Time to ensure justice in trafficking cases
We welcome the government's approval of a new ordinance that aims to prevent human trafficking and the smuggling of migrant workers by introducing comprehensive remedial measures. At a time when the overwhelming majority of such cases end in acquittal, the initiative signals a long-overdue recognition that the country's legal and institutional framework has failed some of its most vulnerable citizens. Updating the existing law to align with international standards and clearly define offences related to migrant smuggling—long legally undefined despite its widespread occurrence—is a step in the right direction. Of course, law alone is not enough. But having a proper law can enable effective investigation, prosecution, and ultimately justice for victims.
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A review of official case-disposal records paints a grim picture of how trafficking cases have fared so far. In 2020, the courts disposed of 14 cases, and 13 of them ended in acquittal. In 2021, both disposed cases ended in acquittal. In 2022, all 34 disposed cases met the same fate. The volume of disposed cases surged in 2023 but the acquittal rate remained disturbingly similar, with 415 of 436 cases ending in acquittal. In 2024, out of 363 cases 342 cases resulted in acquittal. Even the first six months of 2025 followed the same pattern, with 132 of 141 disposed cases ending in acquittal. These figures do not suggest the absence of crime, but rather the weakness of investigations, the confusion in legal categorisation, and the inability of our system to hold perpetrators to account.
The new law intends to address these gaps. The decision to introduce a separate chapter on the smuggling of migrants (SOM) is particularly noteworthy as an average of 95 percent of SOM cases ended in acquittal over the last four and a half years, largely due to miscategorisation. It also addresses the growing use of online platforms for "job recruitment" by traffickers, while limiting the influence of the accused by allowing the freezing of bank accounts, seizing of assets, and restricting of travel during investigation, with court approval of course. Meanwhile, the provision of improved witness protection and safeguards to prevent victims from being pressured into withdrawing complaints could strengthen cases that previously fell apart under intimidation.
However, as we have already noted, law alone is insufficient. Many of those who fall victim to traffickers or smugglers do so out of desperation, poverty, and a lack of safe, legal migration pathways. So if the ordinance is to achieve its stated objective, it must be accompanied by robust implementation, proper training for law enforcement and prosecutors, and sustained awareness campaigns in high-risk communities. Only then can we succeed in suppressing human trafficking.
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