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UNODC is cosponsor of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS - UNAIDS |
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Trafficking in Human Beings
Report: Measures to combat trafficking in human beings in Benin, Nigeria and Togo -
cover
/
report
Report: Trafficking in human beings: Global Patterns - click
here
Toolkit to combat trafficking in persons -
English -
Russian -
Arabic -
Spanish
From Himalayan villages to Eastern
European cities, people - especially women and girls - are attracted by
the prospect of a well-paid job as a domestic servant, waitress or
factory worker. Traffickers recruit victims through fake
advertisements, mail-order bride catalogues and casual acquaintances.
Upon
arrival at their destination, victims are placed in conditions
controlled by traffickers while they are exploited to earn illicit
revenues. Many are physically confined, their travel or identity
documents are taken away and they or their families are threatened if
they do not cooperate. Women and girls forced to work as prostitutes
are blackmailed by the threat that traffickers will tell their
families. Trafficked children are dependent on their traffickers for
food, shelter and other basic necessities. Traffickers also play on
victims' fears that authorities in a foreign country will
prosecute or deport them if they ask for help.
Trafficking in human beings is a global
issue, but a lack of systematic research means that reliable data on
the trafficking of human beings that would allow comparative analyses
and the design of countermeasures is scarce. There is a need to
strengthen the criminal justice response to trafficking through
legislative reform, awareness-raising and training, as well as through
national and international cooperation. The support and protection of
victims who give evidence is key to prosecuting the ringleaders behind
the phenomenon.
What if the victim consents? Can children consent?
How is "trafficking in persons" different from the smuggling of migrants?
Find out
more information about human trafficking.
Summary of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children.
Status of Convention and Protocols.
What is "trafficking in persons"?
"Trafficking
in persons" shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer,
harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of
force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception,
of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the
giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a
person having control over another person, for the purpose of
exploitation. Exploitation shall include, 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;
Article 3, paragraph (a) of the
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, which supplements the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime
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UN Global Programme against Trafficking in Human Beings
The Global Programme against Trafficking in Human Beings (GPAT) was designed by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (
UNODC) in collaboration with the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (
UNICRI) and launched in March 1999.
GPAT assists Member States in their efforts to combat trafficking in
human beings. It highlights the involvement of organized criminal
groups in human trafficking and promotes the development of effective
ways of cracking down on perpetrators.
The GPAT's' overarching objective is to
bring to the foreground the involvement of organized criminal groups in
human trafficking and to promote the development of effective criminal
justice-related responses. As the only entity focusing on the criminal
justice element, the GPAT, working through UNODC's Crime Programme,
brings special advantages to the fight against trafficking.
Leaflet about trafficking in persons and the Global Programme - click
here
Outline of GPAT
The GPAT's key components are data collection, assessment and technical cooperation.
Assessment
The assessment component of the
Programme, performed in cooperation with UNICRI, includes data
collection on various smuggling routes and the methods used by
organized criminal groups in trafficking. The UN is also collecting
"best practices" used in combating trafficking and the involvement of
organized crime. A database containing trafficking trends and routes,
as well as information about victims and traffickers has been
established so that policymakers, practitioners, researchers and the
NGO community can use the collected data..
Countries involved in the GPAT are selected from Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America and will be assessed according to:
- smuggling routes and forms of exploitation of trafficked people;
- cooperation among law enforcement, prosecution and judiciary; and
- government efforts to respond, including recent legislative reforms.
Technical Cooperation
On the basis of the assessments, seven countries are now involved in
technical cooperation projects.
Specific intervention measures are being introduced that are designed
to strengthen the capacity to combat forms of trafficking at the
national and international levels. These measures will assist countries
of origin, transit and destination to develop joint strategies and
practical actions. ( technical cooperation modules)
At the national level the Programme aims to:
- promote awareness-raising (such as public awareness
campaigns) of trafficking in human beings and especially strengthen
institutional capacity;
- train law enforcement officers, prosecutors and judges;
- advise on drafting and revising relevant legislation;
- provide advice and assistance on establishing and strengthening anti-trafficking elements; and
- strengthen victim and witness support.
At the international level the Programme aims to:
- provide assistance to agencies, institutions and
governments as part of an interdisciplinary effort to design effective
measures against trafficking in human beings.
GPAT cooperates closely with other intergovernmental and
non-governmental organizations in the implementation of its activities,
including on awareness-raising.
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