The Survivor Inclusion Initiative (SII), managed by UNU-CPR’s Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking (FAST) project, was developed in 2019 to address a key component in the recovery and reintegration of survivors of human trafficking and other forms of modern slavery: overcoming structural barriers and providing financial agency and access.
In its pilot phase of operation (2019–2023), SII facilitated the opening of 3,040 survivor bank accounts. Fourteen financial institutions and 39 survivor support organizations participated in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
As one of the first activities launched within FAST, the SII offers useful lessons on how to directly mitigate vulnerability through financial access for survivor clients. Best practices from the pilot, including modified and simplified know-your-customer processes for financial institutions working with these clients, are now being applied in other contexts to reduce vulnerability through financial inclusion, most recently in the case of Ukrainian refugees in Europe.
Recognizing that the pilot has reached maturity, FAST has transitioned from acting as an intermediary for SII. Instead, we offer the following resources to financial service providers and survivor support organizations so they can apply SII practices independently. The resources will also help survivors understand that they have the right to access and use financial services.
FAST sincerely thanks the financial institutions, survivors support organizations, and – most importantly – the survivors, who have all contributed to this pilot’s success and will carry its work forward. FAST also sincerely thanks Barry Koch and Polaris for the integral role they played in founding SII.
Interested in participating in SII? Find the SII country contacts below, as well as a full list of participating organizations (2019 - June 2024).
Country Contacts
United States
Moore & Van Allen Human Trafficking Pro Bono Project, Sarah Dohoney Byrne, sarahbyrne@mvalaw.com (Please indicate SII inquiry in the subject line of the email)
Barry Koch, Co-Founding Member of SII and AML Expert Witness, kochbarry@aol.com
Polaris, Co-Founding Member of SII, resiliencefund@polarisproject.org
Trafficking and Scarlet Road, Survivor Support Organization, jana@scarletroad.org
Canada
SII Resources
Brief
Lessons from Canada's Approach to Extending Financial Access to Survivors of Modern Slavery
Toolkit
Survivor Inclusion Initiative
Lessons from the Survivor Inclusion Initiative (SII) in the UK, US, and Canada
Brief
Lessons from the Survivor Inclusion Initiative (SII) in the UK, US, and Canada
Brief
Business Banking and Start-Up Support for Survivors of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking
Brief