FY22 TIP Office Bilateral Statement of Interest NOFO (1).pdf

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Notice of Funding Opportunity – Stage 1: Statement of Interest

Federal Awarding Agency: U.S. Department of State

Program Office: Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in

Persons, International Programs Section

Funding Opportunity Title: 2022 TIP Office Notice of Funding Opportunity

– Stage 1: Statement of Interest

Announcement Type: 2022 TIP Office Initial Notification of Funding

Opportunity

Funding Opportunity: SFOP0009089

Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance Number(s): 19.019

Deadline for Applications: August 1, 2022, 5:00 p.m. EDT

FULL TEXT OF NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons

(TIP Office) announces an open competition for projects to combat trafficking in persons outside of the United States. Informed by the annual Trafficking in

Persons Report (TIP Report), current anti-trafficking programming and trends, and in consultation with other U.S. government agencies and offices, the TIP Office has identified 19 programming priorities for funding as listed on page 5.

The TIP Office will allocate funding for anti-trafficking projects through an open, two-stage competitive process. In stage one of competition, also known as the statement of interest (SOI) stage, applicants are invited to submit three-page SOIs for projects designed to address the TIP Office’s 2022 programming priorities.

The TIP Office welcomes strong SOIs that address human trafficking challenges on a significant scale, offer the potential to have a systemic and sustainable impact, align with U.S. government priorities and the TIP Office’s country and regional programming priorities, among other factors.

B. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants

Organizations eligible to apply include U.S.-based and foreign non-profits, non-governmental organizations (including faith-based organizations), public international organizations (PIOs), institutions of higher education, and for-profit entities. For-profit organizations are not permitted to generate profits from grant-funded activities. U.S. government agencies may respond to this

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) with applications for projects that would be funded through an Interagency Acquisition Agreement. While foreign governments are not eligible to apply, governments may be beneficiaries of projects provided that funding does not pay salaries of government agency personnel and that such assistance is not restricted by U.S.

law or policy.

Applications submitted by for-profit entities may be subject to additional review following the panel selection process. Additionally, the Department of State prohibits profit to for-profit or commercial organizations under its assistance awards. Profit is defined as any amount in excess of allowable direct and indirect costs. The allowability of costs incurred by commercial organizations is determined in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Acquisition

Regulation (FAR) at 48 CFR 30, Cost Accounting Standards Administration, and

48 CFR 31 Contract Cost Principles and Procedures.

Organizations currently receiving funds from the TIP Office may apply for additional funding under the present funding opportunity. The eligibility requirements for applying to this funding opportunity do not restrict applicants from receiving other sources of funding from the United States government, including funding from other bureaus within the Department of State. However, the applicant must provide information on any work conducted with U.S.

government funding related to human-trafficking issues or cross-cutting (health, education, labor, gender, etc.) human-trafficking issues within the project narrative.

Under this funding opportunity, applicants may partner with other organizations in submitting application(s). Applicants partnering with other organizations must clearly identify the lead applicant, and the applicant may designate one or more partner organizations as sub-recipients. For the purposes of this funding opportunity, a partner organization is any organization that would receive sub-award funding from a successful applicant to help the applicant organization implement anti-trafficking projects and/or activities. All mandatory terms and conditions for a successful applicant also apply to any sub-awards awarded.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost sharing, cost matching, and cost participation are not required to carry out a project under this funding opportunity. While not required, applicants can propose to include voluntary cost-share. Applications that include voluntary cost share will

NOT be evaluated differently than other applications. Applicants that voluntarily propose cost share should list the cost share amount in the SF-424.

C. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 USC 7101 et seq.), as amended (TVPA), established the TIP Office in the U.S. Department of State. The

TIP Office leads the United States’ global engagement on the fight against human trafficking and seeks partnerships with foreign governments, civil society organizations, and multilateral organizations to combat human trafficking through the “3P” paradigm: prosecuting traffickers through victim-centered and trauma-informed law enforcement, protecting trafficking victims through proactive identification and the provision of comprehensive, trauma-informed care, and preventing trafficking in persons by making it more difficult or risky for traffickers to commit the crime. The TIP Office also recognizes the importance of partnerships and collaborative efforts with relevant governmental and non-governmental stakeholders in anti-trafficking work. TIP Office programs and projects combat human trafficking – to refer to a crime whereby traffickers exploit and profit at the expense of adults or children by compelling them to perform labor or engage in commercial sex. It should be noted that when a person younger than

18 is used to perform a commercial sex act, it is a crime regardless of whether there is any force, fraud, or coercion. The two primary forms of human trafficking are sex trafficking and forced labor.

