Trafficking in persons is a violation against human rights. It involves the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harbouring or receiving a person through the use of force, coercion or other means, for the purpose of exploitation. Virtually every country in the world is affected by trafficking for sexual exploitation, forced labour, servitude, and removal of organs as a country of origin, transit or destination.  Every year, thousands of men, women and children fall into the hands of traffickers, in their home countries and abroad.

While estimates of the number of persons trafficked vary, ILO research indicates that an estimated 20.9 million persons, around 3 out of every 1,000 people globally, are subjected to forced labour. Even this staggering figure is largely considered a conservative estimate given the clandestine nature of the crime, and the strict methodology applied. The Asia-Pacific region records by far the highest rates of human trafficking in the world. The same ILO report as mentioned above, estimates that some 11.7 million people from the region are in conditions of forced labour at any given point in time. UNODC’s 2012 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons  demonstrated that, while human trafficking is truly a global phenomenon, it most commonly occurs intra-regionally, with each region and sub-region experiencing unique and geographically-characterized patterns for origins and destinations.

The Republic of Korea is a member of the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime (Bali Process). Since 2002, the Bali Process has effectively raised regional awareness of the consequences of people smuggling, trafficking in persons and related transnational crime, and developed and implemented strategies and practical cooperation in response. This voluntary forum includes 45 participating countries, as well as IOM, UNHCR and UNODC. The core objectives of the Bali Process are to combat people smuggling and trafficking in persons by developing more effective cooperation and information sharing between Bali Process members and other relevant organizations; to raise public awareness and educate vulnerable population about the crime of people smuggling and trafficking in persons; to build capacity across Member States and facilitate the sharing and implementation of best practices; and to advance the facilitation of the 2011 Bali Process Regional Cooperation Framework as a means of adopting a comprehensive and holistic approach towards combating people smuggling and trafficking in persons.

The Regional Support Office of the Bali Process (RSO) was established in 2012 to operationalize the Bali Process’ Regional Cooperation Framework (RCF) to reduce irregular migration in the Asia-Pacific region. The RSO is the only cooperation mechanism of its kind in the Asia Pacific and aims to support and strengthen practical cooperation on refugee protection and international migration, including human trafficking and smuggling. These activities are supported by the knowledge, expertise, and experience of Member States and international organizations, including IOM and the UNHCR.