[Repost] AICHR Press Statement on the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2026

31 July 2026

https://aichr.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Adopted_AICHR-Press-Statement-on-World-Day-Against-Trafficking-in-Persons-2026.pdf

30 July 2026 – On the occasion of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, observed under the theme “Trapped Behind the Scam”, the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) reaffirms its commitment to preventing and eradicating trafficking in persons.

Human trafficking in Southeast Asia has deepened in scale and sophistication. It is no longer confined to conventional modes of exploitation. Today, technology-facilitated job scams lure victims across borders into situations of forced cyber-criminality, debt bondage, and severe physical abuse. Simultaneously, irregular migration in the region may create conditions for smuggling and trafficking networks to operate with impunity.

AICHR condemns these interconnected abuses. When safe, regular, and accessible migration pathways are obstructed or unavailable, desperate migrants are pushed into the shadows — directly into the hands of traffickers. Persons in vulnerable situations in the context of migration, in particular women and children, remain exposed to a heightened risk of trafficking and require appropriate protection and assistance, in accordance with the national laws of ASEAN Member States and their respective international obligations.

Critically, trafficking in persons is a serious crime and a serious violation of human rights and human dignity. Consistent with the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (Palermo Protocol) and the ASEAN Convention Against Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (ACTIP), responses to trafficking should be comprehensive and balanced, encompassing prevention, criminalisation and prosecution of offenders, protection and assistance to victims and survivors, strengthened law enforcement and international cooperation. Within this framework, interventions should, as appropriate, be victimand survivor-centred, gender-responsive, and child-sensitive, ensuring the noncriminalisation of victims and survivors, and victims and survivors should not be inappropriately held liable for illicit and illegal acts they were coerced to commit as a direct result of being trafficked, in accordance with each State’s domestic laws, rules and regulations.

These approaches are reflected in, among others, the ASEAN Convention Against Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children and the ASEAN Declaration on the Protection of the Rights of Children in the Context of Migration. The recently adopted ASEAN Declaration on Promoting the Right to Development and the Right to Peace Towards Realising Inclusive and Sustainable Development provides useful guidance for regional anti-trafficking efforts. Trafficking in persons runs counter to the objectives of that Declaration: it strips individuals of their right to participate in, contribute to, and benefit from development; it fractures the community peace and stability upon which sustainable development depends; and it denies equitable access to the very essentials — education, employment, healthcare, and legal protection — that the Declaration commits ASEAN Member States to safeguard.

Peace is a precondition for development, and development is the surest guarantor of lasting peace. Trafficking exploits both their absence. Where communities lack economic opportunity, safe migration pathways, and the rule of law, traffickers fill the vacuum. Combating trafficking is therefore not a separate agenda from realising the right to development and the right to peace — it is inseparable from it. No commitment on development and peace can be considered credibly implemented while trafficking networks operate with impunity across the region.

In 2015, ASEAN adopted the ASEAN Convention Against Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, a legally binding agreement aimed at combatting human trafficking. Since 2015, AICHR has sought to translate this commitment into practical, non-legally binding and flexible regional guidance which ASEAN Member States can implement in accordance with their respective domestic legal frameworks and international obligations. In 2023, AICHR launched the Training Guide: Community Policing Approach to Counter Trafficking in Persons in ASEAN Member States and the Training Manual: Human Rights, Gender-Sensitive and Child-Friendly Approaches to Trafficking in Persons Cases for Frontline Officers. These resources support frontline officers and law enforcement personnel in identifying and assisting victims and survivors while safeguarding their rights.

In 2025, AICHR and SOMTC further adopted the ASEAN Guideline on the Implementation of the Non-Punishment Principle for Victims of Trafficking in Persons in ASEAN Member States. The Guideline considers not punishing victims of trafficking in persons for unlawful acts committed by them, if such acts are directly related to the acts of trafficking, supporting ASEAN Sectoral Bodies and ASEAN Member States in their ongoing work to strengthen the application of the non-punishment principle in practice, subject to each ASEAN Member State’s domestic legislation and their international and regional obligations. This principle is particularly urgent in cases of forced criminality, including persons trafficked into online scam operations, who may otherwise be misidentified, detained, prosecuted, deported, or otherwise punished instead of being recognised and protected as victims. AICHR remains committed to supporting the effective implementation of these regional resources, including through its ongoing collaboration with SOMTC to develop victim-identification indicators and training materials, as well as capacity-building and practical guidance for frontline officers and criminal justice practitioners. Screening potential victims for trafficking indicators prior to any prosecutorial or immigration action remains central to translating this principle into practice.

Within this framework, AICHR recommends the need to strengthen law enforcement, the criminal justice system and access to justice for vulnerable individuals and other persons in vulnerable situations in the context of migration. Member States are encouraged to further strengthen access to justice for these groups, including by addressing systemic and linguistic barriers through access reporting mechanisms, legal assistance, interpretation and translation services, and access to appropriate remedies, including compensation, in accordance with national laws. Member States are encouraged to strengthen bilateral labour agreements with source countries to embed migrant worker protections and monitoring mechanisms directly into the recruitment process.

