ROME (February 20, 2025) — The McCain Institute and Justice & Care convened the third annual Summit of the Global Consortium on Prosecuting Human Trafficking (Prosecutors Consortium) in Rome, Italy, February 3-6, 2025.
Experienced human trafficking prosecutors from 12 countries came together to discuss best practices for prosecuting trafficking cases, share country updates, strengthen existing networks, and build new partnerships. Countries represented this year included Argentina, Bangladesh, France, Ghana, Italy, Mexico, Philippines, Uganda, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The Prosecutors Consortium–launched in 2021–aims to address human trafficking and forced labor by making use of evidence-based practices for prosecuting cases with a victim-centered approach and building a vibrant global practitioners’ network. Its core objectives include:
- Aligning the best available evidence for prosecuting human trafficking cases with a victim-centered approach.
- Developing specific, targeted policy recommendations.
- Building a vibrant global practitioners’ network of experienced human trafficking prosecutors.
“Through face-to-face intimidation, or by digital means, human trafficking persists as a global threat. Through our partnership with Justice & Care, we have been able to connect an international network of expert prosecutors who play a critical role in the judicial response against human traffickers, and in defense of survivors,” said McCain Institute Chief Program Officer Kristen Abrams.
“Prosecutors are expected to manage an impossible tension between the high-level expectation of policymakers and the reality of ever-more innovative exploitation of victims of human trafficking,” said CEO of Justice & Care James Clarry. “The Prosecutors Consortium is a platform for incredible national prosecutors to join forces to ‘fight back’.”
Over the course of the summit, the participants heard updates from Bangladesh, Uganda, and the Philippines regarding important recent cases and innovative ways prosecutors are working to more effectively combat human trafficking. The prosecutors also engaged with external officials, including representatives from the Global Commission to End Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking and the Direzione Nazionale Antimafia e Antiterrorismo (National Anti-Mafia and Anti-Terrorism Directorate), which leads Italy’s anti-trafficking prosecution efforts.
“While awareness of human trafficking has grown, much more needs to be done to combat this crime,” said Director of the McCain Institute’s Human Rights & Freedom Program Corban Teague. “In addition to strengthening prevention and protection efforts, countries across the globe must improve the effectiveness of prosecutions. While the estimated number of victims and survivors of human trafficking is in the tens of millions, the number of investigations, prosecutions, and convictions of human trafficking offenses remains unacceptably low. It is also vital that prosecutions are conducted in a victim-centered manner. To meet this challenge, the Prosecutors Consortium continues to play an important role in identifying and highlighting best practices and building a support network for prosecutors around the world.”
Click here to read more about the Prosecutors Consortium and read materials developed by the members. Click here to learn more about the McCain Institute’s Human Rights & Freedom Program.
About the McCain Institute at Arizona State University
The McCain Institute is a nonpartisan organization inspired by Senator John McCain and his family’s dedication to public service. We are part of Arizona State University and based in Washington, D.C. Our programs defend democracy, advance human rights, and empower character-driven leaders. Our unique power to convene leaders across the global political spectrum enables us to make a real impact on the world’s most pressing challenges. Our goal is action, not talk, and like Senator McCain, we are fighting to create a free, safe, and just world for all.
About Arizona State University
Arizona State University has developed a new model for the American research university, creating an institution that is committed to access, excellence and impact. ASU measures itself by those it includes, not by those it excludes. As the prototype for a New American University, ASU pursues research that contributes to the public good, and ASU assumes major responsibility for the economic, social and cultural vitality of the communities that surround it.
About Justice & Care
Justice and Care is an international NGO fighting human trafficking and modern slavery. It operates to free men, women and children who have been trafficked and brutally exploited in slavery and empower them to rebuild their lives, working alongside police and border force teams to dismantle the criminal networks responsible and support communities at risk. Frontline experience and expertise are then translated and expertise into large-scale, replicable change, partnering with governments and key stakeholders to change the policies and systems that allow slavery to thrive.