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

War, Displacement, and Human Trafficking and Exploitation: Findings from an evidence-gathering Roundtable in Response to the War in Ukraine

News & Analysis

Millions of people have been displaced following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Despite increasing concerns about the associated risks of human trafficking and exploitation, evidence remains sparse. To address this gap, and explore...Read More

TAGS: Europe

Recent Migration Trends in the Americas

News & AnalysisGuidancePublications

This report seeks to inform the discussions at the Summit of the Americas in June 2022 by providing background on migration on the continent and in particular recent dynamics pending data availability. The Global Compact of Migration recognized in t...Read More

TAGS: Latin America and the Caribbean North America

Fake my Catch: The Unreliable Untraceability in Our Tuna Cans

News & AnalysisPublications

US seafood company Bumble Bee, one of the leading companies in the canned tuna market with nearly 90% consumer awareness levels, and its Taiwanese parent company Fong Chun Formosa Fishery Company (hereinafter referred to as FCF), one of the top thre...Read More

TAGS: Aquaculture & Fishing Asia North America

Call for papers – Child Labour Edition, April 2021

News & Analysis

Guest editors: Urmila Bhoola & Cindy Berman This edition is concerned with long-term solutions and prevention of child labour – tackling root causes and drivers, as well as enablers of long-term solutions that demonstrate progress and promi...Read More

TAGS: Global