Entering the ASEAN Community: Building Walls or Bridges to Human Trafficking

Abstract

This article focuses on the effect of ASEAN community to human trafficking in Southeast Asia . Firstly, it explains the mean of human trafficking which is one of illegal migrations. Human trafficking will make a process and will intervene in unskilled migrants. Secondly, explains about types of trafficking that are composed of two types : 1) Sexual exploitation such as prostitution and trafficking for illegal marriage 2) Economic and labor exploitation such as menials, forced labors and beggar. In addition this study explains about background and objective of the ASEAN Community in 3 pillars : 1) ASEAN Political – Security Community : APSC 2) ASEAN Economic Community : AEC and 3.) ASEAN Socio – Cultural Community : ASCC. There are many policies of developing region in a pillar. Moreover, this article is analyzed by author’s opinion on the effect of entering the ASEAN community to human trafficking. If consider ASEAN Community policies, it seems to build invisible wall and at the same time enlarge to build a bridge to human trafficking to stretch further than before. Countries in ASEAN have to defense and refrain factors which give rise to human trafficking such as strictly measures of border surveillance because if countries in ASEAN are opened freely, it will link easily. So, countries must cooperate to solve the problems seriously. More significantly, grassroots should be taken care of for their well being because they can be easily risked to become the victims of human trafficking. If grassroots are took care of and developed by ASEAN Socio – Cultural Community pillar’s policies and at the same time each countries solve problems by implying ASEAN Political-Security Community pillar’s policies, it spill over to develop ASEAN Economic Community pillar.