Human trafficking is the illegal trading of human beings for the purpose of labour, sexual and other forms of exploitation. It is a crime that can occur within a country or across national borders. Trafficking contravenes fundamental human rights, denying basic and broadly accepted individual freedoms to women, men and children all over the world. It has wide economic, social and political impacts, and has serious consequences for development in South East Asia.

Diverse but integrated responses are needed to effectively combat human trafficking through prevention, prosecution and protection. Since 2003, Australia has invested more than $50 million across these three approaches. Australia has strongly supporting improving the criminal justice response to human trafficking through the Asia Regional Cooperation to Prevent People Trafficking (ARCPPT: 2003-6) and the Asia Regional Trafficking in Persons Project (ARTIP: 2006-12).

The Australia-Asia Program to Combat Trafficking in Persons (AAPTIP: 2013-18) builds on the success of ARCPPT and ARTIP. AAPTIP operates at both regional and national levels. It provides support to the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), working with the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC), regional anti-human trafficking bodies and individual partner countries.

AAPTIP Goal

To reduce the incentives and opportunities for the trafficking of persons in the ASEAN region.

AAPTIP Objectives

AAPTIP works in partnership with regional and national stakeholders to achieve the following outcomes:

• Law enforcement agencies improve the effective and ethical investigation of human trafficking cases
• Prosecutors improve the effective and ethical prosecution of human trafficking cases
• Judges and court officials improve the fair and timely adjudication of human trafficking cases
• Regional bodies enhance regional cooperation and leadership on the criminal justice response to human trafficking in the ASEAN region.

Working through existing local planning and delivery mechanisms, AAPTIP supports the development and implementation of work plans by counterparts at two levels:

• National, by supporting annual plans developed by national program steering committees in each partner country, and
• Regional, by supporting the ASEAN Secretariat, the ASEAN Trafficking in Persons Working Group of the Senior Officers Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC TIP WG), and the Heads of Specialist Unit (HSU) process.

AAPTIP recognises that while men, women, boys and girls are trafficked, their experiences of trafficking are informed by gender, age, social status, educational backgrounds, ethnicity or disability (where relevant). AAPTIP works with criminal justice actors to redress gender-based discrimination and promote principles of equity, access and participation through day-to-day operations and safeguarding the protection of victims and witnesses.

Staffing & Support

• AAPTIP is managed by DFAT's South East Asia Regional Office in Thailand.
• Cardno Emerging Markets, the Implementation Service Provider , is based in Thailand, with national country program coordinators and national monitoring and evaluation officers in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
• AAPTIP provides high quality technical advice and support through a team of internationally experienced and qualified specialists.
• DFAT's East Asia Regional has appointed a Partnership and Advocacy Manager, based in Thailand, to drive Australia's strategic dialogue on trafficking with key stakeholders.

AAPTIP's Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) is consistent with international aid effectiveness principles, aiming to ensure valid, reliable, timely and useful performance information is available and used by the program and partners for learning and improvement. The importance of M&E is reflected in an increased level of effort and resources available to integrate M&E into the way the program is managed. All staff and partners share responsibilities for monitoring and evaluation, leading to increased learning and higher chances of program success.