UNITED NATIONS THIRD COMMITTEE: INTERACTIVE DIALOGUE: SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS, ESPECIALLY WOMEN AND CHILDREN
Statement by Mr. Robert Gawthorne, Policy Support Officer, Australian Mission to the United Nations
31 October 2025
Thank you Chair.
Australia welcomes the report of the Special Rapporteur on child rights and child trafficking in conflict situations.
In the Indo-Pacific, conflict-induced displacement is putting children in situations of extreme vulnerability. Some 500,000 Rohingya children live in the camps of Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. They are at acute risk of abduction, forced labour, sexual exploitation and child marriage.
Australia’s support to this long-standing crisis is unwavering – reflected in our AUD1.26 billion in humanitarian assistance to Myanmar and Bangladesh since 2017.
Australia welcomes the Special Rapporteur’s recognition of the heightened risks of child and forced marriage for people who are displaced or on the move.
Australia is concerned that nearly two-thirds of all forced marriages, affecting around 14.2 million victims and survivors, occur in Asia and the Pacific.
Given the long-lasting impacts of human trafficking, particularly on children, could the Special Rapporteur comment on how member states can best involve children in our efforts to combat child trafficking, to ensure our responses best meet their needs?
Thank you.