The U.S. government defines “trafficking in persons” as:

• Sex Trafficking encompasses the range of activities involved when a trafficker uses force, fraud, or coercion to compel another person to engage in a commercial sex act or causes a child to engage in a commercial sex act.

• Forced Labor, sometimes also referred to as labor trafficking, encompasses the range of activities involved when a person uses force, fraud, or coercion to exploit the labor or services of another person.

Trafficking in persons does not require the movement of a person. Under the

Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) and generally consistent with the

Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially

Women and Children, Supplementing the United Nations Convention Against

Transnational Organized Crime (Palermo Protocol), individuals may be trafficking victims regardless of whether they once consented, they participated in unlawful acts their traffickers compelled them to commit, someone transported them into the exploitative situation, or they were simply born into a state of servitude. The TIP

Office will not support projects that use alternate definitions of trafficking.

The TVPA requires that the Department of State submit to Congress an annual report assessing the efforts of governments to address trafficking in persons. The annual TIP Report is the primary tool for the Department’s engagement with other governments on human trafficking and informs U.S. policy and assistance priorities to combat this crime.

Since 2000, when the United Nations adopted the Palermo Protocol and the United

States enacted the TVPA, the number of parties to the Protocol has reached 178.

In addition, a majority of countries have criminalized all forms of trafficking, and many countries have established specialized law enforcement units, set up trafficking victim assistance mechanisms, and launched public awareness campaigns. Nonetheless, the number of victims identified and assisted and the number of traffickers investigated, prosecuted, and convicted remain low relative to the size of the problem; and governments continue to face challenges in effectively implementing anti-trafficking legal and policy frameworks.

The TIP Office works to build the capacity of partner governments and civil society to address these challenges through foreign assistance programs.

Information on U.S. government anti-trafficking efforts is available at https://www.state.gov/humantrafficking/ and a summary of international projects currently funded by the TIP Office is available at https://www.state.gov/tip-office-project-descriptions/.

2022 PROGRAMMING PRIORITIES

The TIP Office has identified 19 regional and country programming priorities for potential funding. These priorities are heavily informed by recommendations from the annual TIP Report, coordination with a broad range of anti-trafficking donors, and engagement with foreign governments and local civil society, and are based on the TIP Office’s current anti-trafficking efforts.

The TIP Office generally prioritizes foreign assistance in those countries assessed below Tier 1 in the TIP Report and where governments demonstrate political will but lack the economic resources or anti-trafficking expertise to effectively address the problem. The 2022 programming priorities below are listed by geographic https://www.state.gov/humantrafficking/ https://www.state.gov/tip-office-project-descriptions/ https://www.state.gov/tip-office-project-descriptions/ region. Priorities were developed by reviewing recent TIP Report assessments and human trafficking trends; consulting with intra- and interagency policy and programming stakeholders; and considering current and planned programming from this office, other U.S. government agencies, and other public and private donors.

The TIP Office may fund activities in high-income countries, but the use of foreign assistance funding to benefit a high-income country requires additional review.

Applicants should ensure that inclusion of high-income countries is responsive to the TIP Office's regional and country priorities. The TIP Office considers high-income countries to be those designed as high income by the World Bank using the gross national income (GNI) per capita (Atlas method). The current threshold for high-income countries (based on 2019 data) is a GNI per capita of $12,536 or more.

To be eligible for consideration, SOIs must respond to at least one of the specific programming priority areas and countries or regions identified below.

AFRICA (AF)

East Africa Programming

In East Africa, the TIP Office currently has programming in Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. The TIP Office’s current program in Tanzania recently ended, and the government has demonstrated significant political will over the past year, making Tanzania an opportune country within which to continue programming. Therefore, we are seeking applications to build on the previous work done and continue to build specialized investigative and prosecutorial skills within Tanzania.

1. (Bilateral – Tanzania) – Prosecution, Protection – Tanzania is a programming priority because of the significant capacity needs to address the high prevalence of internal trafficking of the commercial sexual exploitation of children and domestic servitude, combined with an increased political will to address the problem. Since President Hassan came to office, the Government of Tanzania has demonstrated a willingness to strengthen its anti-trafficking response, evidenced by the recent launch of its 2021-2024 national action plan, a drafted amendment to strengthen its anti-trafficking law by mandating prison times (expected to pass in June), and the development of a fund for victim services. However, the lack of coordination, victim witness protection, and specialized skills of investigators and prosecutors continues to hinder anti-trafficking efforts. The time is ripe for significant programming to help Tanzania strengthen its national response to combat trafficking. With our program’s recent conclusion, and political will of the new government to combat human trafficking, further efforts are needed to build on this momentum, including the recently launched case consultation mechanism developed in partnership with the National District Attorneys Association and supported by the Department of Public Prosecutions.

