Trafficking in persons is one of the region’s most complex challenges. Traffickers operate across borders, exploiting vulnerable groups for high profits. Addressing this challenge requires ASEAN Member States and partners to work hand-in-hand to coordinate and take effective action to protect victims, prosecute offenders, and dismantle the networks that enable trafficking to proliferate.
The ASEAN Compendium on International Legal Cooperation on Trafficking in Persons Cases (ILC Compendium) is an important resource that strengthens ASEAN Member States’ ability to combat trafficking in persons. The ILC Compendium provides practical guidance to strengthen cooperation in investigating and prosecuting trafficking in persons. It includes an overview of legal frameworks, human rights and gender equality considerations and case studies; identifies the political, legal, institutional and practical barriers to cooperation; and offers concrete strategies to overcome these barriers.
Developed by the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) – with the support of the ASEAN-Australia Counter Trafficking program in partnership with the United Nations Office on Crime and Drugs Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific (UNODC ROSEAP) – it draws on wide consultation with officials across ASEAN Member States and beyond.
Between the inauguration of the project in April 2022 and October 2023, 67 consultation meetings involving 261 practitioners were conducted across 11 countries. Challenges of international cooperation were further discussed at a dedicated Regional Forum held in March 2024 and full drafts of the compendium were subsequently reviewed by SOMTC, central authorities and prosecutors from the ASEAN Member States, Timor-Leste and relevant ASEAN Sectoral Bodies at ASEAN regional workshops held in Bangkok in December 2024 and May 2025.
The development of this ILC Compendium, including the updating of the country profiles and “How to MLA” represents a collective effort that would not have been possible without the dedication, expertise, and collaborative spirit of numerous individuals and institutions across the region.
Download the ASEAN Compendium on International Legal Cooperation on Trafficking in Persons Cases
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