ICCPR Recommendations 2024, paragraph 39
Plain English recommendation
Government should:
(a) Align its anti-human trafficking laws with international standards. This includes reforming the National Referral Mechanism and ensuring the Illegal Migration Act 2023 does not cause trafficking victims to experience further exploitation and harm;
(b) Increase work to help all victims of human trafficking, regardless of their immigration status. This includes by offering protection, rehabilitation, and compensation;
(c) Increase efforts to strengthen laws, including the visa policy, to protect migrant workers from abuse and exploitation. They must be able to access legal remedies without fear of reprisal, detention, or deportation. They should be able to access them with interpretation services;
(d) Make it easier for migrant workers to report abuse and exploitation by running educational campaigns about their rights and how they can seek help in their own languages.
Original UN recommendation
The State party should:
(a) Ensure that the legislative framework to combat trafficking in persons is aligned with international standards on trafficking in persons, including by reforming the National Referral Mechanism and by ensuring that implementation of the Illegal Migration Act 2023 does not result in victims of trafficking in persons being returned to face further exploitation and harm;
(b) Intensify its efforts to provide effective remedies, including protection, rehabilitation and compensation, for all victims of trafficking in persons and exploitation, regardless of their migratory status;
(c) Intensify its efforts to strengthen legislation, including the visa policy, and regulations protecting migrant workers against abuse and exploitation, facilitate access to effective legal remedies, with interpreting services, and ensure that workers can access those remedies without fear of reprisal, detention or deportation;
(d) Facilitate the reporting of abuse and exploitation, including by ensuring access to multiple forms of reporting and by conducting educational campaigns for migrant workers, in their own languages, about their rights and available remedies.
Date of UN examination
03/05/2024
Original UN document
Download the original ICCPR concluding observations 2024 on the UN website.
Last updated on 11/04/2025