Special and Additional Measures for Victim-Witnesses: A Practitioner Guide (2023)

Victims of trafficking are entitled to be involved and have their views known in any legal case concerning them. Victims should be encouraged, but not compelled, to participate in the prosecution of their exploiters. Before, during and after their involvement in the criminal justice process, victims should be provided with appropriate information, assistance and support and protection from re-traumatization. Special efforts should be made to ensure that the investigation and court processes do not re-traumatize or otherwise cause additional harm to trafficked persons. This practitioner guide reviews and synthesizes existing research on special and additional measures to ensure the safety and well-being of trafficking victim-witnesses.

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Available in Spanish

Access to Remedies: A Practitioner Guide (2023)

Trafficking victims are entitled to justice for the crimes and human rights violations committed against them. Access to remedies for trafficking victims is key not only to support victims’ recovery, but also to reaffirm their rights and prevent re-victimization. Remedies often provide financial means, which can help to support reintegration and reduce vulnerability to re-trafficking. Remedies can also contribute to victims’ emotional and psychological recovery and provide a sense of justice and closure. Remedies – restitution and compensation – should be adequate and appropriate, proportional to the gravity of the violation, and adapted to the circumstances of the case. This practitioner guide distills existing research on the right to an effective remedy, including both a trafficking victim’s substantive right to that remedy and the procedural rights necessary to secure it.

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How to Develop a Directory of Services for Trafficking Victims: A Tool for Practitioners (2022)

This tool provides practitioners with step-by-step guidance on how to design and implement a Directory of Services for Trafficking Victims. It explains what a Directory of Services for Trafficking Victims is, who it is for and why it is important. It then offers a detailed roadmap of how to design and implement a Directory of Services for Trafficking Victims in a specific area or country. This tool includes an accompanying Microsoft Excel template in which practitioners can compile information about services to be included in the Directory of Services. A “how to” video is also available, offering clear guidance on how to design, prepare and maintain an up-to-date Directory of Services for Trafficking Victims.

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Available in Spanish

 

Trafficking Victim Identification: A Practitioner Guide (2022)

Victim identification is the process by which an individual is identified as a trafficking victim, which, in turn, entitles them to rights and protections. While formal identification should lead to and facilitate the opportunity for a victim to be referred for assistance, this does not always occur in practice. Some trafficking victims are not identified and assisted by frontline responders and practitioners. Other victims decline to be identified and assisted. Still other victims may be formally identified but not referred for assistance or may be forced to accept assistance. This practitioner guide reviews existing research on victim identification (and non-identification), touching on why some victims are (and are not) identified, challenges in the identification process and practices that may enhance victim identification.

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Available in Bahasa Indonesian

Available in Malaysian

Available in Vietnamese

Available in Thai

Available in Spanish

Trafficking Victim Protection and Support: A Practitioner Guide (2022)

Victims of trafficking are entitled to, and should receive, immediate protection from their exploiters and from the possibility of further harm, including the risk of re-trafficking. They should receive support to meet their immediate needs and ensure their well-being, irrespective of their willingness to participate in criminal justice procedures, protection from detention and prosecution and the right to privacy. This practitioner guide reviews existing research on the protection and support of trafficking victims in Asia, both in terms of what exists and what challenges arise in the provision of protection and support.

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Available in Bahasa Indonesian

Available in Malaysian

Available in Vietnamese

Available in Thai

Recovery and Reintegration of Trafficking Victims: A Practitioner Guide (2022)

Recovery and reintegration is a complex and costly undertaking, often requiring a full and diverse set of services for victims (and sometimes their families), who themselves have widely differing short- and long-term physical, psychological, social and economic needs. Once the immediate needs of trafficked persons have been met, many victims require further assistance to reintegrate into their families and communities (e.g. vocational training, economic support, long-term access to healthcare, counseling, education, family mediation). Some assistance needs are a consequence of trafficking while others may be linked to vulnerabilities that existed before victims were trafficked as well as issues that have arisen in victims’ lives after trafficking. Because successful reintegration can take years to achieve, reintegration services must be available in the long-term and include follow-up and case management. This practitioner guide reviews and synthesizes existing research on recovery and reintegration of trafficking victims including barriers and challenges in the reintegration process as well as opportunities and entry points for supporting sustainable reintegration.

