believe that they can cross that last mile…”	=
CECILIA FLORES-OEBANDA, PRESIDENT, VISAYAN FORUM FOUNDATION, PHILI= PPINES	“This kind of project is not just only to provide opportunity but = also to prevent girls and women to be trafficked.”	=
TEXT: ENFO= RCEMENT		=
= ;	Human Traffickers often use technology for their crimes, so Microsoft helps law enforcement= officials stay one step ahead by developing software like the Child Exploitation Tracking System or CETS.	=
KATHY BOSTICK, S= ENIOR ATTORNEY, MICROSOFT	“CETS is going to be the tool that law enforcement is going to abl= e to use to track the human traffickers as they use the Internet for their cri= me. Specifically, its going to help law enforcemen= t to analyse, organise and s= hare the data of the paedophiles that are using the In= ternet to exploit children.”
TEXT: REINTEGRATION		=
	“After someone’s been a victim of human trafficking, its oft= en hard to be re-integrated into society, among other things you need new job skills…Unlimited Potential can help provide those kind of skills because of the role that IT skills can play in increasing your employabil= ity prospects.”=	=
MENA SARI, FORMER VICTIM, UNLIMITED POTENTIAL PARTICIPANT, YMKK, INDONESIA	“My name is Mena Sari, I’m 20 ye= ars old and I come from Langkung, South Sumatra…I have learnt how to use the computer and how = to motivate myself for a better life.”	=

‘LEAH̵= 7;, FORMER VICTIM, UNLIMITED POTENTIAL PARTICIPANT, VISAYAN FORUM FOUNDATION, PHILIPPINES	“I’m 17 years old and I come fr= om Takloban City…My fea= r of computers disappeared when I underwent training. I regained my self-confidence…I want to become a computer technician someday.= ”	=
MAHESH M. BHAGWA= T, SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE, WOMEN PROTECTION CELL, C.I.D., HYDERABAD, INDIA<= /st1:country-region>	“We have seen those victims before the project and after= the project. Definitely there is a change and this change has been brought because of this partnership of the CAP, Microsoft and the enforcement agencies like police and other government agencies.”	=
	“Human Trafficking is not just a legal problem, its n= ot just an economic problem, its not just a social problem, its all of these! That’s why we need collaboration, we need partnership with NGOs, government agencies, law enforcement agencies and businesses…”	=
	“Why is Microsoft involved in these i= ssues? Because we can. We got a lot to bring to bear on these issues, from the c= ore competencies of our company to the spirit and enthusiasm of our employees= around the world. By joining with other like-minded organis= ations, whether they’re corporations, non-profits or governments, we can all work together to help more people around the world r= ealise their full potential”	=
GRAPHIC: MICROSO= FT LOGO		=

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· Thank you. The anti-trafficking gra= nts highlighted here are part of a two year program.

· Last week, I joined a meeting in Ch= iang Rai, Tha= iland of the grantees to see how they are doing.= The results are impressive, and growing.

· Rather than more numbers, let me share with you one story from our Philippines NGO partner, Visayan Forum.

This is the s= tory of Marites, a 21 year old woman, who is a graduate of business administration. Marite= s was promised work as receptionist in hotel in Malaysia.
When Marites, along with nine other women, arrived at= the hotel, they discovered it was actually a brothel.
One of the wo= men was eventually able to escape, and ran to the police. The police raided the hotel, and the ten women were sent back to the Philippines.
When Marites arrived at the Visayan Forum’s centers, she was traumatized by experience she had just been through. But learning the computer = gave her confidence.

After three months, she initiated the f= irst microenterprise project in the center, com= bining her new-found computer skills with her business studies.

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Marites now oversees= a successful jewelry business, with the women selling their products for export to the U= nited States.

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She uses the IT skills training to crea= te the designs, inventory materials, create product labels, manage budgets, a= nd more.

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The computer gave = Marites the tools – including confidence – necessary to start a new life after being victim of one of the most heinous crimes imaginable, = the crime of human trafficking.

