ABSTRACT
Over the years, the number of migrant workers has grown steadily despite the short hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, when international mobility was hindered. Larger international migration flows—especially if taking place in an unsafe, undignified manner—can place more people at risk of trafficking. Trafficking and associated exploitation, in turn, severely constrain people’s agency and freedom and result in forced forms of migration, including for migrants who initially moved voluntarily.
To explore the life-saving role of anti-trafficking operations in this forced migration context, the chapter examines a large-scale rescue operation of fishermen trafficked from Thailand to Indonesia between 2014 and 2016, with a specific focus on protection and partnership as humanitarian actions. The research details rescue operations for trafficked migrant workers, emphasising the need for life-saving humanitarian assistance and the challenges hindering their protection. It also highlights the physical, psychological, social and cultural effects suffered by them that require longer-term support. It points out that migrant workers from Myanmar, together with NGOs and victims of trafficking themselves, are crucial in addressing challenges and implementing solutions for trafficked migrant workers. The authors note the increasing importance of building the capacity of stakeholders through partnerships to ensure the deployment of reliable coordination mechanisms in unpredictable emergencies.
