Human Trafficking

Technical Assistance Projects on Combating Human Trafficking

Since 2000 ADB has had four grant-based regional technical assistance (RETA) projects and one country-specific technical assistance (TA) for the purpose of regional cooperation, research, awareness raising, pilot projects, strategy development and capacity development.

• RETA 5889: Gender and Development Initiatives supported a short-term activity in women's NGO in Nepal by providing a small grant to the Centre for Legal Research and Resource Development (CeLLRd) in 2001 to facilitate policy dialogues among key stakeholders on an antitrafficking policy and legal framework by organizing an important workshop in Kathmandu.



• RETA 5948: Combating Trafficking of Women and Children in South Asia, approved on 14 November 2000, contributed to
  
  
  • enhanced understanding of ADB and its developing member countries (DMCs) of the nature and causes of trafficking of women and children
  • active regional policy dialogue between the governments and nongovernment organizations on the joint actions to be taken to prevent and reduce the problems
  • developing future ADB interventions that would contribute to trafficking prevention

  Under this RETA, three National Consultation Workshops were held in February-March 2002, an exposure visit of the South Asia delegation to Thailand took place on 15-18 May 2002, and a final regional workshop in Manila was organized on 27-29 May 2002. The RETA was closed in 2003.

  The Guide for Integrating Trafficking Concerns into ADB Operations was also produced under this RETA, as well as three country reports for India, Bangladesh, Nepal and a regional synthesis paper.



• TA 4085-BAN: Preparing the Social Protection for Disadvantaged Women and Children Project was approved in February 2003, started in earnest on January 2004 and was completed in November 2006. While the loan project prepared by the TA did not proceed to implementation, the TA included an institutional capacity building component for the Bangladesh Ministry of Women and Child Affairs (MOWCA). As part of this component, ADB, in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration, supported MOWCA in developing a national plan of action for combating trafficking of women and children.



• RETA 6190: Preventing Trafficking of Women and Children and Promoting Safe Migration in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) was approved on 4 October 2004. It contributed to reducing the risks of unsafe migration among poor and vulnerable groups, particularly women and children and to increasing the safety and economic benefit from the improved mobility in the subregion.

  The RETA included the following components:
  
  

  • regional policy and cooperation through support to the process of Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative Against Trafficking (COMMIT)
  • support to module development and conduct of regional and country-level training on anti-trafficking interventions
  • targeted research and community-based monitoring activities in Ratanakiri, Cambodia and the Northern provinces in Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR) to determine key factors that contribute to trafficking vulnerabilities
  • preparation of operational guide for GMS to address trafficking vulnerabilities.

  On 25-27 July 2007, a final workshop was held to present the country researches (Cambodia and Lao PDR) and discuss the issue of human trafficking in the GMS, and most relevant approaches to combating it. Read a related article.

• RETA 6247: HIV/AIDS Vulnerability and Risk Reduction among Ethnic Minority Groups Through Communications Strategies was approved in July 2005 and aimed to reduce the vulnerability to, and risk of HIV/AIDS transmission, human trafficking, and non-traditional drug use among ethnic minorities through effective communication strategies. This RETA is a collaborative effort between ADB and UNESCO*. As part of the RETA activities, radio dramas have been used to teach small ethnic minorities about HIV/AIDS, trafficking and drug use (read related Article).



• RETA 6448: Integrating Human Trafficking and Safe Migration Concerns for Women and Children into Regional Cooperation was approved on 17 March 2008. The RETA aims to enhance mainstreaming of human trafficking and safe migration concerns within the GMS and the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) and further enhance regional policy dialogue and partnership on these concerns.