Request for Applications: The TIP Office requests applications to build on previous and current efforts from anti-trafficking stakeholders to: 1) Develop specialized skills of investigators and prosecutors through direct engagement, mentoring and ongoing case consultation, including strong victim witness protection measures; 2) Strengthen coordination of government multi-disciplinary actors through the operationalization of a national referral mechanism; and 3) Improve comprehensive, specialized services for victims of trafficking through the provision of shelter, trauma-informed mental health counseling, medical care, and legal assistance.

Southern & Central Africa Programming

The TIP Office currently has programming in Angola, Malawi, Lesotho, Zambia, Mozambique, and South Africa. South Africa, Burundi, and Lesotho are the priority countries the TIP Office has selected for FY 2022 funding, as well as a research and implementation project focused on the intersections between climate change and human trafficking in the Southern and Central African region. South

Africa remains a priority in the region due to its regional impact, its draw for migrant laborers, and its need to build on and improve its government processes and coordination to combat human trafficking. In Burundi and Lesotho, The TIP

Office sees opportunities for programming because of increased political will, a need to continue momentum on human trafficking and to consolidate and improve gains made in recent years.

1. (Bilateral – Burundi) – Prevention and Protection – Since 2015, Burundi’s socio-political situation has declined and resulted in the rising cost of goods, food insecurity, fewer employment opportunities, and humanitarian issues increasing vulnerabilities to trafficking. Burundi, like its Great Lakes neighbors, is permeated by migration flows through porous borders. In recent years, the Government of Burundi has worked to address the exploitation of Burundian women in Gulf States in partnership with an international organization and with foreign donor funding. It has also made advances by establishing a National Commission on Trafficking, developing a law enforcement data collection system, increasing the number of investigations and prosecutions compared to the previous four years, and improving awareness-raising efforts and protection measures. Efforts to address human trafficking remain ad hoc due to the lack of formalized coordination structures and standardized operating procedures to identify and refer victims of trafficking. With current anti-trafficking projects concluding in September 2022, further efforts are needed to sustain this upward momentum in anti-trafficking efforts and support protection of victims of trafficking.

previous and current efforts from anti-trafficking stakeholders to: 1) Develop and support the implementation of a national referral mechanism for protecting victims of trafficking, especially in coordination with immigration officials; 2) Conduct a comprehensive research study to understand the full scope of human trafficking in Burundi; 3) Strengthen national coordination and partnerships among civil society and government by formalizing the structures of the existing ad hoc committee; and/or 4) Develop and support the implementation of a national anti-trafficking action plan. Applications should focus solely on Burundi, with the exception of the research effort, which may include some information on neighboring countries as appropriate. Applicants may choose to address one or more programming initiatives in their application. Selecting more than one programming initiative will not hinder or improve the applicant’s chances of being selected for funding. Applicants should seek government buy-in for project activities.

2. (Bilateral – Lesotho) – Prosecution, Protection, Partnerships – For the last decade, the TIP Office has invested small amounts of funding to support the Government of Lesotho to make significant advancements in anti-trafficking efforts, including development of the first and second National

Strategic Framework and Action Plan, amendments to the national anti-trafficking legislation, launching a communications strategy, implementing standardized procedures to identify and refer victims of trafficking, dedicating resources to official shelters for survivors of trafficking, reviving the multi-sectoral committee and establishing four district-level committees to coordinate anti-trafficking efforts, establishing law enforcement focal points in five districts, and supporting joint investigations in key areas. The

Government of Lesotho has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to revitalizing efforts to address human trafficking in coordination with civil society partners. With current anti-trafficking projects concluding in

September 2023 and elections taking place in October 2022, further efforts are needed to sustain this upward momentum in anti-trafficking efforts and support protection of victims of trafficking by assisting in the implementation of these key efforts.

previous and current efforts from anti-trafficking stakeholders to: 1) Build the capacity of front-line officials to proactively screen, identify, refer, and protect victims of trafficking in line with the National Referral Mechanism;

2) Strengthen coordination at the national and/or district level among key stakeholders (civil society and government officials) within Lesotho; 3)

Enhance collaboration and training among criminal justice practitioners to successfully investigate and prosecute perpetrators of human trafficking, conduct joint labor inspections and investigations to identify human trafficking in business establishments, increase victim-centered and trauma-informed approaches, and facilitate collaboration on cases involving Lesotho and South Africa; and/or 4) Expand comprehensive services for identified victims of trafficking, including obtaining legal identity documents. Applicants should focus solely on working in Lesotho and preliminarily identify specific locations in Lesotho to work in, with the understanding these can be refined early in the project. Applicants may choose to address one or more programming initiatives in their application. Selecting more than one programming initiative will not hinder or improve the applicant’s chances of being selected for funding. Applicants should seek government buy-in for project activities where appropriate.

