Protecting Victims of Human Trafficking: Harmonizing the Implementation of the Palermo Protocol in Indonesia and Nigeria

Human trafficking remains a persistent transnational crime in many developing countries, notably Indonesia and Nigeria, where structural poverty and limited human-capital opportunities contribute to vulnerability. This study comparatively examines how both countries have incorporated the Palermo Protocol into their national legal and institutional frameworks and evaluates the effectiveness of victim-protection measures. Employing a normative-comparative design with descriptive-qualitative analysis, the research reviews primary legislation and implementing regulations (notably Indonesia’s Law No. 21 of 2007 on the Eradication of Trafficking in Persons and related implementing regulations, and Nigeria’s Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act (TIPPEA), revised 2015) alongside institutional arrangements such as Indonesia’s inter-agency task force and LPSK, and Nigeria’s National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP). Findings indicate both states have formally aligned domestic law with Palermo principles and established dedicated institutions, yet practical effectiveness is constrained by uneven inter-agency coordination, resource shortfalls, administrative barriers to restitution/compensation, and socio-economic and cultural vulnerabilities. The study concludes that legal harmonization must be matched by strengthened institutional capacity, simplified access to victim remedies, sustained funding, and community-level interventions to translate international standards into meaningful protection for victims.