TIP Report 2025: Progress on Paper, Realities Still in Question

By Helen Avadiar-Nimbalker
Asia Freedom Network | World Freedom Network | GBV & Human Trafficking Specialist | Trauma Therapist

The 2025 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report was released earlier this year, offering the world an updated snapshot of how nations are addressing human trafficking. Malaysia has moved up to Tier 2, while Thailand has maintained its Tier 2 status. On the surface, these shifts suggest forward movement.

But for those working directly with survivors and vulnerable communities, the picture is far more complex.

A Tier Change Doesn’t Equal a Life Change

Policy progress does not always translate to protection. A tier adjustment on a global report can look like momentum, yet the lived experiences of survivors tell a different story.

Across the region:

  • Survivors still struggle to access adequate protection and long-term support
  • Systemic corruption continues to undermine justice and safety
  • Prevention efforts remain insufficient and uneven
  • Identification systems miss individuals who slip through bureaucratic gaps
  • Prosecution rates do not reflect the scale or complexity of exploitation

Titles and tiers are important. Lives are more important.

Reading the TIP Report With a Critical Lens

The TIP Report plays a vital global role. It highlights governmental commitments, exposes gaps, and applies international pressure. Yet it must be used with discernment.

A country’s ranking means little unless it is matched by tangible improvements in:

  • Victim identification
  • Protection systems and safe housing
  • Survivor-centred care
  • Trauma-informed justice
  • Prosecutions that address networks, not just individuals
  • Long-term prevention programmes that reduce vulnerability

At Mosaic and across our regional networks, we continue to see the reality behind the rankings. Survivors’ stories remind us that progress is not measured by a tier. It is measured by safety, dignity and lasting freedom.

Why This Matters for Our Work in Chiang Mai and Beyond

For frontline teams across Thailand and neighbouring countries, the TIP Report is more than a document. It shapes funding, national priorities, and cross-border coordination. It influences the environment in which organisations like Mosaic Market and Rise Foundation Asia do their work.

We welcome signs of progress. We also hold space for the uncomfortable truth: many survivors are still not safe, still not seen, and still not supported.

Our commitment is unchanged — to create dignified work, strengthen prevention, and support healing and empowerment for women and communities affected by exploitation.

Progress on paper is encouraging.
Real progress is built in lives, day by day.

Support Real Change on the Ground

When rankings shift but realities don’t, community action becomes even more important.

Rise Foundation Asia

Rise works across borders to support survivors of trafficking, women in crisis, and vulnerable communities through intervention, safe housing, trauma care, and prevention programmes.

👉 Learn more or support the work here.

The Mosaic Project

The Mosaic Project provides dignified employment, skills training, and a safe community for women rebuilding their lives. Every product created through Mosaic Market directly supports survivor empowerment.

👉 Explore the project or partner with us here.

Your support strengthens long-term freedom, not just policy progress.

Related Posts