3. (Bilateral – South Africa) – Prevention, Protection, Partnerships – South

Africa is a resource-constrained country where authorities grapple with high levels of transnational organized crime, increasing unemployment of more than 34%, rising rates of gender-based violence, and high homicide rates. In recent months these challenges have manifested into xenophobia-induced violence between foreign migrants (documented and undocumented) and local communities. These contextual factors attribute to increased vulnerability to trafficking internally, but South Africa also remains a key destination for marginalized communities across the region. While the government has made some efforts under the National Policy Framework to improve coordination and build the capacity of anti-trafficking stakeholders through the roll-out of new standard operating procedures, key gaps in prevention and protection efforts remain, leaving many unidentified trafficking victims and impunity for traffickers . Despite recently developed standard operating procedures on victim assistance, poor understanding of human trafficking, lack of awareness of stakeholders’ roles in the referral process, and weak coordination among partners continue to hamper anti-trafficking efforts. Through high-level engagements and informal conversations with government officials and civil society, there is significant interest in partnering to continue advancing efforts to protect victims of trafficking and hold those responsible accountable.

previous and current efforts from anti-trafficking stakeholders to: 1) Support workshops, training, and/or on the ground mentoring for border officials, law enforcement, immigration officials, and communities with a high prevalence of trafficking to understand their role in proactively screening, identifying, and referring cases of trafficking to proper care using a victim-centered approach and standard operating procedures, as applicable; 2) Build the capacity of national and select provincial task force teams on victim identification and assistance, with a focus on sustainable coordination and communication; and/or 3) Enhance collaboration among law enforcement, investigators, prosecutors, and the judiciary to move human trafficking cases forward to prosecution. Applicants should preliminarily identify specific locations to work in South Africa and may include efforts to collaborate and coordinate with neighboring countries, with the understanding that these locations can be refined early in the project. Applicants may choose to address one or more programming initiatives in their application. Selecting more than one programming initiative will not hinder or improve the applicant’s chances of being selected for funding. Applicants should seek relevant buy-in from national and/or provincial government entities for project activities where appropriate.

4. (Regional/Thematic – Climate Impacts and Trafficking in Persons) –

Research, Partnerships, and Protection – The Southern Africa region is at the forefront of the most extreme impacts of slow onset and sudden onset climate events resulting in increased vulnerabilities to trafficking for many communities. In both slow onset and sudden onset climate events, enhanced marginalization, increased poverty, lack of social protections or access to social protections, and minimal resources result in increased susceptibility to human trafficking. Over the last 40+ years these climate events have increased in frequency resulting in increased vulnerability to trafficking in nearly every country in the region. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate

Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment indicates that by 2030 half of the continent of Africa may experience high water stress and up to 700 million people may be displaced as a result. While many communities will experience increased vulnerability, gender inequalities increase women’s and girls’ vulnerability to exploitation in crisis, forcing them into household head roles with minimal resources. It is crucial that the relevant actors understand the impacts of climate changes in the Southern Africa region in relation to vulnerability to trafficking and identify how to respond to these increasing vulnerabilities through programming.

previous and current efforts from anti-trafficking stakeholders and climate change actors to: Conduct desk research culminating in a report assessing the effects of climate change on vulnerabilities and trends of human trafficking in Southern Africa. This should include, but not be limited to, sudden onset, slow onset, or combined sudden and slow onset climate factors with a particular focus on vulnerabilities of women and girls. The report should recommend proactive and reactive measures to reduce vulnerability to trafficking within the region, as well as inform a second phase of the project to respond to the needs identified in the research. Applicants may briefly allude to a prospective technical approach for activities drawing on findings from the research report to address the links between human trafficking and sudden and slow onset climate events in key areas affected by climate change in the region. Applications should focus solely on Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Applicants should develop technical approaches that allow desk research to inform the follow-on activities carried out in the initiative. Applicants should be specific in identifying a focus of sudden onset, slow onset, or both types of climate impacts and identify specific vulnerable groups to be targeted. In proposing technical approaches, applicants must keep in mind the mandate of the TIP Office to specifically address human trafficking. Applicants should seek government buy-in for project activities. This award will be provided in the form of a cooperative agreement.

