[ Human Trafficking, Country-by-Country ]

PAPUA NEW GUINEA (Tier 3) – Extracted in part from the U.S. State Dept 2023 TIP Report

The Government of Papua New Guinea does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, even considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, if any, on its anti-trafficking capacity; therefore Papua New Guinea was downgraded to Tier 3.  Despite the lack of significant efforts, the government took some steps to address trafficking, including investigating government complicity in a sex trafficking syndicate.  However, the government did not prosecute or convict any traffickers.  Authorities did not identify or assist trafficking victims and often deported potential victims without screening for trafficking indicators.  Endemic corruption and complicity among officials, particularly in the logging and fishing sectors, continued to facilitate vulnerability to human trafficking among foreign and local populations.  The government did not conduct public awareness campaigns or administer systematic anti-trafficking training for its law enforcement officials, despite a limited understanding of trafficking among such officials.  A continued lack of financial and human resources dedicated to anti-trafficking efforts, as well as very low awareness among government officials and the public, hindered progress.

Prioritized Recommendations

Allocate resources, including dedicated staff, to government agencies to update, disseminate, and systematically implement existing SOPs for victim identification, referral, and protection and widely train police, immigration, and customs enforcement officers on implementing the SOPs.

Investigate and prosecute trafficking crimes, including those involving victims’ family members and officials who facilitate or directly benefit from trafficking, and seek adequate penalties for convicted traffickers, which should involve significant prison terms.

Develop, adopt, and implement an updated anti-trafficking NAP and allocate dedicated funding and resources to its implementation. 

Amend the criminal code to criminalize child sex trafficking without elements of force, fraud, or coercion, consistent with international law.

In collaboration with civil society, screen for trafficking indicators among vulnerable groups, including IDPs, People’s Republic of China (PRC) nationals employed at worksites affiliated with PRC-based companies, communities located near commercial forestry operations, children in communities marked by inter-tribal conflict, and individuals – including children – apprehended for illegal fishing, desertion from foreign-registered fishing vessels, illegal logging, illegal gold panning, or immigration crimes.

Improve victim identification and intra-governmental coordination to ensure victims are not inappropriately penalized solely for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked.

Refer all identified victims to appropriate services.

Provide all identified victims state-funded assistance, regardless of their participation in prosecution proceedings, and include long-term assistance, particularly long-term reintegration support, such as education, counseling, and job-placement. 

Increase protective services for trafficking victims in partnership with NGOs and international organizations.

Strengthen the National Anti-Human Trafficking Committee (NAHTC) by regularizing its meetings and functions, designating senior officials to represent their agencies, increasing awareness of and participation in the committee by civil society and protection stakeholders, and allocating resources for its activities.

Increase coordination and collaboration between Immigration and Citizenship Authority (ICA) and the Department of Justice and Attorney General (DJAG) to investigate and prosecute trafficking cases.

Increase oversight and regulation of the logging and fishing sectors, including by dedicating funding and resources to increasing manpower and surveillance monitoring equipment and penalizing government officials for taking bribes, which hinder anti-trafficking efforts in these sectors.

Educate government stakeholders on the process to designate an individual as a trafficking victim and simplify the process for doing so.

Increase collaboration with civil society groups, the private sector, and religious and community leaders to raise awareness of and reduce demand for commercial sex acts and forced labor, especially of children. 

Take steps to eliminate recruitment or placement fees charged to workers by labor recruiters and ensure any recruitment fees are paid by employers. 

Accede to the 2000 UN TIP Protocol.