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Available in Bahasa Indonesian

Available in Malaysian

Available in Vietnamese

Available in Thai

Available in Spanish

Special and Additional Measures for Child Trafficking Victims: A Practitioner Guide (2022)

The ASEAN Trafficking Convention (ACTIP) explicitly recognizes that child victims have special needs and that appropriate measures are needed to ensure the safety and well-being of child victims, from identification to the securing of a durable solution involving longer-term support. Care and protection must be made available on an equal and non-discriminatory basis with no distinction between child nationals and child non-nationals. Special attention should be paid to assessing and meeting the requirements of children with special needs such as the very young, those with disabilities and those who have suffered severe exploitation and abuse. This practitioner guide reviews existing research on the specific needs and experiences of trafficked children as well as measures in place and challenges faced to protect them. Based on this analysis, practitioners will be guided to a deeper understanding of how to more effectively address the critical issues that arise in implementing special and additional measures for trafficked children.

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Available in Bahasa Indonesian

Available in Malaysian

Available in Vietnamese

Available in Thai

Available in Spanish

Dialogue Brief: Enhancing Trafficking Victims’ Access to Services. How to Develop a Directory of Services for Trafficking Victims (2022)

This thematic dialogue brief is based on the CTIP Thematic Dialogue: Enhancing Trafficking Victim’s Access to Services. How to Develop a Directory of Services for Trafficking Victims, jointly hosted by ASEAN-USAID Partnership for Regional Optimization with the Political-Security and Socio-Cultural Communities (PROSPECT), NEXUS Institute, ASEAN-Australia Counter Trafficking (ASEAN-ACT) Program, and the Regional Support Office of the Bali Process (RSO) on December 15, 2022.

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Supporting children of trafficking victims. A reintegration guide for practitioners (2022)

To date, little attention has been paid to the reintegration of children of trafficking victims. These children – those who were left behind, those who were trafficked with their parent(s) and those born from a trafficking situation – face serious and diverse challenges, not only while their parent is trafficked, but also after trafficking ends and their recovery and reintegration is underway. Equally, service providers face a range of constraints in effectively supporting the safety, well-being, and long-term reintegration of these children, not least given the complexity and diversity of their assistance needs. Based on the experiences of trafficking victims and reintegration practitioners in Albania, this reintegration guide offers an enhanced understanding of the experiences and needs of children of trafficking victims, to effectively and appropriately support the inclusion of these children into their families and communities and to ensure their access to the rights and opportunities that they are entitled to and which are vital for their healthy development. It offers guidance and suggestions for reintegration practitioners to support them in their daily work with children of trafficking victims and their families.

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Available in Albanian

Mentoring of victims of trafficking. A reintegration guide for practitioners (2022)

Recovery and reintegration after trafficking is a taxing and complicated process that involves significant challenges for victims, as well as their family members. Service providers play an important and sometimes lifesaving role in supporting recovery and reintegration. This includes mentors who provide trafficking victims with emotional and social support, serve as a positive role model and an example of a healthy, and supportive relationship. Mentors also work with trafficking victims to build their trust, confidence, and self-esteem. This reintegration guide equips practitioners with information about mentoring trafficking victims during their recovery and reintegration. The guide begins with an overview of recovery and reintegration after a trafficking experience. It then goes on to explain the mentoring model and the role of mentors in supporting recovery and reintegration. It also explains how to establish mentoring relationships, different stages in the mentoring process, and challenges faced in mentoring. The guide concludes with guidance for mentors and reintegration practitioners when employing a mentoring model to support trafficking victim reintegration.

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Available in Albanian