Last week, we proudly co-hosted the Asia Region Anti-Trafficking Conference in Bali, Indonesia, bringing together anti-trafficking professionals from across the region to discuss the latest developments and insights in the field. Alongside our partners at Chab Dai, Dark Bali, The Whispering Willow, and Ashray, our goal was to develop multi-sector learning and partnerships to improve responses human trafficking and slavery in Asia, provide updates on trends in the past 3-5 years, to learn best practices from each other, and identify potential avenues for collaborative action.
This conference is always an exciting event, a great chance to reconnect, to learn from each others’ experiences and remember how many of us are working together to end trafficking! As our CEO, Lucy McCray shares, “ARAT is such a unique, fun and safe space to help co-curate. Every year, seeing partners, friends and fellow anti-trafficking organizations is such a gift. Taking the time to share and learn from one another so that we can better fight this issue means we are better equipped and more coordinated. I am thankful for the opportunity to help co-curate the space and for all those who came to the conference, contributed their time and knowledge, and helped support it!”
The ARAT Conference is the only one of its type in Asia and we emphasize bringing in survivor leaders to share their expertise. Over 500 participants attended in person and online, providing each other with encouragement and motivation.
Topics covered in the conference include, among many others: the intersection between disability and trafficking, the use of technology to create systemic solutions, creating survivor leadership and survivor-led solutions, the role of climate change, interfaith efforts, and responsible business practices.
In a session providing updates on cyber scam compounds and forced criminality, we learned that these compounds continue to grow. Google Maps and satellite imagery show how the compounds are getting demonstrably larger, and that even shops are popping up around them. With political pressure rising against the egregious deaths and physical violence, traffickers are adapting to find means of torture that don’t leave marks on the body. Meanwhile, the scams that victims are forced to perpetrate have infinitely adaptable scripts – it’s not just “pig butchering” anymore, they use any venue they can access. Sports gambling is another example of an area where scammers are seeking victims.
The concept of victimhood is also becoming more complex. In the session, four types of actors were identified. The first is a victim as traditionally understood – someone who was duped into engaging with a fake job offer and then was trafficked and forced, under threat of violence or actual violence, to perpetrate scams or other crimes. The second is a victim who was initially duped, but then, upon some form of compensation, decided to stay voluntarily, accepting confinement as part of their working conditions. The third kind is a person who entered as a criminal, intending to traffic. And the fourth is a person who entered on the criminal side, but was surprised by the violence and wants to leave, but cannot. In the session, it was argued that, with a nearly infinite supply of potential victims in the world, it’s essential to continue building stronger deterrents for criminality. The prosecution side must be strengthened, by building and implementing legal frameworks, ramping up prosecution efforts, and increasing accountability measures to deter traffickers.
We are thrilled and honored to take part in this opportunity to provide a platform for people to gather to share their ideas and experiences. Many of the core themes that these conferences share aren’t necessarily new ideas, but the practice of implementing them on the ground requires real experience and real learning. There can often be a sizable gap between policy and practice, between idea and implementation, because the reality on the ground can be so much more nuanced and complex than people outside it can anticipate. Sharing these valuable experiences is key to more effective responses.
As a leader in preventing child trafficking in northern Thailand, we believe it’s essential to promote coalition building and collaboration efforts. We’re stronger when we work together, and as a network, we can facilitate information flow. It becomes possible to identify gaps and collectively organize resources to address gaps – including preventing burnout, as the people working most closely with victims and survivors are among our most valued resources. This part of the work doesn’t always catch the attention of the media or others, but it’s a critical part of truly effective work and progress!
