Prime Minister Gillard Announces New Program to Combat Human Trafficking

Strengthening Criminal Justice in East Asia
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced a new program to reduce human trafficking in East Asia by strengthening criminal justice systems in the region. The Prime Minister announced the $50 million Australia–Asia Program to Combat Trafficking in Persons (AAPTIP) program at the East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh.
The five-year program will reduce opportunities for human trafficking by strengthening the capacities of Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam to investigate and successfully convict traffickers. Men, women and children in East Asia are vulnerable to traffickers for many reasons including poverty, lack of employment opportunities, inadequate or unenforced labour laws and regulations, poor education or gender inequality.