La Trobe University > Centre for Human Security and Social Change > Projects > Disability and trafficking

Disability and trafficking ASEAN

Between 2023-2025 the CHSSC partnered with DT Global to undertake research on the intersection between disability and trafficking in ASEAN. The research was commissioned by the Australian Government funded ASEAN-Australia Counter Trafficking program, which works with regional and country-level stakeholders to improve the responses to human trafficking.

People with disabilities are widely recognised as a group at risk of trafficking. But very little is known about the specific vulnerabilities they face, what types of trafficking they experience, and how well existing counter-trafficking efforts and recovery services are meeting their needs. This research aimed to fill this gap and help ensure that people with disabilities are not left behind in counter-trafficking efforts.

In 2023-2024, Senior Research Fellow Elisabeth Jackson led a three-country study in collaboration with disability researchers Cucu Saidah (Indonesia), Abner Manlapaz (Philippines) and Alisa Sivathorn (Thailand).

A second phase of the research in 2024-2025 involved country studies in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam as well as a regional policy brief and associated recommendations. This was led by Senior Research Fellows Elisabeth Jackson and Thushara Dibley, in collaboration with ASEAN-ACT staff in each of these countries.

Key outputs from the research study to date include: