The Association of Pacific Island Legislatures (APIL) concluded its 27th General Assembly in May with a call to address human trafficking, urging its members to pass legislation in their respective jurisdictions.

The final statement also resolved that “jurisdictions ratify or accede to the Optional Protocol on the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women".

The 12-member APIL, which includes Palau, Kiribati, Nauru and the Marshall Islands, drew attention to the many forms of exploitation that trafficked women and girls faced: forced prostitution; forced participation in the production of pornography; forced labour; and commercial or exploitative marriages.

“Human trafficking has a devastating impact on individual victims, who often suffer physical and emotional abuse, rape, threats against self and family, passport theft, and even death. But the impact of human trafficking goes beyond individual victims; it undermines the safety and security of all nations it touches,” said the final statement.

Human trafficking is one of a number of pressing human rights concerns facing Pacific nations. Others include climate change, education, health, customary laws, HIV and poverty.

As set out in the Pacific Plan of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), Pacific leaders have identified the establishment of national human rights mechanisms as a priority to help tackle human rights issues in the region, along with ratification of international human rights treaties.

At a recent conference, the Attorney General of Samoa indicated his country’s willingness to establish a national human rights institution.

The APF is currently working in partnership with regional national institutions, the United Nations, the Pacific Island Forum Secretariat and civil society organisations to foster dialogue and assist practical implementation of human rights in the region.

An important initiative is to establish a ‘civil society advisory group’ to advise the APF on the implementation of human rights mechanisms and ongoing APF activity in the Pacific.

A discussion paper – National Human Rights Institutions: Pathways for Pacific States - prepared by the New Zealand Human Rights Commission, in collaboration with the PIF Secretariat, provides an important framework for these ongoing discussions.

The paper recommends a ‘building blocks’ approach, based on the resources and capacity available, to support a staged development of national human rights institutions in the region.

In addition, the APF is coordinating a series of training workshops for disability organisations in the Pacific to provide them with knowledge and skills to assist their Governments sign and ratify the new UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.