From vulnerability to protection: Strengthening ASEAN criminal law frameworks against human trafficking
Keywords:
Human Trafficking, ASEAN, Comparative Criminal Law, Border Governance, Legal HarmonizationAbstract
Human trafficking persists as one of ASEAN’s most pressing and multifaceted transnational crimes, shaped by economic inequalities, porous borders, labor migration, and fragmented enforcement capacities. This paper investigates the uneven prevalence of trafficking across the region by contrasting high-risk frontier areas, such as Temajuk village in Sambas Regency, Indonesia, with developed member states like Singapore and Brunei Darussalam, where cases appear less visible but remain embedded in hidden forms of labor exploitation. The central research question asks: How can ASEAN harmonize its criminal law frameworks to effectively combat human trafficking while addressing diverse socio-economic, political, and legal contexts among its member states? Methodologically, this study employs a qualitative legal approach that integrates doctrinal analysis, comparative legal perspectives, and a contextual case study. The analysis of Decision No. 202/Pid.Sus/2024/PN.Ptk of the Pontianak District Court reveals that, while Indonesia’s Immigration Law (Law No. 6/2011) provides legal certainty, its deterrent effect is limited by the social normalization of undocumented migration through jalur tikus (informal border routes). Comparative findings further show that Cambodia and Myanmar face acute trafficking crises fueled by poverty, instability, and weak governance, whereas Singapore and Brunei employ stronger enforcement but still confront concealed forms of exploitation in regulated labor sectors. This study contributes to ASEAN’s discourse on criminal law by bridging micro-level judicial practice with macro- level regional policy debates. It argues that trafficking cannot be addressed solely through punitive measures but requires a multidimensional framework that simultaneously strengthens law, governance, and socio-economic resilience. The paper proposes three strategic directions: (1) harmonization of trafficking laws and sentencing guidelines, (2) establishment of a regional task force for intelligence-sharing, coordinated investigation, and joint enforcement, and (3) preventive socio-legal measures, including legal literacy, livelihood programs, and safe migration channels. Ultimately, the paper emphasizes that only through coordinated, victim-centered, and justice- oriented regional strategies can ASEAN meaningfully combat human trafficking and uphold its collective commitment to human rights.
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