Until December 2000, the term “trafficking in persons” was not defined in international law, despite its incorporation in several international legal instruments.The long-standing failure to develop an agreed-upon definition of trafficking in persons reflected major differences of opin- ion concerning the ultimate end result of trafficking, its constitutive acts and their relative sig- nificance, as well as similarities and differences between trafficking and related issues such as irregular migration and the facilitated cross-border movement of individuals into prostitution or irregular employment.

The United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (Trafficking in Persons Protocol) is considered to be “the principal, legally binding global instrument to combat trafficking in persons,” not least because it sets out the very first international legal definition of “trafficking in persons”. Under article 3 of that instru- ment, trafficking in persons comprises three elements: (i) an “action”, being recruitment, trans- portation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons; (ii) a “means” by which that action is achieved (threats or use of force or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or a position of vulnerability, and the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve consent of a person having control over another person); and (iii) a “purpose” (of the action/means): namely, exploitation, which includes, at a minimum, “the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs”.

The International Legal Definition of Trafficking in Persons: Consolidation of research findings and reflection on issues raised - UNODC, 2020 DOWNLOAD

post

page

attachment

revision

nav_menu_item

custom_css

customize_changeset

oembed_cache

user_request

wp_block

wp_template

wp_template_part

wp_global_styles

wp_navigation

wp_font_family

wp_font_face

acf-taxonomy

acf-post-type

acf-field-group

acf-field

ai1ec_event

exactmetrics_note

Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for human rights and modern slavery vulnerabilities in global value chains
Publications

Written by Hinrich Voss. The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed vulnerabilities and fragilities in global value chains. The worldwide economic lockdowns to contain COVID-19 have led in some industries to unilateral cancellations and suspensions of or...Read More

2020 ICT Benchmark Findings Report
COVID-19 resourcesPublications

The global electronics sector is comprised of powerful corporations—the 49 largest information communications and technology (ICT) companies have a combined market capitalization of US $5 trillion and combined annual profits of almost US$1 trillio...Read More

Leaning In: Advancing the Role of Finance Against Modern Slavery
Publications

This report on modern slavery and financial institutions by the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies and the Freedom Fund considers the role that the financial sector can play in reducing human trafficking and modern slave...Read More

Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2018
Publications

The 2018 UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons is the fourth of its kind mandated by the General Assembly through the 2010 United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. The report, produced by UNODC every two years, s...Read More

TAGS: Global