From Every Angle - Using the law to combat human trafficking in Southeast Asia

Mon, 10 Nov 2014 16:27 PM
Author: Thomson Reuters Foundation and Liberty Asia
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Modern-day slavery takes many forms: human trafficking, forced and bonded labour, sexual exploitation and domestic servitude. The common denominator of all these crimes is the evil intention to strip human beings of their freedom, and then to use, control, abuse and exploit them.

TrustLaw has partnered with Liberty Asia, Amauta Asia (Cambodia), White & Case (China), Morley, Chow & Seto (Hong Kong), Christopher Lee & Ong (Malaysia), Rajah & Tann (Myanmar), Clifford Chance (Thailand) and Grűnkorn & Partner Law (Vietnam) to produce From Every Angle: Using the law to combat human trafficking in Southeast Asia.

The report looks at the laws that apply in a range of trafficking scenarios: a woman is promised employment as a domestic worker, but receives abuse instead of her pay; a boy moves for a construction job, but is held against his will and denied fair wages; a woman moves country for a job, only to be forced to work in a brothel. While all these scenarios involve trafficking, it is not just trafficking laws that apply.

The report highlights the range of offences that can occur in a trafficking situation, such as assault, sexual violence, employment and immigration law breaches, to enable more prosecutions and combat the culture of impunity for the traffickers and the offenders.  

The report will support front-line NGOs engaged in legal service provision and lawyers representing victims of trafficking to get creative about the way they pursue traffickers hence improving their chances of securing justice for victims.