This Special Feature includes UNHCR's policy documents, guidelines and tools relevant to trafficking in persons and international protection, case law, selected international and regional legal instruments, as well as non-treaty instruments, tools and resources documents.

Legal Documents Related to Trafficking in Human Beings

• Refugee Protection and Human Trafficking. Selected Legal Reference Materials, UNHCR, December 2008
• Joint UN Commentary on the EU Directive on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims - A Human Rights Based Approach, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Prevent. Combat. Protect: Human Trafficking, UNHCR, November 2011
• Commentary on the Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking, HR/PUB/10/2, UN, OHCHR, November 2010

Case Law

• Tribunale di Messina, I Sezione Civile, 14 July 2017 , 316/2017, Italy: Courts of First Instance, 14 July 2017
• HD (Trafficked women) Nigeria CG v. Secretary of State for the Home Department, [2016] UKUT 00454 (IAC), United Kingdom: Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), 17 October 2016
• TD and AD (Trafficked women)(CG) v. Secretary of State for the Home Department, [2016] UKUT 00092 (IAC), United Kingdom: Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), 23 February 2016
• L.E. c. Grèce, Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights, Requête no 71545/12, 21 January 2016
• J.E.F. (Nigeria), No. 10012810, France: CNDA, 24 March 2015
• AS (Afghanistan) v. Secretary of State for the Home Department, C5/2012/1564, United Kingdom: Court of Appeal (England and Wales), 21 November 2013
• Décision No. 13003859, 12 juillet 2013, Cour Nationale du Droit d'Asile ,France: Cour nationale du droit d'asile, 12 July 2013
• CE, 25 juillet 2013, N° 350661, France: Conseil d'Etat, 25 July 2013
• EK (Article 4 ECHR: Anti-Trafficking Convention) Tanzania v. Secretary of State for the Home Department, [2013] UKUT 00313 (IAC), United Kingdom: Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), 19 June 2013
• Talo v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), 2012 FC 478,Canada: Federal Court, 24 April 2012
• A.O. (Kosovo), No. 11017758, France: CNDA, 15 March 2012
• R v. N and LE, [2012] EWCA Crim 189, United Kingdom: Court of Appeal (England and Wales), 20 February 2012
• L.R. v. United Kingdom, Application No. 49113/09, Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights, 28 June 2011
• PO (Nigeria) v. Secretary of State for the Home Department , [2011] EWCA Civ 132, United Kingdom: Court of Appeal (England and Wales), 22 February 2011
• Décision No. 10001027, France: CNDA, 1 October 2010
• Refugee Appeal Nos. 76478, 76479, 76480 & 76481, Nos. 76478, 76479, 76480 & 76481,New Zealand: Refugee Status Appeals Authority, 11 June 2010
• AZ (Trafficked women) Thailand v. Secretary of State for the Home Department, CG [2010] UKUT 118 (IAC), United Kingdom: Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), 8 April 2010
• AM and BM (Trafficked women) Albania v. Secretary of State for the Home Department, CG [2010] UKUT 80 (IAC), United Kingdom: Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), 18 March 2010
• Matter of X, United States Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), 9 August 2009
• HC & RC (Trafficked Women) China v. Secretary of State for the Home Department, CG [2009] UKAIT 00027,United Kingdom: Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), 18 July 2009
• R v. O, [2008] EWCA Crim 2835, United Kingdom: Court of Appeal (England and Wales), 2 September 2008
• SB (PSG - Protection Regulations - Reg 6) Moldova v. Secretary of State for the Home Department, CG [2008] UKAIT 00002, United Kingdom: Asylum and Immigration Tribunal / Immigration Appellate Authority, 26 November 2007

UNHCR Policy Documents Related to Trafficking in Human Beings

• Guidelines on International Protection No. 12: Claims for refugee status related to situations of armed conflict and violence under Article 1A(2) of the 1951 Convention and/or 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees and the regional refugee definitions, 2 December 2016, HCR/GIP/16/12
• Strategy to Address Human Trafficking, Kidnappings and Smuggling of Persons in Sudan. Strengthening Alternatives to Onward Movements, 2015-2017, 2015
• Smuggling and Trafficking from the East of Africa : Progress Report,October 2014
• Smuggling and Trafficking from the East of Africa : Executive Summary,March 2013
• Handbook and Guidelines on Procedures and Criteria for Determining Refugee Status under the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees, HCR/1P/4/ENG/REV. 3, December 2011
• Field Handbook for the Implementation of UNHCR BID Guidelines, November 2011
• UNHCR Resettlement Handbook, July 2011
• Refugee Protection and Mixed Migration: 10-Point Plan in Action, 2016 update
• The Heightened Risk Identification Tool , Second Edition, June 2010
• The Heightened Risk Identification Tool (User Guide), Second Edition, June 2010
• Comments on the proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings, and protecting victims (COM(2010)95, 29 March 2010), June 2010
• Guidance Note on Refugee Claims Relating to Victims of Organized Gangs, 31 March 2010
• Guidelines on International Protection No. 8: Child Asylum Claims under Articles 1(A)2 and 1(F) of the 1951 Convention and/or 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees, HCR/GIP/09/08, 22 December 2009
• Refugee Protection and International Migration in the Americas: Trends, Protection Challenges and Responses, December 2009
• The Identification and Referral of Trafficked Persons to Procedures for Determining International Protection Needs, PPLAS/2009/03, October 2009
• Human Trafficking and Refugee Protection: UNHCR's Perspective, September 2009, Conference Paper: Ministerial Conference on "Towards Global EU Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings", Brussels, 19-20 October 2009
• Review of UNHCR's efforts to prevent and respond to human trafficking, PDES/2008/07, 29 September 2008
• UNHCR Guidelines on Determining the Best Interests of the Child, Rev.(print-ready version), May 2008
• Handbook for the Protection of Women and Girls, January 2008
• Guidelines on International Protection No. 7: The Application of Article 1 A(2) of the 1951 Convention and/or 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees to Victims of Trafficking and Persons At Risk of Being Trafficked, 7 April 2006
• Guidelines on International Protection No. 1: Gender-Related Persecution Within the Context of Article 1A(2) of the 1951 Convention and/or its 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, 7 May 2002, HCR/GIP/02/01

UNHCR ExCom and Standing Committee

• A Thematic Compilation of Executive Committee Conclusions, Smuggling and Trafficking, 6th edition, June 2011

Other Policy Documents Related to Trafficking in Human Beings

• An Introductory Guide to Anti-Trafficking Action in Internal Displacement Contexts, 2020, November 2020
• COVID-19 Pandemic: Trafficking in Persons (TIP) considerations in internal displacement contexts, March 2020
• Report of the International Conference on the interface between trafficking in human beings and asylum, 23-24 June 2015
• Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking, E/2002/68/Add.1, 20 May 2002
• Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking : report of the Secretariat, CTOC/COP/2010/11, 16 July 2010