This publication is intended to serve as an educational tool to aid understanding of the trafficking in persons’ phenomena and is divided into six sections. The first section uses the UN Protocol’s definition of trafficking in persons to extract the legal elements of the crime as well as outlining the various forms trafficking in persons can take. The section ends with an analysis into the causes of trafficking. Section two looks toward the scope of the problem, outlining the most prevalent forms of trafficking and the trafficking flows in the six regions: Africa; The Amercias; East Asia and the Pacific; South Asia; Europe and Central Asia; and, North Africa and the Middle East. Section three focuses on how the crime of trafficking in persons is a gross violation of human rights. It also highlights the international legal framework surrounding trafficking in persons and how international instruments such as the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Nationality of Married Women all serve to prohibit some aspect of trafficking in persons, some of which have been in force for over 60 years. The fourth section conveys the heart beat of trafficking in persons which is the individual stories of trafficking survivors. Section five addresses the appropriate responses to trafficking in persons, particularly the adequate criminalization of the crime and a victim-centered approach to legislation. The final section addresses the path forward in combating trafficking. It encourages governments to collaborate with civil society and exchange information between national governments to address the problems of corruption, the demand for trafficking and the ease with which the internet provides a rapid conduit for trafficking activities. The ALERT approach articulates a five-pronged pathway forward addressing: Accountability; Legislation; Education; Religion; and Technology. (Description from Source)