AICHR recognises that no single institution can defeat trafficking alone. Cohesive, integrated action is required across all ASEAN bodies on law enforcement, labour, immigration, and social welfare, in cooperation with civil society organisations (CSOs), the private sector, and the international community, to ensure a holistic regionalresponse. The engagement of relevant stakeholders, including CSOs, the private sector and other relevant stakeholders, can contribute to victim assistance, awareness-raising and capacity-building, where appropriate and in accordance with national laws and regulations.

As the world marks the 2026 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, AICHR looks forward to enhanced action in combatting the scourge of trafficking to fully realise the aspirations of ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future.

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[Repost] Statement by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on the United Nations Financial and Liquidity Crisis

24 February 2026

https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2026/02/statement-committee-elimination-discrimination-against-women-united

17 February 2026

Women’s and girls’ rights are human rights — this has and always will be non-negotiable.

This year, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (the Convention) celebrates its 45th anniversary, with near universal ratification. Its 189 States parties have undertaken legally binding obligations to guarantee equal rights to women and girls — half of the world’s population – as to the rest of humanity. Alarmingly, the unprecedented financial and liquidity crisis runs counter to these obligations.

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (the Committee) — the body mandated under Article 17 of the CEDAW Convention to monitor how States parties implement the Convention, expresses its grave concern that the financial and liquidity crisis directly hampers its ability to effectively implement its mandate. This crisis results from Member States’ failure to pay in full and in time their assessed contributions to the UN adopted budget for the year, resulting in a widening financial gap and serious setback in the international protection of human rights, including the rights of women and girls enshrined in the CEDAW Convention.

The Committee, like other treaty bodies, was forced to cancel one of its three annual sessions in 2025 and it might again have to cancel at least one of its sessions in 2026 because of the financial crisis. Cancellations have the direct effect of significantly reducing the number of States parties reviewed under the Convention and individual communications and inquiry requests considered under the Optional Protocol to the Convention, thereby hampering the Committee’s ability to conduct timely and effective monitoring of the Convention. This results in continued violations and limits access to justice for women and girls.

States parties to the CEDAW Convention failing to pay assessed contributions therefore severely undermine their obligations to respect and ensure the rights of women and girls as well as to respect the mandate of the Committee. In addition, Member States who do not pay their dues fail to comply with article 17 (2) of the Charter of the United Nations, stipulating that the expenses of the Organization shall be borne by the Members as apportioned by the General Assembly.

As the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Volker Türk warned – during the launch of a USD 400 million funding appeal for 2026 to address global human rights needs – “with mounting crises, the world cannot afford a human rights system in crisis”.

The financial crisis comes at a particularly perilous moment when according to UN Women, one out of every four countries is experiencing backlash against women’s and girls’ rights to equality. Across the globe, women and girls are increasingly excluded from decisions that shape their own lives, their societies, and our shared future. They are facing mounting gender-based violence, offline and online, in peace as well as in conflict. At the same time, hard-won gains in relation to sexual and reproductive health and rights, political participation and civic freedoms are being rolled back, undermining women’s and girls’ rights and dignity. 

The full implementation of women’s and girls’ rights is first and foremost a matter of rights and justice.

But it is also decisive for the well-being of humanity as a whole. In a world ridden by conflict, injustice, immense power imbalances and nearing climate collapse, the preamble to CEDAW reminds us that “the full and complete development of a country, the welfare of the world and the cause of peace require the maximum participation of women on equal terms with men in all fields.” Women, as research demonstrates, are crucial drivers of peace, with peace agreements signed by women being more likely to be implemented and lasting. Yet, women remain largely underrepresented in or even excluded from conflict prevention and peace building.  Women are essential in building a more sustainable and resilient future, and gender equality is an important driver for inclusive economic growth, as underscored in the World Bank’s Gender Equality Strategy 2024–2030. Yet, women are often at the margins of decision-making in this regard. Women’s political leadership has been linked to greater stability and peace, stronger responsiveness to people’s needs and enhanced cooperation, and yet women’s political participation and activism are under attack. The international community cannot claim to prioritize gender equality as a key driver of sustainable peace and development when it allows the primary international mechanism for monitoring women’s and girls’ rights to collapse.

We echo the UN Secretary-General’s  call addressed to Member States, to honour their financial commitments or reform financial regulations that require the United Nations to return funds it has never received.

We call on all States parties to explore emergency measures to fill the financial gap and ensure that the Committee can fully and effectively deliver on its crucial mandate.

We call on governments, civil society organizations, women’s and girls’ rights advocates, and concerned citizens – to do everything within their power to ensure that the CEDAW Committee can continue its essential work – for the implementation of women’s and girls’ rights and for the benefit of humanity as a whole.

As recently mentioned by the Secretary General, “we cannot – and will not – give in to the disturbing pushback on the rights of women and girls – half of humanity – and the hard-won gains in equality, participation, and protection.”

The women and girls of the world are counting on us. We must not fail them. The world needs a functioning and strong CEDAW Committee.

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Statement by the Representative of Thailand to the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children on the Escalation of Violence at the Thailand-Cambodia Border

27 July 2025

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