Overview

Suraksha Lens is a pioneering initiative of the South Asian Institute of Crime and Justice Studies. It addresses one of the most urgent challenges of our time: how climate change–driven displacement heightens vulnerability to human trafficking and organised crime.

When floods, droughts, or cyclones force families from their homes, the loss of livelihoods and breakdown of community protections leave women, children, and marginalised groups at particular risk. Traffickers exploit this instability — both physically and digitally — through fake job offers, unverified aid, and unsafe migration routes.

Suraksha Lens brings together field research, geospatial AI, and digital monitoring to identify and respond to these risks before they escalate.

Geographic Focus

Our pilot sites span India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The regions chose are among South Asia’s most climate-vulnerable and already show evidence of displacement being exploited for trafficking.

What We Do

  • Map Risks: Combine satellite data, climate patterns, and displacement reports to identify climate hotspots.

  • Track Exploitation Pathways: Monitor how organised networks and online platforms (Social Media, WhatsApp, Telegram, job portals) target displaced communities.

  • Develop Tools: Build open-access risk maps and an AI-enabled dashboard for early warning and prevention.

  • Engage Communities: Partner with local CSOs and community organizations to create reporting mechanisms, protection alerts, and awareness materials in local languages.

How We Do It

  • Research & Data Integration

    • Conduct field studies in displacement-prone regions with local partners.

    • Integrate climate, migration, and trafficking datasets with real-time monitoring of online platforms.

  • Technology Development

    • Build AI-enabled dashboards and open-access risk maps.

    • Through our partnership with Qilafy, we’re harnessing AI to detect, prevent, and learn from scams targeting vulnerable communities.

    • Use geospatial analysis and digital surveillance to detect patterns of vulnerability and exploitation.

    • Design tools that are accessible to civil society, government agencies, and humanitarian actors.

  • Community Partnerships

    • Work with grassroots CSOs and frontline workers to validate risks and refine early warning models.

    • Co-develop protection alerts, safe migration messaging, and reporting channels in local languages.

  • Policy & Systems Engagement

    • Share insights with policymakers, law enforcement, and humanitarian agencies.

    • Advocate for evidence-based protections that address the climate–trafficking nexus.

  • Why It Matters

    South Asia is projected to see 40 million people displaced by climate stress by 2050.

  • Predict and Plan

    Without preventive action, these movements could become pathways to exploitation.

  • Redefining Building Back Better

    Suraksha Lens works to ensure that climate adaptation is not only about rebuilding roads and infrastructure, but also about protecting lives, dignity, and futures