From 18-20 September, Garage48 and the US State Department invite technologists, law enforcement, NGOs and others to join the fight against human trafficking – during a 48-hour hackathon, the participants will develop possible technological solutions that will help eradicate the scourge of modern slavery.
According to Garage48, human trafficking is the third largest international crime industry in the world. “The crime has many faces, with victims suffering from sex or child sex trafficking, forced labour, bonded labour or debt bondage, domestic servitude, forced child labour, or the unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers,” the company said in a press release.
“Trafficking-in-persons is a critical issue that requires the collaboration of government, civil society and individuals. This hackathon will create real-world solutions to help stem the flow of trafficking, assist its victims, and raise awareness of the problem,” the US ambassador to Estonia, Jeff Levine, said.
“We are grateful to all participants for contributing their talents to this effort, and the US Department of State is thrilled to partner on this exciting initiative with Garage48, which has a proven record of bringing together people able to turn ideas into action.”
Garage48 said in its statement that technology “can play a key role in ending human trafficking by stimulating innovative ways to assist victims of trafficking, to disrupt the human supply chain, or to harness technology to help authorities put a stop to the criminal organisations that prey on millions across the globe”.
The hackathon will begin on 18 September at the Baltic Film and Media School in Tallinn.
Garage48 is a series of international start-up events for turning ideas into working prototypes in 48 hours.
