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LABOUR TRAFFICKING IN SOUTH EAST ASIA.
SOME TRENDS AND ISSUES
REBECCA SURTEESSENIOR RESEARCHER
NEXUS INSTITUTE
¡ Reintegration of tra fficked persons in Indonesia § On-‐going study of reintegration of trafficked persons in Indonesia, conducted in cooperation with KPPPA, Kemsos and NGO partners
¡ In African waters. The trafficking of Cambodian fishers in South Africa § Study of Cambodians fishers exploited off coast of South Africa, conducted in cooperation with IOM and NGO and GO partners
¡ After trafficking. Experiences and cha l lenges in reintegration of trafficked persons in the GMS.¡ Study conducted on reintegration needs of trafficked persons in
six Mekong countries (Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam), commissioned by the COMMIT governments and UNIAP
¡ Past studies of labour trafficking in fishing industry, construction, domestic work and the trafficking of men
SOME NEXUS RESEARCH IN THE REGION…
¡ Research from the perspective of both trafficked persons and pract itioners
¡ Research into different forms of labour trafficking (fishing, domest ic work, factory, construction, plantation...)
¡ Conduct research with different sub-‐groups of trafficking v ict ims to offset sampling bias and select ion effects – e.g.:§ Those who are identified and unidentified § Those who are assisted and unassisted
¡ Part icipation and engagement of wide range of inst itutions and agencies; collaborative learning
KEY ASPECTS OF NEXUS’ RESEARCH…
1. Many different forms of labour trafficking in and from the region
2. Many victims of labour trafficking are going unidentified
3. Assistance and reintegration of victims of labour trafficking
SOME FINDINGS AND REFLECTIONS ON LABOUR TRAFFICKING VICTIMS
¡People are trafficked for many different forms of labour in and from the region§Domestic work§Fishing industry (at sea and on land)§Plantation and agriculture§Construction work§Factory work§…
MANY DIFFERENT FORMS OF LABOURTRAFFICKING IN AND FROM THE REGION
Trafficked at sea.
R e c r u i tme nt a g en cy f or I ndo ne s i an f i sh er s ; P ho to c re di t BY -‐ ND I n d on es i a F i s h i n g V e s s e l C r ew A ge ncy
( T h i s p h o to gr ap h i s n o t o f a r e cr ui tm en t a g en cy t h a t r e cru i ts t r a f f i c k ed f i sh ers . T he p h o t og raph i s u sed t o i l l u s t ra t e a g en ci es r e cru i t i n g f i sh ers . )
MANY DIFFERENT FORMS OF LABOURTRAFFICKING IN AND FROM THE REGION
Traff icked at sea.
“Our work s ta rted f rom th ree in the morn ing… One g roup worked from 3 unti l 7 am, g roup 2 worked until 11 am, then took a res t for an hour then we worked together, f rom 1pm to 1am w i thout res t. We f i s hed every day and worked w i thout day off” .
“One day, we d id a s tr ike a fter c lean water was ou t of s tock on ou r boat. No drinking water, we cou ld not work i f there was no drinking water. We used the s ea water for tak ing bath”.
“ I had a s leep ing room, however I cou ld not s tand there, I had to bow… It was too narrow on ly 2 metres for 12 people to share. The bed was so sma ll… I t on ly f i t my body… The b lankets were u sed by the prev ious workers…”.
“I f we d id not work , they wou ld beat u s. I f they d id not s ee u s for a wh i le, they wou ld look for u s and they wou ld make trouble or beat u s . Those workers beat me on my head , the s car i s s til l here now… There were fou r of them… they h i t me on my head , w i th a long meta l [rod]”.
MANY DIFFERENT FORMS OF LABOURTRAFFICKING IN AND FROM THE REGION
Trafficked for domestic work.
Dom e s t ic w o rk – c l ean in g th e f l oo r ; Pho to c r e d it BY -‐ SA J a s l een K au r
( T h i s p ho to gra ph i s no t o f a t r a f fi ck ing v i c t im . I t i l l us t ra t es s i t uat io ns t ha t t r a f fi c k ed d ome st ic wo r k e r s m a y e nco unter .)
