Addressing exploitation of labour migrants in Southeast Asia: Beyond a counter-trafficking criminal justice response

Large numbers of young people in Southeast Asia seek work opportunities outside their country of origin, migrating both regularly and irregularly, and with little power to access or negotiate safe and fair migration and work conditions. The risk of exploitation is high.The potential for human trafficking in these situations has attracted
significant attention. Yet much of the response by regional governments and international donors has focused on identifying and prosecuting ‘traffickers’ rather than addressing the many vulnerabilities and forms of exploitation that many labour migrants experience. This thematic brief sets out a diversity of forms of exploitation that labour migrants in Southeast Asia experience, and the implications for how efforts to respond might need to adapt. This includes broadening beyond the dominant frame of criminal justice in order to address exploitation at scale and in a manner that is realistic about the prevailing political economy.

Addressing exploitation of labour migrants in Southeast Asia: Beyond a counter-trafficking criminal justice response- Australian Aid, 2023 DOWNLOAD

Was Your Seafood Caught With Slave Labor? New Database Helps Retailers Combat Abuse

News & AnalysisOnline Tools

The NPR article highlights ongoing forced labor and human trafficking in the global seafood industry, especially in Thailand. In response, the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch launched the Seafood Slavery Risk Tool to help retailers assess an...Read More

TAGS: Sourcing or Production Aquaculture & Fishing Food & Beverage - Processing & Packaging Asia

Addressing vulnerability to trafficking in persons

News & Analysis

Evidence collected in the past decades clearly illustrates that there are a variety of factors that intersect to enhance the risks of being targeted and recruited by traffickers. These range from extreme poverty, marginalization due to social identi...Read More

TAGS: Recruitment Global

The Impact of Covid-19 on Modern Slavery and Child labour: How can lawyers make a difference? – International Bar Association

COVID-19 resourcesLegislationWebinars

According to the 2017 Global Estimates of Modern Slavery published by Alliance 8.7, 40.3 million people were estimated to be victim of modern slavery in 2016. Modern slavery is not defined in law and it is used as an umbrella term to refer to ‘sit...Read More

TAGS: Global

We Need a Better Bangladesh: Violations of Workers’ Rights in the Ready-Made Garment, Shipbreaking and Leather Sectors

News & Analysis

Labour rights are deteriorating in Bangladesh, despite government promises to commit to an International Labour Organization (ILO) road map for reform. While the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic have been a period of crisis for workers, the p...Read More

TAGS: Sourcing or Production Garments & Textiles Asia