Human Trafficking

strategy of prevention, prosecution, protection and
Human trafficking in Asia going online

partnership.
3 May 2014
Authors: Alistair D. B. Cook and Caitríona H. Heinl, RSIS Along with the exponential increase in people accessing the
internet throughout Asia, digital activism will develop and
Human traffickers have an increasing number of targets grow. There have been several advances in anti-human
online in Southeast Asia. The ASEAN region has a growing trafficking responses, such as the US government’s pro-
population of over 600 million — and internet users have active policy of combatting human trafficking and corporate
doubled. Technology-facilitated trafficking is more diffuse social responsibility schemes. While most innovation in this
and adaptive than initially thought, but online tools can also field emanates from the United States and Europe, many
be creatively employed to counter cross-border trafficking. realise the need to adapt these technological advances to
the needs of people in Asia.
The explosion in mobile phone usage in the region facilitates
real-time communication and coordination by traffickers to The Virtual Global Taskforce brings law enforcement
recruit, harbour, transport, and provide higher numbers of agencies, NGOs and industry partners together to protect
victims for commercial sexual activity or forced labour. children from online child abuse. In 2012 Operation
Endeavour — an Australian, UK, US and Filipino law
This in turn broadens their horizon and increases their reach.
enforcement effort through the Virtual Global Taskforce —
The sharp incline in mobile broadband subscribers is also
used online tools such as data mapping to identify areas in
driving the explosion in global connectivity according to the
the Philippines where child abuse material was transmitted.
United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Levels of
Operation Endeavour led to 29 international arrests, 11 of
cybercrime are increasing as individual and organised
which were in the Philippines — dismantling an organised
criminal groups exploit new opportunities without the need
crime group that had coordinated the live streaming of on-
for complex skills. For instance, online social media allows
demand child sexual abuse.
for new ways to facilitate people trafficking, distribution of
child abuse material, and new avenues for recruiting victims. In October 2013, the Taken Campaign launched the first
anti-trafficking mobile phone application to mark Anti-
Although ASEAN signed the Declaration Against Trafficking in
Slavery Day in London. In 2013, an anti-trafficking mobile
Persons, Particularly Women and Children, no significant
phone application was developed by RedLight Traffic in the
progress on implementing the Declaration has been made.
US. Along with the Polaris Project (a US-based NGO), the app
In particular, this is because East Asian countries are a major
provides users with potential trafficking indicators and red
source for long-distance, transregional trafficking. In the
flags to identify victims, a 20-minute training exercise to
most recent UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons,
recognise trafficking, an anonymous way to report
East Asia and the Pacific account for nearly 40 per cent of
suspected cases to local authorities, and a sharing tool to
detected child victims. Also, victims from this region are the
establish a local community network against human
most geographically dispersed — found in more than 60
trafficking.
countries.
Also, the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), UNODC and
Trafficking networks seek children for illegal adoption,
UNESCO joined forces in March 2014 to promote a global
commercial sexual exploitation, drug trafficking and child
campaign, ‘Your Actions Count — Be a Responsible
labour. Children under 18 using social media platforms often
Traveller’. The campaign was launched with private sector
fall victim to traffickers. In the first instance, a young person
support from Marriott International and Sabre Holdings who
might receive a friend notification from an unknown person
will promote it to customers through their websites
but still accept the request. They increase exchanges, agree
(Travelocity and lastminute.com), online booking tools, their
to meet and after continued social media interaction they
TripCase mobile app and GetThere booking tool.
meet again. The child subsequently gets trafficked and this is
how an estimated one quarter of children reported missing These types of multi-stakeholder initiatives are sustainable
in Indonesia are thought to have met their captors on social and raise awareness — so are particularly significant for the
media platforms like Facebook. Asia-Pacific which is regarded as a source and destination
area for trafficked persons.
In February 2014, Chinese authorities rescued 382 babies
and arrested more than 1000 people suspected of buying Several multi-stakeholder approaches in the US and Europe
and selling young children online. This followed a six-month are using ICT to tackle human trafficking through the use of
operation in which authorities were made aware of a online petitions, data mapping and awareness-raising
website promoting private adoptions. Law enforcement activities. It is difficult for law enforcement authorities and
authorities subsequently uncovered an online black market governments to tackle this threat alone. Therefore,
that connected buyers and sellers over four websites, online meaningful collaboration between a range of stakeholders
forums and some 30 groups on a popular Chinese messaging and public-private cooperation are essential to fight
platform. trafficking, and counter criminals’ increasing use of ICT in
Southeast Asia.
Law enforcement is increasingly improving and developing
methods such as victim-identification databases and data
mining/analytics to improve forensic processes. However,
governments in the ASEAN region need a multi-pronged
strategy that focuses on prosecutions, raises awareness, and
involves the private sector. Singapore developed the
National Plan of Action for 2012–15 which identifies a ‘4P’

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strategy of prevention, prosecution, protection and

Human trafficking in Asia going online

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