Bluehack against Human Trafficking with Stevens University
Client:
IBM / Stevens University
Project Date:
March 2019
Objectives:
Through partnerships with the UN Office of Drugs and Crime, and Fundación Pasos Libres, and IBM’s Innovation Team, enable students at Stevens University to learn about, empathize with victims of, and create scenario specific solutions to combat human trafficking.
Situation & Tasks:
Human trafficking remains a dire global issue, and the integration of technology can play a pivotal role in its mitigation. Armed with IBM’s Innovation Team’s technical prowess, the UN' Office of Drugs & Crime’s information, and Fundación Pasos Libres’s hands-on experience combatting human trafficking, students were lead through design thinking exercises and rapid prototyping aimed at combating, limiting, identifying cases of human trafficking.
Actions:
Knowledge & Empathy Building: Initiated with a comprehensive session highlighting the gravity of human trafficking, its modus operandi, and the stories of victims, ensuring students could deeply empathize and comprehend the real-world implications.
Expert Insights: Representatives from the UN Office of Drugs & Crime and Fundación Pasos Libres shared their on-ground experiences and insights, painting a clear picture of the current challenges faced in combatting human trafficking.
Design Thinking & Ideation: Under the guidance of IBM’s Innovation Team, students embarked on design thinking exercises, exploring diverse technological solutions tailored to specific human trafficking scenarios.
Rapid Prototyping: Students were encouraged to transform their ideas into tangible prototypes, leveraging IBM's cutting-edge technological tools, platforms, & on-hand experts to craft functioning MVPs.
Feedback & Refinement: Solutions were critiqued and refined based on feedback from human trafficking experts, ensuring feasibility and real-world applicability.
Showcase & Way Forward: Concluding the workshop, student teams presented their solutions, with a roadmap for potential real-world implementation and next steps discussed.
Results:
The workshop resulted in several innovative, tech-driven solutions conceptualized by Stevens University students, showcasing their potential to make tangible impacts in the fight against human trafficking. This initiative also fostered a deep sense of social responsibility among the students, highlighting the power of technology as a force for good and established various opportunities for students to continue their work within IBM’s partnerships with the UN and Fundación Pasos Libres.
