The Australian government will earmark A$21 million (P800 million) for a five-year project which aims to strengthen the Philippines’ criminal justice system against human trafficking.

The Australian government and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Tuesday launched the Asia Regional Trafficking in Persons (ARTIP) Project.

According to Australian Ambassador Rod Smith, the ARTIP would provide training programs to strengthen the capacities of Philippine law enforcement agencies, particularly the Philippine National Police (PNP), judges and prosecutors on the prevention, detection and investigation, prosecution and support for victims of human trafficking.

“People trafficking remains a significant global concern with thousands of men, women and children trafficked across international borders each year for a wide range of exploitative purposes including sexual exploitation, forced labor, illicit adoption, street begging, and the harvesting of body organs,” Smith said.

“Trafficking in persons is a serious violation of human rights and the Australian Government is committed to combating this crime and providing victims with appropriate humanitarian support,” he added, saying that the launch of the said program “reconfirms the Australian and Philippine Governments’ commitment” to combat human trafficking.

The ARTIP is already being implemented in other Southeast Asian countries namely Lao PDR, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. A technical working group will be set up in the Philippines to implement ARTIP.

“There can be no doubt that an effective criminal justice response to trafficking is an important factor in ending impunity for traffickers and securing justice for victims,” Smith said.

Australia is a long-standing development partner of the Philippines and one of the country’s largest bilateral grant aid donors. In Fiscal year (FY) 2009 to 2010, the Australian Government will provide an estimated P4.6 billion (A$123 million) in development assistance, focusing on economic growth, basic education, and national stability and human security.

The Philippines is the third country that contributes biggest in the services sector, after China and India. However, the country is currently on the Tier 2 Watch  List of the US State Department due to increased incidence of human trafficking, particularly forced labor exploitation. There were only four out of 90 convicted human trafficking cases in the country in 2008.

Human trafficking is the second largest illegal trade next to drugs, earning US$10 billion every year. Human trafficking is not just limited to prostitution as it also includes forced labor and exploitation.