West Africa Programming

In the FY 2022 NOFO, the key priority for West Africa programming is to address the issue of forced child begging through a regional prevention and protection program. Forced child begging is one of the most common forms of human trafficking in West Africa, yet most programmatic approaches seem to focus solely on protection work that does not resolve the complex roots of the issue.

1. (Regional – West Africa) –Prevention and Protection – Estimates indicate that tens of thousands of children are involved in forced begging in West Africa. Children from Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and surrounding countries are forced to beg, and the practice is often connected to religious schools and formal or informal religious teachers. Active programs to address forced child begging in West

Africa have not focused on long-term solutions that effect behavioral change.

Request for Applications: The TIP Office requests applications to build on previous and current efforts from anti-trafficking stakeholders to develop a transformational, long-term program to address forced child begging. Applicants should propose a phased approach to study, pilot, and expand innovative ideas to address this problem at the local level working with survivors, families, grassroots organizations, communities, and/or the national level with pragmatic, workable solutions. Applicants must incorporate a thorough review of existing data, research, evidence, evaluations, and other materials surrounding forced child begging;

analyze lessons learned in preventing and addressing forced child begging in West Africa; and employ international standards governing the treatment of children in their project designs. Based on this research, applicants should establish plans to develop one or multiple pilot projects to address the issue through evidence-based programming designs in select countries. Pilot projects should work beyond solely protection efforts and incorporate solutions to program around cultural sensitivities. The expectation would be that the pilots would produce results that could expand within the chosen country as well as to other countries in the region. Project designs should be measurable by including prevalence studies, rigorous monitoring and evaluation, mid-term assessments, final assessments, and/or adjustment plans to analyze and evaluate the success and failures of the pilot and expansion projects. Applicants may propose to program in one or more countries in

West Africa. Selecting more than one country will not hinder or improve the applicant’s chances of being selected for funding. Applications should propose phased initiatives for a three-to-five-year period but should demonstrate a strategy and capacity for executing a project with a longer duration. The TIP Office intends to fund the selected program incrementally, based on availability of funding, over a substantial period, with the first award covering 36-60 months in duration.

EAST ASIA and PACIFIC (EAP)

The TIP Office currently has programming in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Our priorities for our FY 2022 funding are combatting the Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC) in

Indonesia and providing protection to vulnerable migrants in Thailand. The TIP report has highlighted for several years that child sex trafficking remains a major problem in Indonesia. Over the past two years, though, Indonesia has seen a sharp increase in online child sexual exploitation, with more than 1,800,000 reports of child sexual abuse material to NCMEC originating from Indonesia in 2021 – nearly double that of 2020. In Thailand, local poverty, political unrest in Burma, and the COVID-19 pandemic have combined to increase both the rate of migration and the vulnerability of migrants to human trafficking, leading to an increase in human trafficking along its border with Burma. The TIP Office seeks to promote stronger partnerships between government and civil society in providing needed protection for victims of trafficking.

1. (Bilateral – Indonesia) – Prosecution, Prevention – Preventing the

Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC) – As reported in the

TIP Report for several years in a row, child sex trafficking remains a major problem in Indonesia. Children are exploited in the underground commercial sex industry, particularly in Bali and in the Riau Islands near

Singapore. Statistics recently reported by the National Center for

Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) show that Indonesia also has a growing problem with OSEC. There were more than 1,800,000 reports of child sexual abuse material to NCMEC originating from Indonesia in

2021 – nearly double that of 2020.

Request for Applications: The TIP Office seeks applications that will help establish, equip, and train specialized Indonesian police units that can effectively receive and process tips from NCMEC and carry out effective OSEC and child trafficking investigations. In addition to working in Jakarta, a prospective grantee should also work in at least one other province in Indonesia, which can be phased in over time. This effort should include onsite mentoring focused on long-term sustainability with an eye towards expanding to other provinces in

Indonesia over time.

2. (Bilateral – Thailand) – Prevention, Protection – Protecting

Vulnerable Migrant Populations in Northern Thailand – Migration between Burma and Thailand is common, particularly around the Mae

Sot district of Tak Province in northwestern Thailand. Local poverty, political unrest in Burma, and the COVID-19 pandemic have combined to increase both the rate of migration and the vulnerability of migrants to human trafficking. Over the past five years, prior TIP Office programs in

Thailand have largely focused on providing outreach to vulnerable populations, providing shelter services, and working with the Thai government on addressing trafficking in the fishing sector. The TIP

Office has recently begun a program in Thailand centering on assisting frontline officers with victim identification and case referrals in investigations focusing primarily on forced labor. The combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing political unrest in Burma, however, has caused TIP along the Thai-Burmese border to increase, which we seek to address.