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What was most surprising for me from th= is story was the role the computer plays in restoring self-confidence. This is a theme mentioned ove= r and over by the victims – that until they can get their self confide= nce back, they can’t move forward.&= nbsp;

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But when then do, they are determined to move full speed ahead and create a better life for themselves.

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Combine the counseling skills of the NG= Os with power of technology, and these women are amazing.

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The other interesting thing we have hea= rd is about the power of a big name like Microsoft. It has helped recruit other donors. One NGO leader a= lso thinks it helps to “scare the traffickers” – after a= ll, the bad guys have technology, but we might just have even more! <= /o:p>

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I promised to add a few comments on the challenges and opportunities for public-private partnerships in this field, so let me close with a few points on that topic.

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I’ve spent 11 years in government= , 11 years in NGOs, and now 4 years into a corporate career, so I’ve looked at these partnerships from multiple perspectives.

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I could talk for days on this topic, but will just share with you three major points:

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<= span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";mso-fareast-font-family= :"Courier New"'>o&nb= sp; When you are managing corporate community affairs, the first thing you are hit w= ith is the competition of issues. There are literally hundreds of people contacting us every month, promoting hundr= eds of worthy issues for Microsoft to support.= And most of them truly are very worthy issues. For human trafficking to rise higher on most corporate agendas, it also needs to be higher on government agendas. Human trafficking is= truly an issue that needs tri-partite government-NGO-corporate attention. No one entity can do it alon= e. But we need to know we’re not working in a policy or commitment void, and that requires specific, vocal, commitment by governments to address this issue in their country and to wel= come the involvement of the private sector.&nbs= p;

Secondly, when putting together any partnership – public/private or even private/private – the key element has been to be completely can= did with each other about why you are involved in this issue, what you wa= nt to, can do or cannot do, and how you are going to talk about. This means partner selection= is critical – you need partners you can be candid with, and who ca= n be candid with you. = The problems occur when you find out down the road that a partner hasn’t been completely candid or when you lay out your agenda, = but don’t listen or fully understand the agenda of the others.

This message is more to any NGO representatives, but has broader applicati= on, too. Don’t make i= t all about money. Giving mon= ey to someone is not a relationship, it is a transaction. Period. A successful partnership is = built on a relationship, and the best way to have a relationship with a corporation is by recognizing its core competencies and asking for th= ose to focus on your cause. Microsoft’s core competency is not money, but it is innovation, technology and leadership. When a single policeman in <= st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">Canada asked for technological help to track pedophiles, it resulted in CETS= , a software tool backed with a large corporate commitment. Ask a company for something = that relates to their core business skills, and you’ll get a deeper, and more enduring commitment.

We keep this in mind when we approach o= ther corporate partners, too. A representative from Manpower joined our meetings in Chiang Rai last week, and we’re exploring collabo= ration around our trafficking programs.

Not based on money, but on ManpowerR= 17;s expertise in analyzing the job market, upskilling= employees, and coaching the NGOs on job placement of entry level workers.

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The discussions got off to a great star= t, not only because this is an issue of concern to both of our corporatio= ns, but also because we’re focusing on the strengths of each organization, rather than their balance sheets.

· = &nb= sp; Public private partnerships aren’t easy.&nb= sp; If they were, there’d be a lot more of them.

· &nb= sp; = However, we have found that when we follow t= hese points, the rest of the obstacles – like the timing of different busi= ness cycles or multiple reporting and branding requirements – are readily managed.

· &nb= sp; = Most of all, we find that successful public private partnerships are the only way we are going to address key global issues, especially one as challenging as human trafficking.

· &nb= sp; = Thank you for your interest in this issue, a= nd for your participation in this session.&nb= sp;

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Human Trafficking has been described as “the emerging human rights issue of the 21st century”.

“In the area where the exploitation h= appens we need to raise that awareness because we want people, members of the community to be aroused and say ‘Hey this is not right.’ So we want them to be the catalyst and mobilise social change. “

“…Sometimes from the outside, Human Trafficking is difficult to spot. By raising awareness we = can force it out into the open.”

TEXT: ENFO= RCEMENT

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TEXT: REINTEGRATION

Human Trafficking has been described as “the emerging human rights issue of the 21^st century”.