Human Trafficking in the Mekong Sub-Region A Presentation by the UNIAP United Nations Inter-agency Project on Human Trafficking in the Mekong Sub-region

Since 1998: A remarkable increase in the number of anti-trafficking projects in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region… … but no significant reduction in the magnitude of human trafficking.

CommunityExploitation Movement Human Trafficking: the illegal trading of human beings for the purpose of exploiting their labour.

People cross borders: Alone or with a “facilitator” Legally or illegally

CommunityExploitation Border Exploitation No Exploitation

Smuggling: Facilitator + Illegal migration + For Work Trafficking: Facilitator + Legal + Exploitation or illegal migration How can we support victims of trafficking when in the same time we try to limit the number of illegal migrants?

Receiving communities: Improve our ability to identify and support victims

Receiving communities: Reduce people’s ability to traffic and exploit migrants. Create a society in which abuse of migrants is not tolerated; Ensure that traffickers’ and exploiters’ business gets disrupted; Improve criminal justice responses.

Movement: Facilitate people’s safe migration.

Sending communities: Reduce people’s vulnerabilities to trafficking; Increase people’s awareness of dangers; Increase protection in village.

The UN Inter-Agency Project ’s Mandate: To reduce the severity and harm associated with human trafficking in the Greater Mekong Sub-region by identifying gaps in responses and promoting a more coordinated approach among regional actors.

UNIAP’s four Project Components: Build and share sound knowledge on trafficking; Promote joint priority setting among anti- trafficking actors; Support research and targeted interventions; Support advocacy efforts.

Building the knowledge-base The UNIAP has created and maintains a complete mapping of anti-trafficking interventions in the Mekong Sub-region; The Project has compiled an impressive collection of good-practices and lessons learnt;

There is no agreement on trafficking figures: Worldwide estimates of human trafficking victims each year vary from 600,000 (UNIFEM) to 2,000,000 (UNICEF) to 4,000,000 (United Nations). The same blurriness prevails for the Mekong Sub-region…

Joint priority setting The UNIAP brings together an extensive network of governments, local and international non-governmental organisations, United Nations agencies, and donors. In each country, regular Working Group Meetings enable the anti-trafficking community to take stock of trends and to make common decisions for the future.

Human Trafficking is, all at once: A Development Problem A Legal Problem A Human Rights Problem A Social Problem A Policing Problem A Gender Problem A Migration Problem An Economic Problem

Targeted interventions 60 projects supported in Phase I, including: Prevention work in receiving communities (HCC, Cambodia); Establishment of a repatriation mechanism between Laos/Myanmar and Thailand; Establishment of a list-serve in Cambodia, currently sending updated information on trafficking to more than 300 organisations on a weekly basis.

Adopt an evidence-based approach to anti- trafficking work: Research  Pilot testing of interventions  Drawing lessons and good practices  Replication

Secure high-level commitment against trafficking: supportive policies in the areas of labour, macro-economy, access to services and legal status may end up having more impact on the phenomenon than trafficking-specific interventions.

COMMIT – The Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative against Trafficking is an Inter-Country, Inter-Ministerial forum for the advancement of governments’ joint response to trafficking. Advocacy

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