Request for Applications: The TIP Office seeks applications from organizations that will work in partnership with local government and other local organizations to prevent the trafficking of vulnerable migrants and assist victims of the crime. Successful organizations will partner with local “multidisciplinary teams” in developing and implementing plans to identifying and referring existing victims and using a victim centered approach.

EUROPE and EURASIA (EUR)

In the FY2022 NOFO, the key priority for the EUR region is to address the increasing trafficking risks caused by Russia’s war on Ukraine and to put in place safeguards for trafficking victims and those at risk. The key priorities for Eastern

Europe, then, are to develop consistent and coordinated tracking and assistance to trafficking victims and those vulnerable to trafficking in Ukraine and neighboring countries; to create and/or improve effective and sustainable case management processes across the Balkans; to focus on increasing victim-centered investigations, prosecutions, and convictions in trafficking cases, to ensure victim/survivor testimony in Turkey; and to integrate effective protection services in Romania in response to Russia’s war on Ukraine.

1. (Regional –Ukraine and Neighboring Countries, including Poland, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Germany, the Czech

Republic) – Protection, Prevention, and Partnerships – Child and

Adolescent Tracking – Although select countries are likely already tracking children, we were unable to find an overall coordinated regional effort that is specifically integrating a human trafficking prevention, victim identification, and protection systems for children and adolescents. Such a system is needed to prevent vulnerable children from falling through the cracks of the EU social system and to help child trafficking victims as well as those vulnerable to trafficking. The ideal project would build upon systems already in place.

Request for Applications: The TIP Office requests applications that aim to coordinate with governmental and international organizations, and

NGOs, to develop a safe child tracking system for unaccompanied and separated children and adolescents with the goal of consistent and coordinated tracking and assistance to trafficking victims and those at risk. The project should include prevention, identification of child trafficking victims, and comprehensive protection services, including psychological, medical, and legal assistance for young victims and those vulnerable to trafficking. In collaboration with existing resources and national governments, priority should be given to rapid and safe reintegration of children and adolescents to supportive families and communities. We have a strong preference for partnerships with organizations with specialized experienced in training frontline providers in the delivery of trauma-informed child-centered mental health care, with excellent existing government relationships. A successful project would ensure government buy-in and civil society cooperation and last up to 60 months.

2. (In three or more of these countries: Albania, Bosnia and

Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia) – Protection and Prevention – Case Management System – Current TIP Office protection and prevention programming in these countries has led to success in implementing national and transnational standard operating procedures designed to better identify and assist trafficking victims. However, integrated, longer-term sustainable case management protection services and systems remain inadequate across the

Balkans. Comprehensive services including identification of victims and provision of mental health, medical and legal assistance, vocational training, and reintegration services are needed to improve the protection of victims/survivors of trafficking. In addition, there is a need for provider capacity-building that addresses turnover and pays particular attention to burn out and secondary trauma.

Request for Applications: The TIP Office requests applications to develop sustainable victim/survivor case management protection systems to assist trafficking victims and survivors over time, in cooperation with victim-centered investigation and prosecution efforts. We have a strong preference for partnerships with organizations with specialized experience in training frontline providers in the delivery of trauma-informed mental health care. Proposals should integrate innovative approaches, such as mobile identification units, screening tools, and expertise in trauma, as well as provide comprehensive services. A strong proposal would include provider capacity-building, training, and networking opportunities to mitigate provider turnover and burn-out while building on existing associations or networks to bring trafficking and trauma training to the widest number of service providers possible. Focus should be on long-term engagement with victims/survivors, so a four- or five-year project to include an external mid-line and end-line evaluation is recommended. Particular attention should be paid to the provision of tailored and targeted services with the goal of informing a phased and scalable case management system model. A successful project would ensure government buy-in and civil society cooperation.

3. (Bilateral – Turkey) – Prosecution – Turkey hosts a large number of migrants and refugees from neighboring countries, and many of them are vulnerable to trafficking. Yet a high number of cases end in acquittals as many survivors flee Turkey as soon as they are able and are not available to testify in trafficking cases.

Request for Applications: The TIP Office requests applications that focus on increasing victim-centered investigations, prosecutions, and convictions in trafficking cases and ensuring victim/survivor testimony. Proposals should complement other donor programming that focuses on improving criminal justice efforts in Turkey. This could include mentoring, establishing processes to protect and build trust with trafficking victims, and/or forging new ways to take and use victim testimony in court. Successful proposals must include a track record of working in Turkey within the current civil society environment, and specific Letters of Cooperation from relevant Government of Turkey entities.

