Thailand - The US Government and IOM have started a new partnership to combat trafficking in persons and protect trafficking victims’ access to protection with six new projects in the Asia-Pacific region. 

IOM has signed grant agreements with the US Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (J/TIP) to support the counter-trafficking efforts of governments in the Maldives,  Myanmar,  Pacific Islands (Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Marshall Islands and Republic of Palau), Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and the Solomon Islands.

The countries involved are source, transit and destination countries for men, women and children trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced labor.

The approach includes building the capacity of key stakeholders to strengthen victim identification and assistance to victims of trafficking; the establishment of effective partnerships with local and international NGOs; prioritizing and significantly increasing victim identification and protection efforts, and the creation of a broad network of anti-trafficking focal points in the most vulnerable areas.

Additionally, the projects will strengthen law enforcement and the judiciary’s capacity to investigate and prosecute trafficking cases, sensitize the general public and migrant populations to migrant workers’ rights, and improve access of victims of trafficking to protection and justice.

“IOM has worked extensively with governments and civil society organizations in the Asia-Pacific region to strengthen national counter-trafficking responses since the mid-1990s,” noted Jonathan Martens, IOM’s Senior Specialist for Migrant Assistance based in Bangkok.

“We have implemented more than 900 projects in over 100 countries and have provided assistance to more than 50,000 trafficked persons. We look forward to the opportunity offered by these projects to share experiences with national experts, and contribute to more effective protection for victims of trafficking.”

The projects, which have a total budget over USD 3 million, will vary in duration between two and three years.

For more information, please contact

Jonathan Martens
IOM’s Asia-Pacific regional office in Bangkok
Email: jmartens@iom.int
Tel.  +66.922603576