Trafficking in Persons Protocol

The Trafficking in Persons Protocol is a supplementary treaty to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. It is also known as the Palermo Protocol. The protocol was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2000 and entered into force in 2003. It provides a comprehensive framework for the international community to address the issue of human trafficking, also known as modern-day slavery.

The Trafficking in Persons Protocol defines human trafficking as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, 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.

The protocol sets out the legal obligations of States Parties to criminalize and penalize human trafficking and to provide assistance to and protect the rights of victims of trafficking. It also establishes a framework for international cooperation to prevent, investigate, and prosecute human trafficking and to protect and assist victims of trafficking.

The Trafficking in Persons Protocol has been widely ratified and is considered a key instrument in the fight against human trafficking. It provides a framework for international efforts to combat this serious crime and protect the human rights of victims.