Optimizing Screening and Support Services for Gender-Based Violence and Trafficking in Person Victims

Sri Lanka’s checkered track record of extending services to victims of trafficking in persons (TIP) raises valid questions of how best to strengthen the systems in place. Given limited resources, a common argument put forth is to integrate services provided to TIP victims with those provided to victims of gender-based violence (GBV). This multicountry study, anchored by The Asia Foundation, was conducted in India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal to critically examine how screening and service delivery can be optimized for TIP victims. A key question underlying the research was the possibility of integrating or separating services for TIP and GBV victims and ensuring that they have better access to services. Largely qualitative data gathered in Sri Lanka points to the challenges TIP victims encounter in trying to access services. The question of integration or separation offers a nuanced understanding of how TIP and GBV victims are perceived and the resultant differential access to services. Perceptions about who constitutes a victim and the feminization of victimhood are obstacles in attempting to access services. The study offers recommendations that could support victims in a more cohesive and meaningful manner.