Trafficking in persons for forced criminality is an increasingly complex form of exploitation, in which victims are coerced into criminal activities such as drug trafficking or cyber‑scam operations and are often treated as offenders rather than victims. In Southeast Asia, the rapid expansion of transnational organised crime and cyber‑enabled criminality has heightened these risks, underscoring the need for stronger application of the Non‑Punishment Principle (NPP), improved victim identification, and more coordinated, rights‑based responses.
ASEAN Member States have taken important steps through the ASEAN Convention Against Trafficking in Persons (ACTIP), the ASEAN Guideline on the NPP developed by AICHR and SOMTC, and ongoing work to develop indicators to better identify trafficking for forced criminality.
This side event of the 26th OSCE Trafficking in Persons Conference, co‑organised by the Australian Government funded ASEAN‑Australia Counter Trafficking (ASEAN‑ACT) program and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), shared emerging ASEAN policies and lessons, alongside new research and civil society perspectives, to foster cross‑regional learning among policymakers, practitioners, civil society, and survivor‑leaders.
Thanks to our speakers (click hyperlink to download PPT):
- Genevieve Sauberli, Regional Migration Advisor, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
- H.E. Anita Ashvini Wahid, Indonesia Representative to ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR)
- Mr Chuan Yang Chew, Hayat (Malaysia)
- Professor Siobhán Mullally, UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children