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:

• A research report Exploring the Intersection between Disability and Trafficking in Persons in Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand launched in April 2024.
• A short article by Elisabeth Jackson in the Lowy Interpreter about disability and trafficking which was published on 17 April 2024
• An Asia Rising podcast produced in May 2024 in which Elisabeth Jackson explores the link between disability and trafficking.
• A panel discussion on disability and trafficking co-hosted by the CHSSC and La Trobe Asia on 16 September 2024 with Senior Research Fellow Elisabeth Jackson and Principal Research Fellow Lisa Denney as panellists.
• Country briefs for Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam and a Regional Policy Brief.
• An article in the Journal of Human Trafficking, “Disability and human trafficking in Southeast Asia: Vulnerabilities and victim-survivors’ experiences” (forthcoming)

The research findings have been used by the ASEAN-Australia Counter Trafficking program to help design a grant to support organisations working in counter-trafficking in Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand to strengthen disability inclusion efforts. Engagement of counter-trafficking stakeholders at both national and regional levels throughout the research process has raised awareness of the importance of this issue. This is beginning to be reflected in the inclusion of disability in key national guidelines and policies on victim identification and support services. The research is also informing global discourse on this issue, with Senior Research Fellow Elisabeth Jackson recently asked to provide expert input into a briefing paper for the UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which will inform discussions at a side event at the 18th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in June 2025.