FEALAC’s solutions on human trafficking could be revolutionary. Here’s how they could apply to New Zealand.

Written by Newsroom

On 16 June 2025, the Forum of East Asia–Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC) commenced. Delegates from across East Asia and Latin America gathered to address a diverse range of issues such as illegal fishing, carbon markets, and human trafficking. Many delegates have suggested a shift towards human trafficking, citing how it deeply impacts their countries. This is a commendable decision, given just how prevalent human trafficking is, presenting itself as sexual exploitation, forced labour, organ trafficking, and many more deplorable acts. 

Human trafficking has long been a prominent issue, especially in Latin America, where political instability and lax border regulations have allowed this issue to flourish. New Zealand, despite its stable governance and robust legal system, is not immune either. As both a destination and transit country, and with traffickers exploiting victims for forced labour, sexual exploitation, and debt bondage, New Zealand faces great implications if the issue of human trafficking continues to plague the nation. Immigration New Zealand under the Official Information Act, shows there were only six cases of human trafficking from 2018 to 2020. However, a whopping 236 cases were reported from 2023 to October 2024. Furthermore, investigations led by the US Department of State 2024 have revealed cases of labor exploitation, sexual exploitation, and debt bondage in various industries and regions. Thus, there is a growing need to find actionable solutions to tackle this alarming issue. 

During the conference, many delegates have raised salient solutions, including cross-border measures to directly prevent human trafficking across countries, as well as victim-focused solutions that recognise the human impact of the issue, and the need to manage it. In the realm of cross-border measures, South Korea has proposed a solution to utilise Artificial Intelligence (AI) drones equipped with facial recognition technology to detect any illegal activity, such as illegal fishing, but most prominently serving the function of border surveillance, allowing for known human traffickers to be detected at border crossings. While this solution recognises the role that border security plays in human trafficking, it raises great ethical and privacy concerns. Many have called out that training AI on governmental facial data would amount to a grave privacy violation, while others cite the ethical dilemma that arises from tracking the accountability of decisions made by the AI model. 

Given these concerns, how might such a solution apply within the context of New Zealand? As an island nation with maritime borders, New Zealand may benefit from such surveillance solutions in order to detect illegal fishing and mete out punishments to those guilty. However, these same maritime borders render New Zealand exempt from land-based human trafficking concerns, and hence, solutions which focus on monitoring sea and air ports would be more relevant. Given New Zealand’s relatively modern border enforcement infrastructure, the integration of artificial intelligence could bolster its detection capabilities. However, with New Zealand’s strong data protection and privacy laws like the Privacy Act passed in 2020, using drones with facial recognition would likely clash with existing legislation unless explicitly regulated and approved by Parliament. Without more work done to tailor the solutions to New Zealand’s needs, such solutions may not be as effective as they can be. 

On the side of more victim-focused solutions, the delegates of Singapore and Thailand have proposed a solution focused on the rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of human-trafficking into society, employing “temporary civilian camps in corridors with frequent human trafficking with a stay for 150 days” With how damaging being trafficked into another country and exploited for sex and forced labour is to a person’s mental health and self worth, this proposal marks a groundbreaking step in the right direction. While some have argued that more long-term solutions to strike at the root cause of human trafficking are preferable, such solutions with an explicit focus on victim support are still beneficial.

Given how New Zealand faces challenges in rendering psychological support to victims of trafficking, analysing how such solutions apply to New Zealand is essential. While the scale of human trafficking in the country remains low, systemic issues still present themselves in terms of victim care as well as rehabilitation. New Zealand can take a page out of the FEALAC playbook, taking inspiration from this revolutionary solution. 

Countries are seeking to explore more solutions to crack down on these illegal acts. With the combination of technological innovation, cross-border enforcement, and local empowerment, meaningful progress against human trafficking is not too far-reaching. With aligned objectives, the question now is not whether such action is needed, but how swiftly and effectively it can be delivered.

Written by Liu Haoyue, Raynor Leo Kay Hon, Nay Myo Win