ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN SHAPING PAKISTAN'S TRAFFICKING LAWS, 2002-2018

Abstract

Pakistan's geographical position on the map has been deemed ' strategically advantageous ' by many, and while this may be true, this very position makes the country vulnerable to be used as a transit and destination source for human trafficking. Individuals are smuggled in and out of Pakistan, often against their will, to be used as workers in various illegal professions. In Pakistan, the majority of trafficking victims are used for bonded labor and prostitution. While in recent times, investigations into human trafficking have been made, law enforcement officers have little to no knowledge about the nature of the crime, often confusing it with human smuggling. The government, on its part, has passed laws such as the Prevention and Control of Human Trafficking Ordinance (PACHTO) in 2002, and the National Action Plan for Combating Human Trafficking in 2011, however, the implementation of these ' laws is questionable. Even in cases where the traffickers are caught and arrested, the victims are not given sufficient protection and are made to rely on public shelters and help from NGO' s. By 2018, however, 'The Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act' was finally signed, which, for the first time in Pakistan, secured the rights of victims of trafficking as well as condemned the crime itself. Although the conditions of human trafficking in Pakistan are still not by any means favourable, the country has definitely worked on the issue to a wide extent. The impact that international organizations such as the UNODC have had on Pakistan's trafficking laws can be seen through the workshops, training programs, awareness campaigns, conferences, and reports that have been conducted in order to trace the plague that is human trafficking. Whether the gradual improvement in counter-trafficking efforts comes internally or from the influence of international institutions, is the main focus of this thesis.