MANY DIFFERENT FORMS OF LABOURTRAFFICKING IN AND FROM THE REGION
Traff icked for domestic work.
“When I was sleep, I was locked f rom the outside. When I had a headache… I cou ld not take the medic ine because it was put outside room above the ref r igerator, medic ine cabinet. I cr ied and cr ied. There is not something to dr ink as wel l , there's on ly water in the shower. So inhumane. I don’t know what they meant, to treat me l ike a pr isoner”.
“There, I was imprisoned, not a l lowed to go outside. I f I was going out with the employer, I was not a l lowed to ta lk with Indonesians. I have to be qu iet. I was very depressed, not a l lowed to ca l l my famil y. The food prov ided was a l so not proper. My c lothes, so improper. Until now, I don’t want to go to [that country] . Never aga in. The trauma is st i l l happening. I was worked beyond my capacity, 24 hours, non-‐stop, except sleep. They treated me as cheap worker…They treat me improperly”.
MANY DIFFERENT FORMS OF LABOURTRAFFICKING IN AND FROM THE REGION
Trafficked for factory work
Sm ok e s ta ck f r om s ug ar f ac to ry ; P ho to c r e d it BY -‐ ND -‐ NC K i m S e ng
( T h i s p ho to gra ph i s no t o f a f a c tor y whe r e t r a f fi c k ing v ic t ims a r e e x p lo i te d . T he p ho to gra ph i s u s e d t o i l l u st r at e a f a c tor y s e t t ing .)
MANY DIFFERENT FORMS OF LABOURTRAFFICKING IN AND FROM THE REGION
Trafficked for factory work
“Start ing f rom midnight we have to work until 5 or 6 in the evening of the next day. At one table, about 10 people have to stand work ing… I f someone cannot f in ish, everyone have to stand and wait. They sold energy dr ink that kept you active without sleepy the whole n ight. We have to buy and dr ink it . The whole group can rest on ly af ter f in ish the whole task . I f somebody not f in ish we have to help”.
“I f the boss th inks someone is l azy, she wil l punish the women by h itt ing… with the th ick st ick that usua lly carr ied by pol ice while men were beaten and k icked with the boots by the boss’ husband. Some was h it in the r ibs”.
MANY DIFFERENT FORMS OF LABOURTRAFFICKING IN AND FROM THE REGION
¡ Many v ict ims of labour traffick ing are unidenti fied and unassisted (men and women, di fferent forms of labour)
¡ Many traffick ing v ictims are not screened in dest inat ion country or upon return home (unidenti fied; unassisted)
“In [the destination country], we asked [the authorit ies] to assist our f ishers and they sa id that they are not traf f icking v ict ims because they had a work contract. But
a work contract is no excuse; we don’t even know if it is l ega l or not…”.
¡ Non-‐ identification even when v ict ims approach authorities
LABOUR TRAFFICKING VICTIMS GOING UNIDENTIFIED
¡ Some v ict ims don’t recognise their si tuat ion as trafficking
“The po lice ab road asked: “Are you a v ic t im o f t rafficking?” The man said, “No . I just want my money back”. So then no p rotect ion because the v ic t im himself didn’ t bel ieve he was t rafficked. ... But when he came back and we exp lain about the law , then he says : “Oh, I may be a t rafficking v ic t im”.
“They don’t think they are t rafficking v ic tims because they are men. This is another p roblem”.