4. (Bilateral–Romania) – Romania hosts nearly a million refugees from

Ukraine, including those who are staying in Romania or transiting through the country. Ukrainian refugees in Romania are increasingly vulnerable to sex and labor trafficking. Romanian and third-country nationals also are at risk of trafficking in the country.

Request for Applications: The TIP Office requests applications for implementing enhanced and collaborative identification and multi-sector case management approaches to build capacity of front-line providers to increase identification of trafficking victims and provide comprehensive trauma-informed protection services in Romania. Integrate sustainable capacity-building of service providers in the delivery of trauma-informed mental health care and other comprehensive protection services, to include approaches such as training, supervision, and networking opportunities to mitigate provider turnover and burn-out while building on existing associations or networks to bring effective trafficking and trauma training and provision of services to service providers. Consider strengthening collaboration with neighboring country stakeholders to improve identification and protection for Ukrainian, Romanian, and third-country nationals.

NEAR EAST (NEA)

The TIP Office currently has programming in Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia. Migrant workers from all over the world are working in the Gulf, where many are subjected to human trafficking. This year we are prioritizing human trafficking of migrant workers in the Gulf, as well as

Morocco and Iraq.

The TIP Office’s current programming in Morocco is ending this year after helping the country draft a National Referral Mechanism. In addition, the TIP Office’s current funding in Iraq is ending this December, which will leave no current victim protective service provider in Federal Iraq.

The TIP Office has prioritized Morocco because there is no programming providing direct protective services to identified victims of trafficking, which is greatly needed, even though current programming seeks to identify and guide change in the legislative and judicial system to increase victim identification and overall prosecution numbers. In Iraq, the country remains fragmented and with the current protective services programming ending this year, only limited protective services remain, provided by the government, for identified victims in Federal

Iraq.

1. (Bilateral – Morocco) – Protection – Moroccan authorities’ anti-trafficking efforts are deeply tied to the current irregular migration crisis with poor screening and conflation of human trafficking and migrant smuggling causing penalization of trafficking victims. In addition, the government rarely provides specialized shelter and services to trafficking victims in

Morocco. We seek to expand funding for victim identification and referrals to services.

The TIP Office has been programming in Morocco since 2016 with a program to help amend the trafficking law and implement a National

Referral Mechanism (NRM). The TIP Office has also funded programs to further train law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges on the existing trafficking law and to prepare legal NGOs and pro-bono lawyers on how to utilize the NRM once implemented. This will be the first time the TIP

Office has advocated solely for protective services in Morocco, recognizing the high need for protective services.

Request for Applications: The TIP Office seeks applications aiming to increase protective services and capacity for the reintegration into society of survivors of trafficking, including working with government and civil society partners to provide comprehensive services for identified victims. Applications should also seek to creatively engage the government to improve collaboration with victim service providers and more consistently refer identified trafficking victims to services.

2. (Bilateral – Iraq) – Protection and Prevention – The Iraqi government remains without comprehensive services or a dedicated shelter for male victims of trafficking, including forced labor. The only trafficking shelter in

Federal Iraq is managed by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs

(MOLSA) and continues to provide victims’ basic needs; however, budget and resource constraints remain a challenge to improving overall care. Separately, over the last two years, reports of migrant workers, particularly from Africa, being subjected to conditions indicative of forced labor have increased.

NGOs’ and IOs’ victim assistance data reinforces this trend – for example, in March 2022, The International Organization for Migration (IOM) facilitated the repatriation of 13 Kenyan female forced labor victims from

Iraq. Victims were deceived by fraudulent job offers, and after arrival in

Iraq as domestic workers, they experienced passport confiscation, psychological coercion, physical confinement, and sexual, verbal, and physical abuse. Other NGOs report an increase in similar cases. Because of insufficient understanding of the crime, Iraqi officials often do not identify victims of forced labor as such, and some victims are penalized for immigration violations and are unable to receive adequate care. Victim protection concerns – including proactive identification and non-penalization of victims – remain priority recommendations in the TIP Report.

The TIP Office has been supporting programs in Iraq since for over a decade, including a program that sought to provide protective services to identified victims of trafficking, especially amongst the Yezidi population, while also focusing on training first responders to better identify potential victims of trafficking. Subsequent programs have been heavily focused on providing protective services with limited training of first responders and other government officials.

Request for Applications: The TIP Office seeks applications to provide comprehensive services to identified trafficking victims including legal assistance, healthcare, shelter, and repatriation assistance while raising awareness of trafficking in Iraq, with a focus on male and foreign victims of trafficking – especially those experiencing conditions indicative of forced labor.

