Human trafficking is the buying and selling of people for the purpose of exploitation. The issue of human trafficking is a global concern, which directly affects Asia. The United Nations estimates 56 percent of global human trafficking victims are in the Asia-Pacific region, with Southeast Asia and South Asia representing key sub-regions that supply trafficking victims to the rest of the world. The causes of human trafficking are linked to regional development challenges including limited education and employment opportunities, weak social safety nets, a tenuous rule of law, and ethnic and gender discrimination. USAID’s 2012 Counter-Trafficking in Persons Policy incorporates principles set forth in the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and adheres to standards in the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (“the Palermo Protocol”).

In coordination with other partner government's efforts, USAID focuses on two main areas of intervention to fight this transnational crime: enhancing public awareness and promoting effective governance solutions. 

Read more in our program fact sheets here. 

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USAID works to counter human trafficking, a global concern that directly affects Asia.

Updates from USAID's Regional Development Mission for Asia

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USAID and Kenan Foundation Asia Mark More Than a Decade of Transformative Community Empowerment in Thailand's Deep South

​​​​​​​On May 9, 2024, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Kenan Foundation Asia marked the culmination of the USAID Chumchon Harapan project at an event showcasing the "12 Years Journey of Chumchon Harapan Project (Past-Present-Future)." Held at Pattani Community College in Pattani Province, the event commemorated the project’s achievements and the significant contributions of local partners and community leaders in celebrating and enhancing social cohesion across Thailand’s Southern border provinces of Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat.

USAID Launches New Program to Support a Locally Led Investigative Journalism Network

Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the Empowering the Truth Tellers – Asia Investigative Reporting Network (AIR Network) at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand. This new project will support regional journalism, amplifying its potential to expose abuses of power, fight corruption, foster transparency, promote accountability, and strengthen democracy.  

USAID, Australian Embassy, JICA, and TICA Visit Chiang Rai to Learn the Complex and Damaging Impacts of Human Trafficking and Transnational Crime

Australia, Japan, and the United States are close partners with a shared commitment to work with Lower Mekong countries to support regional development.

USAID, Australian Embassy, JICA, and TICA Visit Chiang Rai to Learn the Complex and Damaging Impacts of Human Trafficking and Transnational Crime

Australia, Japan, and the United States are close partners with a shared commitment to work with Lower Mekong countries to support regional development.