[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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[UN News] Myanmar: ‘Meaningful action’ needed to stop the slaughter’ 

6 February 2022

1 February 2022

https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/02/1110992

“Now is not the time for more rhetoric, it is time for meaningful action”, said Tom Andrews, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.

“The international community must take strong, meaningful steps to cut the junta’s access to weapons, funds and legitimacy”.

People ‘deserve better’
The UN expert reiterated the urgent need for the Security Council to impose an arms embargo on the Myanmar military and significantly increase financial pressure on the junta.

“The fact that one year has elapsed with no Security Council Resolution imposing a comprehensive arms embargo – as arms continue to flow to the junta and kill innocent people – is unacceptable”, he stated.

“The people of Myanmar deserve better from the United Nations”.

‘Criminal enterprise’

The Special Rapporteur said that he would soon release a report identifying the weapons in the junta’s arsenal and where they came from.

Mr. Andrews pointed out that the military junta is functioning as “a criminal enterprise”, committing murder, torture, abductions and forced displacement – while stealing revenue and seizing assets of the people of Myanmar.

“What is worse, they appear to be getting away with it. Their attacks continue unabated. The suffering of the Myanmar people is steadily increasing”, he continued.

Recent months have seen an even further escalation of violence, and a campaign of terror now widespread across the country.

“I have received more reports of mass killings, attacks on hospitals and humanitarian targets, and the bombing and burning of villages”, he added.

Unwavering commitment
“I am amazed at the resilience of the Myanmar people. In the face of aerial assaults, and mass arrest and torture, they continue to strike, to protest, to speak out and to defend themselves. They need and deserve stronger support from the international community”, he said. “The best and worst of humanity is unfolding in Myanmar”.

Special Rapporteurs are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a country situation. The positions are honorary and they are not paid for their work.

New UN humanitarian response plan
Meanwhile, Jens Laerke, Deputy Spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office, OCHA, noted that the newly published 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for Myanmar requests a record $826 million to assist 6.2 million people in need.

The 2022 plan represents double the amount requested last year, reflecting a growing crisis that has plunged an estimated 14.4 million people into humanitarian need.

Since the military coup, conflict and insecurity has continued, displacing more than 400,000 people to camps, displacement sites and with host communities. Many others have crossed into Thailand and India or sought refuge in the jungle, lacking adequate food, shelter, sanitation and medical care.

Sick and hungry
The economic and political turmoil of 2021, combined with the devastating impact of COVID-19, have driven half the population into poverty, with many unable to feed their families.

Over 13 million people are moderately or severely food insecure and malnutrition is expected to worsen among children, unless parental support is increased.

“Our ability to save lives and reduce suffering on this scale will depend on increased funding, improved access and removal of bottlenecks such as visa delays and banking restrictions”, said Mr. Laerke.

“Humanitarian agencies must be allowed access to displacement sites to conduct needs assessments and deliver lifesaving aid including food, water and health care”, he added.

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[Amnesty International] Myanmar: World must act now to prevent another year of intolerable ‘death and misery’

6 February 2022

27 January 2022

Myanmar: World must act now to prevent another year of intolerable ‘death and misery’

If the international community continues to drag its feet on the grave human rights violations including lethal violence targeted at protestors that we have seen in Myanmar this past year, many more people will suffer and this human rights crisis could worsen, Amnesty International said today ahead of the one-year anniversary of the 1 February, 2021 coup.

“Enough is enough, the 55 million people of Myanmar cannot afford another year of wavering and sitting on the sidelines by many governments around the world. Concrete action aimed at holding the military accountable and preventing their access to weaponry used to commit widespread human rights abuses must be taken now or the shocking death and misery that have defined life in Myanmar since the coup is likely to persist,” said Ming Yu Hah, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Campaigns.

“As the anniversary of the coup draws near, the military has launched indiscriminate air strikes that have killed civilians in the southeast, blocked life-saving aid, and kept up a bloody campaign against activists and journalists, who have been detained and killed in custody. Too many governments continue turning a blind eye to all these atrocities, as they did following the gross violations of human rights against the Rohingya people. As a result, the military has been increasingly brazen, acting with impunity in its efforts to wipe out any resistance to its rule.

“The Myanmar people are desperate and have become disillusioned about help from the international community. But there are clear steps that need to be taken to prevent the Myanmar military from maintaining its dystopian campaign of terror and persecution. The UN Security Council must stop dragging its feet, and instead impose a global arms embargo and targeted sanctions against military leaders, and urgently refer the situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court.

“In addition, all local and foreign companies in business partnerships with the military or military-owned businesses need to responsibly disengage, cutting the flow of funds that the military uses to prop up its lethal operations.

“Closer to home, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) must present a unified front on Myanmar and demand the military to immediately stop the violence against civilians. The ASEAN should also exert pressure on the military to stop blocking humanitarian access and expand on and implement with a clear timeline its five-point consensus adopted last year, which has proved a failure.

“The new year must bring new approaches to Myanmar, placing human rights for the people of Myanmar, accountability, and a zero tolerance to human rights violations and abuses at the forefront.”

Background:

Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup in the early hours of 1 February, 2021. Since then it has killed more than 1,400 people and arrested more than 11,000, with over 8,000 currently in detention, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. The shocking violence fits into a long history of well-documented crimes under international law against ethnic minorities in the country, including the Kachin, Shan and Rohingya.

The UN Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar has previously called for Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and other senior officials to be investigated and prosecuted for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

The former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been sentenced to six years on bogus charges and faces more than 100 years if convicted on all the counts against her. Many of her closest allies, including President Win Myint, have also been convicted on similarly trumped-up charges.

Following the violent crackdown on peaceful protesters, some opponents of the military authorities have established the armed People’s Defense Force, which claims to have killed hundreds of soldiers through shootings, bombs and ambushes.

On top of the chaos that has gripped major cities and towns across the country in the aftermath of the coup, economic and food insecurity as well as pandemic-related challenges have caused millions to face hunger. Hundreds of thousands have also been internally displaced while thousands have fled across the border to Thailand.

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