Prevention of trafficking in persons should adopt a multi-layered approach to tackle the drivers of the proliferation of trafficking activity.

 Preventing human trafficking may take many forms in the short and long term, with more or less correlated and measurable impact. While awareness-raising initiatives that are context, public and vulnerability specific may have a preventive effect on trafficking, other measures addressing root causes for trafficking in persons, or interventions tailored to sectors that can be breeding grounds for trafficking in persons could also be considered.

 In the context of transnational trafficking in persons, considering the increasing push on human mobility from conflicts and climate change, and to reduce risks of trafficking connected with smuggling of migrants, who become more vulnerable to exploitation while on the move, national authorities should consider legal channels for refugee movement and broadening the scope of regular pathways for migrants that foster safe and dignified journeys for people who need to move across borders. 

To address the root causes of human mobility and loss of economic power related to climate change, national authorities should adopt comprehensive strategies to address the intersection between climate change, crimes that affect the environment and trafficking in persons, including by providing compensation mechanisms for affected communities to mitigate income loss caused by natural crises and reduce vulnerabilities.

 Promoting youth employment and education as key preventive measures could also counter poverty, conflict, and harmful socio-cultural practices that make individuals vulnerable to trafficking in persons. National authorities are encouraged to build partnerships with civil society organizations (particularly youth organizations) to create economic opportunities, support vulnerable communities and address underlying vulnerabilities that contribute to trafficking risks.

 Recognizing the influence and position of faith leaders and community representatives, national authorities should consider leveraging their trusted positions within communities to act as key change-makers in preventing trafficking in persons, the influence of peers may also be leveraged by incorporating the experiences of survivors into awareness initiatives.

 In the context of trafficking for forced criminality into online scams, as some part of the victims are young individuals enrolled in university or other similar programmes, national authorities should develop country-specific prevention interventions targeting universities and tertiary education institutions to inform students about the dangers of online scamming operations and recruitment practices used by criminals. 

Finally, in the context of Africa, as emerging from the research, while a wealth of natural resources can turn into durable and effective economic opportunities for African countries, it can also attract criminal actors and result in more victims of trafficking in persons. National authorities should engage Ministries of Mines to include anti-human-trafficking provisions in mining regulations and leverage mining companies' corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts to combat trafficking for forced labour in the region. The international community should support African countries to enforce regulatory systems to ensure legal, sustainable and safe extraction of natural resources, as well as increasing fair trade and wealth redistribution to reduce child labour and child trafficking for forced labour.