¡ Some v ict ims avoid identification§ because of shame of having been exploited and needing assistance§ because it can lead to compulsory assistance (including long shelter stays and involvement in legal process) and inability to work while assisted
LABOUR TRAFFICKING VICTIMS GOING UNIDENTIFIED
¡ Labour t rafficking t reated as less ser ious than sex t rafficking§ May be seen as a labour issue more than a trafficking issue§ Labour trafficking is difficult, dangerous and traumatic
¡ Ass istance needs o f persons t rafficked fo r labour are not emp irical ly diffe rent from those t rafficked fo r sexual exploitat ion§ Victims of labour trafficking may require some or all services to support their long term recovery and reintegration
§ Each trafficked person has a unique experience of exploitation§ Each returns to highly specific family and community situation§ Assistance needs to be tailored to each individual situation, family setting and community environment
¡ Trafficking for sexual and labour exploitation is not mutually exclusive¡ Victims of labour trafficking are also sexually exploited (men and
women
ASSISTANCE AND REINTEGRATION OF VICTIMS OF LABOUR TRAFFICKING
¡ Comprehensive reintegration support includes:
§ Housing, accommodation (short and long term)§ Medical assistance (emergency and long term)§ Psychological support§ Education (formal and informal)§ Vocational/professional training§ Economic opportunities (e.g. job or business)§ Legal assistance (e.g. document processing, divorce, land ownership)
§ Family mediation and support§ Case management§ Assistance to family of trafficking victim
ASSISTANCE AND REINTEGRATION OF VICTIMS OF LABOUR TRAFFICKING
Psychological support and counsell ing
“When I s l eep, I wake up, then remember ing what happened i n [when I was t raf f i cked]. Unt il now, may be i t was f i ve or s i x years ago, f rom 2008, but i t ’s s t i l l happening, not removed f rom my l i fe. I am t raumatised” (Woman t raf fi cked as a domest ic worke r) .
“ I need to heal my t rauma, what i s the soluti on for th i s ? How can I go to remove i t ? But I want to heal my t rauma, to be re covered. There should be a program to heal the t rauma. How to ge t he lp for th is ?” (Traffi cked f emale domesti c worker)
“ I was ashamed af ter my re turn home as I had not been able to br i ng home any money . My f r iends i nv ited My to soc ia l ise i n the evenings but Ido not l i ke going out . I f eel smal l because I l ost may house and am i n debt and am f ac i ng many e conomic and pe rsonal problems” (Man t raf ficked for l abour) .
“ I f ee l mentally unwell and unhappy s i nce my re turn. I am suf feri ng f rom ‘a di sease of the spi rit ’ . I a l so have not been able to work for f i ve years af te r my t raf fick ing”. (Woman t raf ficked for domest ic work)
ASSISTANCE AND REINTEGRATION OF VICTIMS OF LABOUR TRAFFICKING
Medica l care – emergency and for chronic health issues
“My hand ran in to the f i s hing net mach ine, my f inger was broken. In sp i te of my hand being swol len, they forced me to carry the f i s h basket”(Man tra ff icked on f i s hing boat).
“The work was rea l ly d i f fi cu lt, we d idn’t have time to s leep. We worked day and n ight. Two years p lu s of untying f i shing l ines, my f ingers became cu rled”. (Man tra ff icked on f i s hing boat).
“They u sed s everal i tems to beat u s -‐ baton , kn ives and so on… One of the f i s hermen was beaten unti l he los t consc iousness. No one dared to help”. (Man tra ffi cked on f i sh ing boat).
“When I was [on the boat], I caught co ld because my legs were in water a l l of the time. I have ch ron ic prostati t is; once a year I go th rough treatment” (Man tra ff i cked on f i shing boat).
“ I cannot go to s ea because I have ch ronic bronch itis and actua lly they w i l l not let me to work a t s ea due to my hea lth condi tion”. (Man tra ff i cked on f i sh ing boat).
ASSISTANCE AND REINTEGRATION OF VICTIMS OF LABOUR TRAFFICKING
Work and economic options
“When I arr ive home, I was happy and nervous. I a lmost cr ied because I arr ived home, and brought noth ing back. What are my k ids going to eat, to surv ive?! My famil y was starv ing, my k ids were sk inny, noth ing to eat. . . When I was here, at l east I cou ld earn for them to eat. But when I was away, they were crying with hunger” (Man traff icked on f ish ing boat) .
“I was of fered vocationa l tra in ing but it was in another town and I d idn’t want to be away f rom my wife and ch ildren. I need to be with them and care for them” (Man traf f icked for l abour)
ASSISTANCE AND REINTEGRATION OF VICTIMS OF LABOUR TRAFFICKING
NEXUS Institutewww.nexusintitute.net
Rebecca Surtees, Senior researcher,
