The social-impact program will empower illicit finance investigators with the tools needed to identify forced labor, sex trafficking and more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of an ongoing effort to fight illicit finance in Japan, ACAMS and Finance Against Slavery & Trafficking (FAST) at the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR) have launched a Japanese version of the free-of-charge social-impact certificate program for anti-financial crime (AFC) professionals, Fighting Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking - Part 1.

Launched at ACAMS' Japan Assembly, the certificate outlines strategies to identify, investigate and report financial activities linked to traffickers, including the analysis of new case studies.

According to the 2023 Global Slavery Index, developed by Walk Free, Asia-Pacific has the largest number of people in modern slavery, estimated at 23.9 million people. In Japan alone, approximately 144,000 people experience modern slavery (1.1 people per thousand).    

Modern slavery and human trafficking are lucrative for perpetrators, as human exploitation has become the most pervasive criminal economy in the world. International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that annual profits generated from forced labour amount to $150 billion each year*. Much of this illicit money flows through the global financial system, and there is growing expectation that the financial sector should pay a critical role in mitigation efforts.  

"Modern slavery is one of the biggest crises of our times, forcing innocent individuals to work in dangerous and degrading conditions for little pay or else trafficked for sex across every corner of the globe," said ACAMS CEO Scott Liles. "But we have the power to put a stop to it today if financial institutions and law enforcement come together to map the illicit money flows underpinning it."

"This initiative empowers AFC professionals throughout Japan to play an important role in not only safeguarding the financial sector but also in helping to save the life of someone's mother, father, son or daughter," he said.

"Translating the ACAMS-FAST course will enhance the accessibility of this important resource and provide more practitioners with the guidance they need to tackle modern slavery and human trafficking," argues Alice Eckstein, Project Director of the FAST Initiative. "We cannot address these risks without the involvement of the financial sector – and the new translations help strengthen the sector's capacity to act."

The new Japanese translation of this certificate will be followed by French and Spanish versions – ensuring the training certificates are accessible to more financial sector professionals and help strengthen the global fight against modern slavery and human trafficking.

Since 2020, ACAMS has launched six social impact certificates, three of which were in partnership with FAST: Fighting Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking – Part 1 and Part 2, and Preventing Online Child Exploitation with Financial Intelligence.

Two of the six ACAMS social impact certificates have been translated: Ending Illegal Wildlife – Part 1 into Simplified Chinese and Japanese, and Fighting Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking – Part 1. Find out more about them here: https://www.acams.org/en/training/acams-social-impact-certificates

Fighting Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking – Part 1 (Japanese) can be accessed at: www.acams.org/ja/トレーニング/認定トレーニングコース/現代奴隷制および人身売買防止の取り組み 

*Profits and Poverty: The Economics of Forced Labour (2014), ILO

About ACAMS®
ACAMS is a leading international membership organization dedicated to providing opportunities for anti-financial crime (AFC) education, best practices, and peer-to-peer networking to AFC professionals globally. With over 100,000 members across 180 jurisdictions, ACAMS is committed to the mission of ending financial crime through the provision of anti-money laundering/counterterrorism-financing and sanctions knowledge-sharing, thought leadership, risk-mitigation services, ESG initiatives, and platforms for public-private dialogue. The association's CAMS certification is the gold- standard qualification for AFC professionals, while its CGSS and CCAS certifications are for sanctions professionals and AFC practitioners working in the crypto space, respectively. ACAMS' 60+ Chapters globally further amplify the association's mission through training and networking initiatives. Visit acams.org for more information.

About FAST
Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking (FAST) is a multi-stakeholder initiative based at the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR) aiming to mobilize the financial sector against modern slavery and human trafficking. FAST is a knowledge partner for Governments, Multilateral Organizations and financial sector actors alike. Through its alliance-building and survivor-informed approach, FAST works with its partners around the world, to end modern slavery and human trafficking in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 8.7. For more information: www.fastinitiative.org  

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Source: Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS)