It was mainly in the middle of 1990’s when ASEAN became concerned about the growing rate of transnational crimes and especially human trafficking across the borders. Consequently, they took their first step by making a declaration in this regard. The declaration was named as the ASEAN Declaration on Transnational Crime[1] and it was adopted in the year 1997. Apart from laying down principles it had also set up institutions in the form of AMMTC (ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime) through which the home ministers of all the different countries who are member of this declaration come together in a meeting conducted as a minimum once every two years. The major aim of this institution is to synchronize the acts taken up by various regions to fight various transnational crimes. Among these human trafficking is a part that was addressed in the year 1997 in the broader spectrum of transnational crimes. Later in the year 1999, the AMMTC by accepting the ASEAN Plan of Action to Combat Transnational Crime supported “the exchange of information, legal and law enforcement cooperation, training, institutional building and other cooperative measures.”[2] Another institution was also set during those periods and that is Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) and its task was to manage and enforce all the steps that are approved by the AMMTC and also to come up with various agendas so that the action plan is successfully carried out. It had also come up with a particular “Work Programme to Implement the ASEAN Plan of Action to Combat Transnational Crime and received approval by the second SOMTC in May 2002”.[3]
The Work Programme comprised of certain acts which were mainly to prevent human trafficking and this acts primarily focussed on dissemination of information among the member states. Thus, under this programme member states are encouraged to share “relevant laws, regulations and bilateral agreements as well as international treaties”[4] which are being ratified by them. The member states were also asked to provide their own country reports to the Secretariat of the ASEAN and to make people aware of the laws of the country against human trafficking. This programme moreover tries to create a strong bond between the member states by criminalizing the people who are trafficking, harmonizing national laws and by signing several bilateral and multilateral agreements with one another. The programme also talks about providing effective training and different courses to officials with the responsibility of law enforcement and this would be done mainly through several conferences and regional training programmes. The basic aim of which would be to concentrate on “the post-repatriation, rehabilitation and protection of victims”.
[1]ASEAN Declaration on Transnational Crime, Manila, the Philippines, 20 December 1997.
[2]Supra Note 2 at 6.
[3]Work Programme on Terrorism to Implement the ASEAN Plan of Action to Combat Transnational Crime, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 17 May 2002.
[4]Supra Note 2 at 6.
By Rituparna De
