Safeguarding the rights of children coming in contact with the law, including as victims, witnesses or suspected perpetrators in trafficking in persons cases, calls for special measures. This includes measures to prevent re-traumatisation and further harm during the justice process, which recognise children's heightened vulnerability.
Trafficked victims who are children must be given special consideration - from the point of identification as victims through to reintegration and return to their home communities.
This assessment by Embode was commissioned by the ASEAN Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) and supported by ASEAN-ACT. This assessment demonstrates how six ASEAN Member States - Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Thailand - are implementing child rights and complying with regional and international commitments. It also pinpoints the various barriers that child victims face and the linkages between the justice system and victim support services.
The research provides a comprehensive evidence base from which to build child-focused and more inclusive justice systems across the region.