Judiciary News and Current Issues

 

1. Representatives from the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam attended the Regional Validation Workshop on the Model Professional Development Program for ASEAN Judges in Trafficking in Persons (TIP), held from 23 to 24 July 2025. The workshop marked the second part of a two-phase effort to revise and update the Model Trafficking in Persons Program, originally developed in 2018 to ensure the effectiveness and continued relevance of the Model TIP Program.

 

2. The Model TIP Program is a specialised training framework designed to help judges across ASEAN better understand and adjudicate TIP cases more effectively. The revised Model TIP Program provides a common yet adaptable framework that enables each Member State to integrate the Model into its respective national TIP-related judicial training, aligning with national legal systems and priorities. By institutionalising this revised program, ASEAN judiciaries could strengthen their capacity to adjudicate trafficking in persons cases more effectively, using victim-sensitive, gender-responsive, and trauma-informed approaches to adjudicating TIP cases—both domestic and transnational. This regional effort also reinforces cross-border cooperation and contributes to a more coherent and coordinated judicial response to TIP across ASEAN. 

 

3. The first part of the workshop, held in May 2025, involved reviewing proposed updates to the Program based on a regional Training Needs Assessment. The second part, held in July, brought participants together to finalise and validate the revised content. Through collaborative discussions, participants validated the proposed structure and content of the revised Model TIP Program, ensuring it aligns with evolving legal challenges and the unique needs of each ASEAN judiciary. Brunei Darussalam was represented in both sessions, ensuring consistent contributions throughout the process.

 

4. This initiative is supported by the Council of ASEAN Chief Justices (CACJ) through its Working Group on Judicial Education and Training (WG-JET), in partnership with ASEAN-Australia Counter Trafficking (ASEAN-ACT) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).