Support to
Underserved Victims

Most victims of trafficking are not formally identified through official channels. This effectively prevents them from being able to access most support services, though they are often in need of assistance. They are thus ‘underserved’.

Through the Underserved Victims initiative, UNIAP works with its partners to provide immediate support to victims of trafficking and in turn uses these cases to highlight and advocate for a wider understanding of human trafficking patterns.

One group of trafficking victims that is often underserved is male victims of labour exploitation, forced to work on boats or in plantations or factories. There are still many legal systems in the Greater Mekong Sub-region that do not recognise male victims of trafficking, and therefore do not provide a basis for the provision of support services.

People trafficked through formal recruitment channels into unpaid and forced domestic work, and sex workers who were initially willing to accept work but were then exploited, are other groups of victims who are often not formally identified as victims of trafficking, and therefore cannot access suitable assistance. They may be treated as criminals, or return home in considerable debt.

UNIAP directs much of its Support to Underserved Victims to grassroots organisations which have the knowledge and capacity required to provide support to the victims. These organisations are selected based on their location in hotspot areas, their effective identification of the populations in need and their ability to provide assistance to these populations. UNIAP’s support is coordinated with other partners in the region, including NGOs and international organisations such as IOM, and through the development of referral networks, including relevant government agencies.

Through the Underserved Victims initiative UNIAP is able to draw global attention to underserved populations and faciliate the changes to policy and processes that will ensure that these victim populations are identified and assisted.