In the Eye of the Storm: The connection between extreme weather events and human trafficking in the case of typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

Abstract: Considering climate change, the continuous degradation of the environment, and the uneven distribution of resources, this research project aims to shed light on the social vulnerability of people experiencing extreme weather events and possible connections to social phenomena. Specifically, this project focuses on how vulnerability to extreme weather events affects vulnerability to human trafficking. The research case is the Philippines, and more precisely, typhoon Haiyan, which hit the Philippines in November 2013. Semi-structured expert interviews were conducted and contextualised with scientific literature and the researcher’s own experiences from a stay in the Philippines in 2013. The theoretical framework of human and political ecology, especially the concept of vulnerability, serves as the basis for the analysis and provides insights into factors and root causes that determine vulnerability. The findings of the study indicate that there is a connection between extreme weather events and human trafficking, although the actual extent cannot be defined, due to the multifactor complexity of causalities and the illicit nature of human trafficking. Various factors were determined such as poverty, migration and education to play an important role in the connection between vulnerability to extreme weather events and vulnerability to human trafficking. Accordingly, the findings show that extreme weather events create new vulnerabilities and reinforce existing ones which can pave the way for human trafficking. Thus, extreme weather events can be seen as a push factor for human trafficking. Furthermore, the study discusses how global environmental and social injustice and climate change affect extreme weather events and human trafficking. The study clearly shows that the root causes of climate change, social vulnerability and human trafficking have to be addressed and hence mitigated.