Human trafficking

CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: The virtual conference organised and facilitated by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) entitled ‘Towards Wider Partnerships for Combatting Trafficking in Women and Girls amidst COVID-19’ called for systemic change supplemented with grassroots efforts to tackle the menace of human trafficking. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the difficulties of identification and rescue […]

A Written Submission to the UN Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre Recently, Aawaj, a partner organisation of the Asian Legal Resource Centre, in India along with Madhya Pradesh Police busted a multi state child-sale racket and helped rescuing many children sold to different families. The bust, sadly, exposes only the tip […]

This week Just Asia begins with Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, where young girls are being trafficked into prostitution. A BBC News investigation team went to Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh, for an undercover investigation, and found that foreigners seeking sex can easily gain access to children who have fled conflict in Burma. The Rohingya refugee crisis […]

Guria Swayam Sevi Sansthan (Guria), an organization based in Varanasi, has been working against human trafficking and forced prostitution for more than two decades. Guria is AHRC’s partner organisation and in 2016, Guria filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the High Court at Allahabad, seeking guidelines to be issued to the police for the […]

In November of 2017, a series of arrests were made by the Swarupnagar Police Station officials in 24 Parganas(North) West Bengal, India. The first of its kind was that of Ms. Reena Akhtar, later followed by three other women (Ms.Taslima Begum, Ms.Beuti Begum, and Ms. Masuma Begum), and this includes even one who was accompanied […]

In May 2017, a young boy was apprehended by Border Security Force(BSF) officers in Dinajpur, West Bengal. MASUM, our partner organisation in West Bengal conducted a fact-finding mission and discovered that almost 18 months before the incident, his father had come to India, searching for a job, with the help of a middleman. The boy, […]

This week, to mark the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, celebrated annually on June 26, Just Asia has a special report on Hong Kong’s plan to withdraw from the UN Convention against Torture. The reason for such a withdrawal is a misguided attempt to address the rise in torture protection claimants in […]

A Press ReleasefromHuman Rights and Development Foundation (HRDF) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) (19 January 2017) In pursuance to the rescue of 15 migrant workers from Cambodia, employed in the fisheries sector by the Thai authorities, on 21 January 2016,who have undergone trafficking screening process and a case against the perpetrators has […]

The Migrant Working Group has provided legal representation for the Rohingya, who have become trafficking survivors and have successfully requested to become co-plaintiffs in the case filed by the public prosecutor of Pak Phanang, Nakhon Si Thammarat against Mr. Sunon or KoMit Saengthong, defendant no.1, Mr. Suriya Yodrak, defendant no.2 and Mr. Warachai Chadathong, defendant […]

The extraordinary measures taken by the newly appointed President of the Philippines, to allow the killing of persons involved in the drugs trade and notorious criminals, has received global attention. It is one of the most unusual moves made in any country in recent times. While President Rodrigo Duterte has said about 6,000 people may […]

Dear Friends, The AHRC has received the following information from its partner organisation MASUM in West Bengal. Sabita Pradhan, wife of Mr. Mani Pradhan, about 48 years old, died at Dumchipara tea garden due to an ailment caused by starvation. She is one of over 65 individuals to have died in the West Bengali tea […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the trial process into the case of the assassination of Mr. Jopi Teguh Lasmana Peranginangin (39), an environmental activist. Military judges have convicted the defendant with light punishment, and no further consideration has been made for the other military personnel involved in […]

Who will account for the death of three year old Aylan whose dead body was washed up at the Aegean beach in Turkey, the photo of the toddler called upon world’s conscience. The photo that went viral over social media sparked a fresh debate on the Syrian refugees facing civil strife since 2011. As mentioned […]

A Statement from TENAGANITA Women’s Force forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission The U.S Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report has, for the past few years, been seen by many organizations tackling modern-day slavery as a tool for governments to undertake structural changes that would end the trafficking and enslavement of persons in their […]

Dear Friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about two girls having been forced into the sex trade after being trafficked by a relative. Government officials in a government office and in a private residence repeatedly raped the two girls for two days. The incident came to light after the incident was […]

An Announcement by the Asian Human Rights Commission This week’s Roundup begins in the Indian state of Kerala. The state government has initiated a process of police reforms. This unique initiative involves enabling the police to undertake scientific crime investigation. AHRC TV interviews AHRC Executive Director Bijo Francis to learn more about the outlook for […]

In this week’s Roundup, AHRC TV reports on the refugee crisis in the Andaman Sea, where thousands of Rohingya people have languished in rickety boats for weeks, fleeing persecution in Burma. Finally, this week, after much international pressure, Malaysia, Indonesia, and The Philippines have allowed the boatpeople to come ashore for temporary shelter. A long-term solution […]

A Statement from the Migrants Working Group forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission It was reported that on 1 May 2015, that police officials from Sadao District, Songkhla, uncovered a concealed camp at which they found 26 dead bodies in Ban Taloh, Tambon Padang Besar, Sadao District, Songkhla. It is almost certain that the […]

In this week’s Roundup, AHRC TV brings you two stories from South Asia. The programme continues its coverage in Nepal, where the people of the Himalayan nation begin what is going to be a long struggle to rebuild their lives. AHRC TV provides viewers of the Weekly Roundup exclusive interviews with Nepali citizens who share the problems they are experiencing […]

by Avinash Pandey  The world’s largest democracy witnessed its police force killing 25 of its citizens in two encounters in Andhra Pradesh. “Encounters”, for the uninitiated, are a euphemism for killing unarmed civilians in staged gun battles. The police version of both the alleged encounters is such that it could be laughed-off had they not […]