United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children: A Tool for Criminal Justice Personnel (From Resource Material Series No. 62, P 16-30, 2004, Simon Cornell, ed. -- See NCJ-206385)

• NCJ Number: 206387
• Author(s): Natalia Ollus
• Date Published: February 2004
• Length: 15 pages
• Sale Source: United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Description
• Language: English
• Country: Japan
• Note: Presented at the 122nd International Training Course, "The Effective Administration of Criminal Justice to Tackle Trafficking in Human Beings and Smuggling of Migrants," September 2 - October 24, 2002, in Tokyo, Japan.

Annotation

After explaining the main provisions of the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, this paper presents some examples of efforts to counter such trafficking and implement the U.N. Protocol in Europe.

Abstract

As understood by the Protocol, trafficking in human beings includes the illegal transport of people for the purposes of labor exploitation and sexual exploitation. The trafficking enterprise poses problems in the areas of migration, crime, human rights, labor, and health. States can face problems as countries of origin from which immigrants leave; countries of transit through which illegal immigrants pass; and destination countries, where the immigrants settle. Trafficking in women has been targeted by the international community for many decades; however, the U.N. Protocol was developed because many national laws have been insufficient tools for combating the new forms of trafficking in persons. The Trafficking Protocol was opened for signatories in December 2000. Almost 80 states signed it at the Signing Conference in Palermo, Italy. As of August 2002, there were 106 signatories and 14 ratifications. The Protocol enters into force when 40 member states have ratified it. Although primarily a law enforcement instrument, the Trafficking Protocol also encompasses the protection of victims of trafficking, as it aims at keeping a balance between the penal and the human rights perspective on trafficking. The Protocol has three main purposes: to prevent and combat trafficking, to protect and assist the victims, and to promote cooperation among states in meeting the other objectives of the Protocol. The European Union adopted a framework decision on combating trafficking in human beings in June 2002. The aim is to establish commonly adopted definitions and penalties in the member states' legislation. These definitions are largely based on the definitions of the U.N. Protocol. There are also several European Union programs that contribute to actions aimed at supporting, assisting, and protecting victims of trafficking. 11 references