ASEAN Guideline on the Non-Punishment Principle for protection of trafficking victims adopted (ad referendum)

ASEAN adopted the “ASEAN Guideline on the Implementation of the Non-Punishment Principle for Protection of Victims of Trafficking in Persons” (adopted ad referendum on 27 May 2025). The guideline provides implementation-oriented direction for Member States on applying the non-punishment principle, including considerations for legislative frameworks, identification/screening by frontline officers, prosecutorial and judicial application, remedies, and monitoring/reporting mechanisms. Organizations with recruitment, labor, travel, hospitality, logistics, or supply-chain exposure in ASEAN may need to align internal victim-identification, referral, and cooperation protocols with emerging Member State implementation approaches.