ABOUT CONFERENCE
Human trafficking is not just a crime—it is an assault on humanity. Often referred to as “modern-day slavery”, it is the third-largest organised crime globally, after the drugs and arms trade. It thrives on exploitation, fear, and inequality as it preys on the most vulnerable, especially children, women, and youth, and robs them of their dignity, freedom, and opportunity.
South Asia stands at the epicentre of one of the most pressing human rights crises of our time: human trafficking. As a region with diverse socio-economic challenges and porous borders, South Asia has become a hotspot for trafficking networks that exploit children, women, and marginalised communities for forced labour, sexual exploitation, and other forms of modern slavery. As per the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report published by the US State Department in 2024, all South Asian Countries fall between Tier 2 and Tier 3 categories, reflecting the severity of the problem in the sub-region.
The South Asia Consultation on Migration and Trafficking brought together global thought leaders, law enforcement officials, activists, policymakers and survivors against trafficking, to craft innovative strategies to dismantle trafficking networks.
The Consultation demanded building cross-border cooperation and strengthening policy frameworks.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
South Asia is a hotbed of global migration and trafficking, with millions of people on the move due to poverty, conflict, climate change and in pursuit of economic aspirations. The region hosts significant numbers of refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) feeling violence and disasters. However, the lack of adequate protection systems exposes migrants and refugees, particularly women and children, to trafficking and exploitation within and beyond host nations.
Similarly, migration, predominantly for labour work has seen a significant rise globally. While migration presents economic opportunities, it alike increases vulnerability of the already vulnerable people. Migrants are often forced to navigate risky and irregular paths, making them prey to traffickers who exploit weak policies, insufficient regulation, and corrupt systems.
Human trafficking in South Asia has been a multi-faceted crisis for many years. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, over 150,000 people are trafficked annually in South Asia, with women and children facing more violent exploitation. Female victims (women and girls) account for 60 percent of the total number of detected victims in 2020. Women and girls are trafficked for forced marriage, domestic servitude, and the sex industry, while men face forced labour in the construction and manufacturing industries. Not far behind, children are also at risk, with alarming trends witnessed in child trafficking for bonded labour, child marriage, and illegal adoption.
Despite anti-trafficking frameworks in South Asia, significant gaps in implementation, coordination, and enforcement remain a persisting challenge. Legal frameworks often fall short of international standards, and institutional responses lack the resources and technology to dismantle trafficking networks.
Most critically, current policies and programs fail to integrate the nexus between trafficking and migration. The gap lies in the lack of a comprehensive and evidence-based approach to address the interconnected nature of trafficking, migration, and systemic vulnerabilities across South Asia. Without cross-border collaboration, these gaps will persist and only allow trafficking networks to flourish while the most vulnerable remain unprotected and exploited.
ORGANISER
Association for Voluntary Action (AVA)
AVA is a grassroots organisation dedicated to protecting children from all forms of exploitation—labour, trafficking, and child marriages—and ensuring their holistic rehabilitation. Since 1979, AVA has successfully safeguarded the rights and welfare of over 139,000 children in need of care and protection through its efforts. As a pioneering member organisation of the Just Rights for Children (JRC), AVA plays a critical role in addressing migration and trafficking issues by building strategic partnerships with government entities and enhancing institutional responses. AVA also works with NITI Aayog under the Aspirational District/Block Programme to uplift socio-economic conditions in underserved areas, focusing on vulnerable populations in 73 districts across 12 states.
Justice and Rights for Children (JRC)
Just Rights for Children (JRC) is the world’s largest civil society network dedicated to ending violence against children. Founded by Bhuwan Ribhu, the architect and champion of this pioneering legal intervention-focused network, JRC comprises over 250 organisations committed to ensuring that crimes against children (child trafficking, child labour, child sexual abuse, child marriage, and online sexual abuse/exploitative material) do not go unpunished and that survivors receive justice with a sense of urgency.
What began as a grassroots initiative in India has evolved into a global movement committed to protecting children from exploitation and safeguarding their rights to safety, justice, and a brighter future. JRC works relentlessly to address systemic drivers that expose children to abuse, particularly by combating child trafficking and migration-driven vulnerabilities. Pioneering a model of activism rooted in community mobilisation and survivor empowerment, JRC has successfully influenced policy and justice frameworks in India. Building on this success, JRC is now scaling its proven strategies globally, expanding its operations to Nepal, Kenya, and the US.
Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM)
The GCM was specifically designed to combat human trafficking, promote safe migration pathways and address irregular migration. To this end, it seeks to establish international cooperation and collaboration to prevent, identify and respond to trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants. The Compact strives to uphold the rights and dignity of migrants of all nationalities and identities, by developing partnerships and enhancing data-driven migration governance.
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The GCM outlines 23 objectives to achieve safe, orderly, and regular migration:
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Collect and utilise accurate data for evidence-based policies
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Minimise the adverse drivers and structural factors that compel people to leave their country of origin
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Provide accurate and timely information at all stages of migration
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Ensure that all migrants have proof of legal identity and adequate documentation
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Enhance availability and flexibility of pathways for regular migration
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Facilitate fair and ethical recruitment and safeguard conditions that ensure decent work
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Address and reduce vulnerabilities in migration
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Save lives and establish coordinated international efforts on missing migrants
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Strengthen the transnational response to the smuggling of migrants
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Prevent, combat and eradicate trafficking in persons in the context of international migration
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Manage borders in an integrated, secure and coordinated manner
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Strengthen certainty and predictability in migration procedures for appropriate screening, assessment and referral
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Use migration detention only as a measure of last resort and work towards alternatives
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Enhance consular protection, assistance and cooperation throughout the migration cycle
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Provide access to basic services for migrants
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Empower migrants and societies to realise full inclusion and social cohesion
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Eliminate all forms of discrimination and promote evidence-based public discourse to shape perceptions of migration
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Invest in skills development and facilitate mutual recognition of skills, qualifications and competencies
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Create conditions for migrants and diasporas to fully contribute to sustainable development in all countries
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Promote faster, safer and cheaper transfer of remittances and foster financial inclusion of migrants
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Cooperate in facilitating safe and dignified return and readmission, as well as sustainable reintegration
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Establish mechanisms for the portability of social security entitlements and earned benefits
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Strengthen international cooperation and global partnerships for safe, orderly and regular migration