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

Cambodia’s trafficked brides: The escalating phenomenon of forced marriage in China

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When: May 11, 2022 @ 11:00 am – 12:30 pm

Report launch: Wednesday, 11 May 2022 16:00-17:30 ICT (Cambodia/Vietnam) | 11:00-12:30 CEST (Austria) | 10:00-11:30 BST (UK) The number of women travelling from Cambodia to China for forced or arranged marriages has surged since 2016 and experienced a further spike...

TAGS: Informal Sector Asia

In broad daylight: Uyghur forced labour and global solar supply chains

News & Analysis

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has placed mil- lions of indigenous Uyghur and Kazakh citizens from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR or Uyghur Region) into what the government calls “surplus labour” (富余劳动力) ...Read More

TAGS: Sourcing or Production Recruitment Asia

Congressional Hearing: The Role of Technology in Countering Trafficking in Persons

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When: July 28, 2020 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Hannah Darnton, representing Tech Against Trafficking, is participating in a Congressional Hearing on ‘The Role of Technology in Countering Trafficking in Persons‘: Date: Tuesday, July 28, 2020 – 10:00am Location: Online via videoconferencing Subcommittees: Subcommittee on Research and Technology (116th...

TAGS: Information and Communications Technology North America

Understanding and Attitudes of Employers of Migrant Domestic Workers towards Ethical Recruitment and Decent Work Principles in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China

News & Analysis

This study presents findings from a web-based survey conducted in Hong Kong SAR, China in November 2019. In the context of Hong Kong SAR, China, it is the first study of its kind to employ a quantitative method to assess current levels of understand...Read More

TAGS: Reporting Asia