3. (Bilateral – Gulf) – Prevention – Gulf Regional Multistakeholder

Working Group Campaign on Trafficking – Although several GCC governments have begun implementing reforms to their respective visa sponsorship-based employment systems, many workers remain unable to utilize such freedoms due to lack of awareness of their rights and accessibility to both resources and grievance mechanisms. Further, lack of accountability for employers who do not comply with reforms and monitoring programs (such as Wage Protection Systems) continue to hinder reform implementation across the Gulf. Raising awareness on policies and compliance levels with existing laws and monitoring programs could support greater change in the region.

The TIP Office has never programmed in the Gulf directly, only tangentially with programs supporting returning victims of trafficking from Northern

African countries such as Tunisia, Morocco, or Algeria. Although not uniform, visa sponsorship-based employment systems across the Gulf region give employers’ full control over migrant workers’ residency permits, movements in and out of the country, and ability to change employers.

These systems’ rules and limitations enable abusive employers to use unscrupulous employment practices that can constitute forced labor, including excessive work hours; retention of passports and travel documents by the employer; non-payment of wages; and physical, psychological, and sexual abuse or threats of abuse.

Request for Applications: The TIP Office seeks applications to: 1)

Analyze available research on sponsorship-based employment systems prevalent in the region resulting in recommendations for governments to implement; 2) Build an advocacy plan with specific requests based on this research and TIP Report recommendations addressing both demand and supply concerns; 3) Raise awareness among migrant workers, including domestic workers, of existing laws and amendments and compliance levels with each; 4) Share best practices from other countries in the region in informing and empowering migrant workers, including domestic workers; 5)

Collaborate with source country embassies in country; 6) Disseminate public awareness messaging across media platforms targeting corporations and other partners to affect positive change in laws and compliance. A successful project would work with multiple stakeholders, including major international institutions such as The World Bank, to lead public and private stakeholders in the campaign, similar in methodology to the Cotton

Campaign in Uzbekistan. Any program proposal must include

Kuwait. Selecting more than one programming initiative will not hinder or improve the applicant’s chances of being selected for funding.

SOUTH and CENTRAL ASIA (SCA)

The TIP Office currently supports projects in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Of note, the TIP Office has funded more than $1 million over the past year to address the short-term, urgent needs arising from the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on efforts to combat human trafficking in South and Central Asia.

In the FY 2022 NOFO, the TIP Office’s three priority countries for the SCA region are Bangladesh, India, and Kazakhstan. These countries were selected based on a combination of demonstrated need for increased child protection, constructive political will on behalf of the national or local-level stakeholders, and potential for additional programming to build on current TIP Office efforts. While projects will be contextualized to the needs of their individual host countries, launching multiple long-term (4-5 year) projects simultaneously will enable the TIP Office to support a community of practice throughout South and Central Asia. One Applicant will be also selected to host a bi-annual summit focused on child protection in South and Central Asia. This event will serve as a platform for academics, experts, government officials, and practitioners to share best practices, discuss shared challenges, and improve partnerships throughout the region.

1. (Bilateral – Kazakhstan) – Protection – After Russia, Kazakhstan hosts the largest number of migrant laborers from Central Asia, with the majority coming from Uzbekistan. Reporting from the region suggest that the economic impact of Russia’s war on Ukraine could cause the large-scale return of Central Asian migrants. Already, it is estimated that more than 130,000 labor migrants have returned to Uzbekistan due to the economic consequences of war. These workers will return to countries that have suffered increased economic uncertainty due to the peripheral impacts of sanctions on Moscow.

Despite their eligibility to attend schools, accompanying children of migrant laborers are often left outside of the formal education sector, leaving them vulnerable to forced labor or sex trafficking. In 2017, an international organization reported that more than 400 children from

Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan were in Kazakhstan’s

Juvenile Adaptation Centres, where they are at heightened risk of trafficking.

Request for Applications: The TIP Office seeks proposals to protect child victims of trafficking and accompanying children of migrant laborers, with a focus on southern Kazakhstan. Applicants can include direct protection interventions to increase access to schooling and/or livelihood support for vulnerable children, victims, and survivors of trafficking. Proposals can include capacity-building support, such as training for Kazakhstani shelter workers, school and/or education officials, Juvenile Adaptation Centres, and government-run rehabilitation centers. These interventions must include training on trauma-informed care to children. Applicants should specify their approach to this issue

(i.e., referencing specific theory and/or applied approaches such as

Trauma-Focused Integrated Play). Proposals referencing a “trauma-informed and victim-centered” approach without explanation will not be considered.