Media Release - ASEAN Multilateral Judicial Knowledge Exchange on Victim-Sensitive Adjudication of Trafficking in Persons cases

The ASEAN Multilateral Judicial Knowledge Exchange on Victim-Sensitive Adjudication of Trafficking in Persons Cases officially opened today, Tuesday, 3 February 2026, at the Mutiara Ballroom, Radisson Hotel, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam.

The Judicial Knowledge Exchange (JKE) is being held in Brunei Darussalam from 3 – 5 February 2026 and convenes judges from ASEAN Member States with current or prior experience in adjudicating Trafficking in Persons (TIP) cases, alongside representatives from judicial training institutes and the Secretariat of the Council of ASEAN Chief Justices (CACJ).

The JKE is a project of the Council of ASEAN Chief Justices (CACJ) Working Group on Judicial Education and Training co-chaired by the Judiciaries of Indonesia and Philippines (WG-JET) and reflects ASEAN judiciaries’ shared commitment to strengthening judicial responses to trafficking in persons through a victim-centred and rights-based approach. It is supported by the Australian Government-funded ASEAN-Australia Counter Trafficking (ASEAN-ACT) Program and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The first multi-sectoral JKE was held in Vientiane, Lao PDR from 29 September to 1 October 2025 and was participated by Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Singapore judiciaries. This JKE marks the second multi-sectoral JKE with participation from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam judiciaries.

The opening ceremony of the JKE included remarks delivered by The Hon. Justice Haji Abdullah Soefri bin POKSM DSP Haji Abidin, Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam, The Hon. Justice Agus Subroto, S.H., M.Kn of the Supreme Court of Indonesia, The Hon. Justice Rosmari Carandang (Ret.), Chancellor of the Philippines Judicial Academy (PHILJA) of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, Dr. Rebecca Milner, Regional Coordinator for Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling, UNODC Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific and Ms. Jennifer Zhao, 2nd Secretary (Political /Economic) of the Australian High Commission in Brunei Darussalam.

Speakers emphasised that trafficking in persons is a serious, borderless crime that violates human dignity and undermines the rule of law, requiring a strong and coordinated ASEAN judicial response. They highlighted the importance of regional cooperation, shared learning, and harmonised, victim-centred adjudication that ensures procedural fairness while minimising trauma to victims. They also reaffirmed ASEAN’s collective commitment to practical knowledge exchange and sustained judicial collaboration to strengthen effective responses to trafficking in persons.

The JKE serves as a platform for participants to share practical experiences, national perspectives, and judicial best practices in handling TIP cases. In particular, it seeks to gather substantive inputs on key issues and challenges faced by courts in the adjudication of such cases, while identifying effective and victim-sensitive judicial approaches across the region.

Participants will engage in focused discussions on the core components of a forthcoming Compendium on Victim-Sensitive Adjudication of TIP Cases, including:
• Court proceedings and evidence
• Victim support and protection
• Best interests of the child
• Compensation and restitution
• Evidence-based decision analysis of TIP judgments
• Capacity-building of judges handling TIP cases

The JKE underscores the collective resolve of ASEAN judiciaries to enhance judicial capacity, promote consistency in adjudication, and ensure that trafficking in persons cases are handled with due sensitivity to victims’ rights, dignity, and protection under the rule of law.

SUPREME COURT OF BRUNEI DARUSSALAM / 3 FEBRUARY 2026