Combatting Human Trafficking in East Asia: Mind the Gaps

Across the world, human trafficking is being committed every hour of the day and is viewed as one of the largest criminal enterprises. Human trafficking, dubbed as modern-day slavery, is an enduring global problem with approximately 40 million men, women and children trapped in horrendous trafficking situations such as forced labour, sexual exploitation and forced marriage. This extremely high figure is a wake-up call to the global community which has committed to eradicating modern slavery and human trafficking by the year 2030 (Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Targets 5.2, 8.7, and 16.2). According to some estimates, human trafficking has become one of the most lucrative organized crimes, with illicit profits exceeding US$150 billion every year.

Human trafficking remains an endemic security problem in East Asia, threatening states and societies, as discussed and analysed in this chapter. Two-thirds or 25 million of global trafficking victims were identified to be in the region.

To provide an overview of the extent of human trafficking in East Asia, this chapter briefly reviews trends and patterns of trafficking in the region. It then primarily analyses three fundamental issues that impede the eradication of human trafficking in East Asia. Firstly, the key issue of weak implementation of relevant anti-trafficking frameworks at the national level remains. Secondly, the longstanding problems of corruption and the failure of the state to prosecute complicit officials still exacerbate human trafficking in most states of East Asia. Thirdly, the lack of appropriate protection and assistance mechanisms for victims heightens the vulnerabilities that can push people into trafficking or being victimized again. Lastly, human trafficking as a crime is often “hidden” from the one-size-fits-all global anti-trafficking legal regime that is adopted by national governments in East Asia.

Current Trends and Patterns

Intra-regional trafficking is the major pattern reported in East Asia.

The great majority—more than 85 per cent—of the victims rescued in East Asia and the Pacific were trafficked from within the region in 2016. About 6 per cent of the victims were trafficked from South Asia, specifically from Bangladesh and India.Another 5 per cent of victims belonged to stateless ethnic minorities such as the Rohingya in Myanmar.

Thailand has been detecting foreign victims from neighbouring countries such as Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, in addition to victims of domestic trafficking.