Commission on Human Rights resolution 2000/44 Traffic in women and girls

The Commission on Human Rights,

Recalling all previous resolutions on the problem of the traffic in women and girls adopted by the General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights, as well as the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others,

Reaffirming the provisions adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights, the International Conference on Population and Development, the World Summit for Social Development, the Fourth World Conference on Women and the Ninth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders pertaining to the traffic in women and children,

Stressing once again the urgent need to eliminate all forms of sexual violence and trafficking, including for prostitution, which are violations of the human rights of women and girls and are incompatible with the dignity and worth of the human person, through the adoption of effective measures nationally, regionally and internationally,

Taking note of the work being done by the Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration of a Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, in particular its elaboration of a protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children,

Welcoming the consensus reached on the draft optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography and the adoption of the ILO Convention on Worst Forms of Child Labor,

Welcoming bilateral and regional cooperation mechanisms and initiatives to address the problem of trafficking in women and girls,

Recognizing that global efforts, including international cooperation and technical assistance programmes, to eradicate trafficking in persons, particularly women and children, demand strong political commitment by and the active cooperation of all Governments of countries of origin, transit and destination,

Stressing the need for a global approach to eradicate trafficking in women and children and the importance, in this regard, of systematic data collection and comprehensive studies, including on the modus operandi of trafficking syndicates,

Acknowledging the work done by intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations in compiling information on the scale and complexity of the problem of trafficking, in providing shelter for trafficked women and children, and in effecting their voluntary repatriation to their countries of origin,

Recognizing the need to address the impact of globalization on the problem of trafficking in women and girls,

Seriously concerned at the increasing number of women and girl children from developing countries and from some economies in transition who are being trafficked to developed countries, as well as within and between regions and States, and acknowledging that the problem of trafficking also includes the victimizing of boys,

Gravely concerned at the increasing activities of transnational criminal organizations and others that profit from international trafficking in women and children without regard to dangerous and inhumane conditions and in flagrant violation of domestic laws and international standards,

Deeply concerned about the unabated use of new information technologies, including the Internet, for purposes of prostitution, child pornography, paedophilia, trafficking in women as brides and sex tourism,

1. Takes note with appreciation of the report of the Secretary-General (E/CN.4/2000/66) on activities of United Nations bodies and other international organizations pertaining to the problem of trafficking in women and girls;

2. Welcomes the report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences on trafficking in women, women's migration and violence against women (E/CN.4/2000/68);

3. Also welcomes the steps taken by human rights treaty bodies, the Special Rapporteurs and subsidiary bodies of the Commission on Human Rights, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, other United Nations bodies and international organizations to address within their mandates the problem of trafficking in women and girls, and encourages them to continue doing so and to share their knowledge and best practices as widely as possible;

4. Urges Governments to take appropriate measures to address the root factors, including external factors, that encourage trafficking in women and girls for prostitution and other forms of commercialized sex, forced marriages and forced labour, so as to eliminate trafficking in women, including by strengthening existing legislation with a view to providing better protection of the rights of women and girls and to punishing perpetrators, through both criminal and civil measures;

5. Invites Governments to take steps to ensure for victims of trafficking the respect of all their human rights and fundamental freedoms, including taking steps to ensure all legislation related to combating trafficking is gender sensitive and provides protection for the human rights of women and girls and against violations committed against women and girls;

6. Calls upon Governments to criminalize trafficking in women and girls in all its forms, and to condemn and penalize all the offenders involved, including intermediaries, whether their offence was committed in their own or in a foreign country, while ensuring that the victims of those practices are not penalized;

7. Encourages Governments to conclude bilateral, subregional, regional and international agreements to address the problem of trafficking in women and girls;

8. Also encourages Governments to work for the early finalization of the draft convention against transnational organized crime, including the draft protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children, and to give the draft convention and the protocol a human rights perspective;

9. Further encourages Governments, in cooperation with non-governmental organizations, to undertake campaigns aimed at clarifying opportunities, limitations and rights in the event of migration so as to enable women to make informed decisions and to prevent them from becoming victims of trafficking;

10. Calls upon concerned Governments to allocate resources to provide comprehensive programmes designed to heal and rehabilitate into society victims of trafficking, including through job training, legal assistance and health care and by taking measures to cooperate with non-governmental organizations to provide for the social, medical and psychological care of the victims;

11. Notes with appreciation the efforts of participating Governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations at the Asian Regional Initiative Against Trafficking in Women and Children meeting in Manila in March 2000 to develop a regional action plan against trafficking in persons, especially women and children, and encourages other regional initiatives in this regard;

12. Encourages Governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, the human rights treaty bodies, the special rapporteurs, especially the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography and the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, and subsidiary bodies of the Commission on Human Rights to participate in and contribute to the work of the twenty-sixth session of the Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery in 2001 that will focus on the issue of trafficking;

13. Requests the Secretary-General to provide the Commission, at its fifty-seventh session, with an update on the report on activities of United Nations bodies and other international organizations pertaining to the problem of trafficking in women and girls;

14. Decides to continue its consideration of this question at its fifty-seventh session under the appropriate agenda item.

61st meeting
20 April 2000

[Adopted without a vote.]