Progress Report on Criminal Justice Responses to Trafficking in Persons

170 Pages·2011·2.2 MB·English

ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
Progress Report on
Criminal Justice Responses
to Trafficking in Persons
in the ASEAN Region
PROGRESS REPORT on Criminal Justice Responses to Trafficking in Persons in the ASEAN Region
Progress Report on Criminal Justice Responses to
Trafcking in Persons in the ASEAN Region
Published July 2011.
Te Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established on 8 August 1967.
Te Member States of the Association are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR,
Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Tailand and Viet Nam.
For inquiries, contact:
Public Afairs Ofce
Te ASEAN Secretariat
70A Jalan Sisingamangaraja
Jakarta 12110, Indonesia
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email:
ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
Progress Report
on Criminal Justice Responses to
Trafficking in Persons in the
ASEAN Region
Acknowledgements
Tis Report was written by Fiona David, Anne Gallagher, Paul Holmes and Albert Moskowitz.
Drafting and editing support was provided by Gerard Smith, Claire Mettam and Andrea Zakarias.
Te authors wish to acknowledge the contribution of criminal justice practitioners from all ASEAN
Member States who provided valuable information and insight as well as feedback on draft materials.
Te Report was requested by the ASEAN Senior Ofcials on Transnational Crime. Its development
was supported by the Australian Agency for International Development. Te views expressed should
not, however, be taken to refect those of ASEAN or of the Australian Government.

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Progress Report on Criminal Justice Responses to Trafficking in Persons in the ASEAN Region
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Foreword
by the ASEAN Secretary-General
Over the past ten years, the ASEAN region has emerged as a leader in criminal justice responses to
trafcking in persons. Working both individually and collectively, Member States have made great
strides towards the ASEAN goal of ending impunity for trafckers and securing justice for victims
of this serious crime.
As Secretary-General of ASEAN I am very proud to introduce this publication: our Progress Report
on Criminal Justice Responses to Trafcking in Persons. Te Report tracks the achievements of the
past decade and examines, very openly, the challenges that lie ahead. It sets out the seven essential
components of an efective criminal justice response to trafcking:
• Strong and comprehensive legal frameworks;
• Specialist investigative capacity to investigate trafcking cases;
• Front line capacity to identify and respond to trafcking;
• Prosecutorial and judicial capacity with regard to trafcking cases;
• Victim identifcation, protection and support;
• Provision of special support to victims as witnesses; and
• International legal cooperation in trafcking cases.
Each of these components is the subject of a separate chapter of the Report. For each chapter, the
authors have provided a detailed overview of the relevant standards that have emerged through
a combination of international, regional and national law and policy as well as accepted good
practices within and beyond the ASEAN region. Each chapter then considers the extent to which
ASEAN Member States have reached those standards – as well as major obstacles and opportunities.
At the conclusion of each chapter is a checklist, which can be used by ASEAN Member States to
measure the quality of their response and to identify areas where further work is needed.
Tis very brief overview makes clear that the Progress Report is much more than a compilation of
publicly available information. Its goal is much more ambitious: to describe and examine national
and regional responses to trafcking in South East Asia with specifc reference to the rules and
standards which ASEAN Member States themselves have developed or freely accepted. To my
knowledge, this is a unique innovation and one that may well provide a model for other countries
and other regions.
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Progress Report on Criminal Justice Responses to Trafficking in Persons in the ASEAN Region
Te conclusions of the report give great cause for hope: afrming that ASEAN Member States
are continuing to lead the way in developing strong and efective criminal justice responses to
trafcking. However, while we have every right to be proud of our many achievements, it is essential
to acknowledge that much remains to be done. Te Progress Report confrms that in this part of the
world, as in every other, trafckers are very rarely identifed, prosecuted and convicted. Victims
of trafcking rarely receive any form of justice or redress for the harms committed against them.
National criminal justice systems are not yet fully up to the task of investigating, prosecuting and
adjudicating this crime and the incidence of cross-border cooperation remains much too low.
In seeking to change this situation, we must be absolutely clear that trafcking in persons has no
place in ASEAN society: that every man, woman and child in this region has a right to live in
freedom and dignity. I call on the governments of all ASEAN Member States to continue their
good work: to join together in realizing truly efective criminal justice responses to trafcking. Our
countries, our communities and our people deserve nothing less.
Surin Pitsuwan
Secretary-General
Jakarta, July 2011

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Contents
Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................... i
Foreword ................................................................................................................................. iii
Contents ................................................................................................................................... v
Treaty and Non-Treaty Instruments referred to in the Progress Report ......................................... vii
Tables and Text Boxes ............................................................................................................. viii
Abbreviations and Acronyms ..................................................................................................... ix
Introduction ......................................................................................................................1
Chapter 1: A Strong and Comprehensive Legal Framework ...............................................7
1.1 Key elements of a strong and comprehensive legal framework ........................................... 7
1.2 ASEAN progress towards a strong and comprehensive legal framework ........................... 10
1.3 Future challenges and opportunities ................................................................................ 26
Chapter 1 Checklist .............................................................................................................. 27
Chapter 2: A Specialist Investigative Capacity .................................................................29
2.1 Why specialise the investigative function? ........................................................................ 29
2.2 Key elements of a specialist law enforcement capacity ...................................................... 30
2.3 ASEAN progress towards a specialist investigative capacity .............................................. 33
2.4 Future challenges and opportunities ................................................................................ 41
Chapter 2 Checklist .............................................................................................................. 50
Chapter 3: A Front Line Law Enforcement Capacity to Respond Efectively ...................55
3.1 Te importance of an efective front line response ........................................................... 55
3.2 Key elements of an efective front line response ............................................................... 56
3.3 ASEAN progress towards an efective front line response ................................................. 58
3.4 Future challenges and opportunities ................................................................................ 64
Chapter 3 Checklist .............................................................................................................. 68
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Progress Report on Criminal Justice Responses to Trafficking in Persons in the ASEAN Region
Chapter 4: A Strong and Well Informed Prosecutorial and Judicial Response ..................71
4.1 Key elements of an efective prosecutorial and judicial response ...................................... 71
4.2 ASEAN progress towards an efective prosecutorial and judicial response ........................ 73
4.3 Future challenges and opportunities ................................................................................ 81
Chapter 4 Checklist .............................................................................................................. 92
Chapter 5: Quick and Accurate Identifcation of Victims, Provision of Immediate
Protection and Support ...................................................................................................95
5.1 Key elements of victim identifcation, protection and support ......................................... 95
5.2 ASEAN progress in relation to victim identifcation, protection and support .................. 99
5.3 Future challenges and opportunities .............................................................................. 104
Chapter 5 Checklist ............................................................................................................ 109
Chapter 6: Special Support to Victim-Witnesses ...........................................................111
6.1 Key elements of special support to victim-witnesses ....................................................... 111
6.2 ASEAN progress in relation to support for victim-witnesses .......................................... 114
6.3 Future challenges and opportunities .............................................................................. 124
Chapter 6 Checklist ............................................................................................................ 129
Chapter 7 Efective International Cooperation: .............................................................131
7.1 Efective international cooperation – overview and key elements ................................... 131
7.2 ASEAN progress towards efective international cooperation ......................................... 135
7.3 Future challenges and opportunities .............................................................................. 140
Chapter 7 Checklist ............................................................................................................ 146
Annex: Annotated list of ASEAN resources related to criminal justice responses to
trafcking in persons .......................................................................................................... 149
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