Human trafficking and exploitation are dark undercurrents flowing beneath our modern society, often hidden from view but with implications touching every industry and community. In this episode of the Hidden Traffic Podcast, Gwen Hassan sits down with Ian Mitchell, founder of The Knoble. Ian sheds light on the pivotal role banks play in leading the global fight against child sexual exploitation and related crimes. Together, he and Gwen explore the involvement of various sectors and the ways businesses and individuals can contribute to curbing these heinous acts.
Ian founded the nonprofit organization, The Knoble, when he recognized a potential overlap between his expertise in identifying fraudulent financial patterns and the fight against human trafficking. The Knoble aims to create a coalition across the financial industry to recognize and address “human crimes.” This term reflects The Knoble’s holistic approach to understanding and combating different types of exploitation by placing the human experience at the center of their mission. Their mission encompasses fighting various forms of human exploitation, including human trafficking, modern slavery, child exploitation, scams, and elder exploitation.
The vast majority of human crimes, including child sexual exploitation and human trafficking, are financially motivated. Ian emphasizes the importance of uniting the financial services industry in the fight against human crimes. The idea is to harness the resources, expertise, and techniques traditionally used to combat financial fraud for the broader purpose of tackling various forms of exploitation. Financial institutions play a significant role in combating these crimes due to their robust programs against fraud and money laundering. Ian highlights the consistency in banking ecosystems across more than 14 countries. The similarities in transactional processes across these countries offer an advantage in setting up countermeasures against human trafficking and related crimes.
The fight against human trafficking isn’t just reliant on institutions, but also on individuals. Corporations support through various project initiatives related to their business interests, while individuals are trained to identify and act against potential trafficking situations. Moreover, corporations play a pivotal role in addressing human crimes through corporate social responsibility.
Mission Omega, co-founded by Ian, donates a portion of its revenue to The Knoble. This company’s objective includes training and employing survivors of human trafficking in fraud detection roles. The idea stemmed from understanding that many survivors couldn’t secure good jobs, leading to a high recidivism rate. By training them and offering them respectable jobs, they can not only deter them from returning to trafficking but also provide them with a new lease on life.
Resources
Ian Mitchell on the Web | LinkedIn | The Knoble
Email: ian@theknoble.com
