ASEAN-Australia Counter-Trafficking program

The ASEAN-Australia Counter-Trafficking program (ASEAN-ACT) that was launched by the Australian Foreign Minister on 1 August 2019 in Bangkok.

For the past 15 years Australia has partnered with Indonesia and other ASEAN Member States to further strengthen the criminal justice response to human trafficking in Southeast Asia. The Australia-Asia Program to Combat Trafficking in Persons (AAPTIP) was part of this commitment, being a program that worked at both the regional and national levels, including in Indonesia, from 2013-2018. The focus of AAPTIP was on enhancing effective law enforcement investigations and prosecutions, facilitating the professional development of judges and court officials and fostering regional cooperation to combat human trafficking.

Within Indonesia, AAPTIP worked with the Anti-Trafficking Units within the Indonesian National Police (INP) to implement activities that improve investigation of transnational labour trafficking, including assisting the INP to tailor and implement the ASEAN ‘Training Program on TIP for Anti-Trafficking Unit Commanders’. AAPTIP also supported Indonesian prosecutors through professional development training, including partnering with the Nexus Institute to increase victim identification and improve access to criminal justice agencies in TIP cases in West Java.

While AAPTIP concluded in 2018, the commitment between Australia and ASEAN countries to work together to combat human trafficking continues. This continued commitment can be seen in the new ASEAN-Australia Counter-Trafficking program (ASEAN-ACT) that was launched by the Australian Foreign Minister on 1 August 2019 in Bangkok at a ceremony attended by ASEAN leaders, including the Indonesian Minister for Foreign Affairs.