Journalism Centre on Global Trafficking

Sex trafficking in Asia is endemic. Roughly 30 million people - mostly women and girls - have been trafficked, internally and across borders. India has the largest number of trafficked people, around 8 million, mostly between states (90%), with the remaining people being trafficked across the borders from Nepal and Bangladesh, according to a report from the British government.

Journalists can bring these stories to the forefront by investigating and reporting on sex trafficking.

Founded in 2022, the Journalism Centre on Global Trafficking (JCOGT) is dedicated to inform medias' understanding of human, labour, arms, drugs and wildlife trafficking.

In just three years, our small but mighty team has trained, mentored, and funded journalists across South Asia. But we can only do so much!

With the current state of aid funds being cut off, it’s proving a little difficult to continue sustaining this vital work.

Our Impact So Far:

Through our South Asia Fellowship, we have supported journalists investigating trafficking in India, and through this bold reporting, real impact was achieved!

1. Exposing Traffickers targeting hospitals cribs

Stephen V. investigated missing newborns in Tamil Nadu, uncovering a trafficking network that stole infants from government hospitals. His reporting led to:

✔ The arrest of a doctor and a broker involved in a child trafficking ring.

✔ The Tamil Nadu Health Minister mandating CCTV cameras in over 2,000 primary health centers to prevent future trafficking

2. Award-Winning Investigations on Child Labor

Romita’s article on child labor in India’s sandstone industry won the Save the Children International #GlobalMediaAward for Best International/Wire Coverage, bringing global attention to the issue.

3. Amplifying the Voices of Families Seeking Justice

Biswajeet Banerjee investigated child trafficking in Lucknow and Delhi, highlighting the struggles of desperate families searching for their missing children. His reporting led to:

✔ Other parents coming forward to tell their stories, pressuring authorities to take action.

See our full impact report here:

Watch: Our fellow Maitreyee discusses the challenges of reporting on trafficking and why journalist support is essential.

How you can help

To ensure journalists continue to have the support that is needed to conduct complex investigations, Journalism Centre on Global Trafficking will host a spring or early summer training to provide information, mentoring, to up to 100 journalists and grant funds to 8 journalists to investigate stories.

Your donations help provide training, reporting grants and coaching for journalists to support investigations on sex trafficking in India.

Journalism matters in helping bring criminal networks to light - please donate today!

South Asia, which is home to 15% of the world’s biodiversity, is a hub for wildlife trafficking. Wildlife trafficking threatens the survival of numerous species, which can disturb ecosystems globally. It facilitates the spread of zoonotic diseases, which can have global health implications, as seen with the COVID-19 pandemic. Transnational organized criminal networks also often move illegally harvested wildlife through existing infrastructures and well-developed routes used for the trafficking of drugs, people, weapons, and other forms of contraband.

One of the major factors driving wildlife trafficking in south Asia is the

growing demand for exotic pets, especially birds such as cockatoos,

macaws, and grey parrots, as well as star tortoises, and reptiles. The

exotic pet trade can pose a threat to local ecosystems and public health outlets in their countries and throughout the world.

Journalism Centre on Global Trafficking hosted a workshop on Dec. 10, 2024 for 200 journalists from South Asia to learn about the intricacies of South Asia's trafficking in exotic pets and wildlife crime.

How you can help:

We are now raising funds to support journalists to complete investigations on trafficking.

Your donation will help:

✔ Provide reporting grants for investigative journalism.

✔ Fund mentorship and training for journalists on covering wildlife crime.

✔ Support fact-based, quality reporting that holds traffickers accountable.

Help us empower our journalists - donate today!