PART 2.2
Procedures176 have taken up this issue, in
particular on the need to raise public awareness
of the unlawful and exploitative nature of human
trafficking. International and regional policy
documents provide further confirmation of a
growing understanding of the need for States
to regard demand as a root cause of trafficking
and a key factor in any effective prevention
strategy.177
(Footnote 175 continued)
THA, para. 21) (“take action to implement policies and
legislation for eradication of child labour, inter alia
through public-awareness campaigns and education of
the public on protection of rights of children”); as has the
Committee on the Rights of the Child: Chad (CRC/C/
TCD/CO/2, para. 80) (“urges the State party to carry
out awareness-raising activities in order to make both
parents and children aware of the dangers of trafficking”);
United States of America (CRC/C/OPSC/USA/CO/1,
para. 23) (“recommends that demand for sexual services
involving the exploitation of children be addressed through
both prevention and prosecution measures. Preventive
measures should include, among others, public awareness
campaigns aimed at the individuals and groups creating
demand for sexual exploitation of children”); Bulgaria
(CRC/C/BGR/CO/2, para. 66 (b)) (“continue and
strengthen its awareness-raising campaigns including
through education and media campaigns”); Malaysia
(CRC/C/MYS/CO/1, para. 96 (f)) (“continue to raise
public awareness about detrimental effects of child
trafficking and train professionals working with and for
children, as well as general public, to identify, prevent and
combat trafficking in children”).
E/CN.4/2006/62, chap. II; “Report of the Special
Rapporteur on sale of children, child prostitution and child
pornography, Juan Miguel Petit” (E/CN.4/2006/67).
176
See, for example, General Assembly resolution
61/180, para. 5, (“Recognizes the need to arrive at a
better understanding of what constitutes demand and
how to combat it, decides to strengthen efforts to counter
the demand for victims of trafficking in persons, and
encourages Member States to consider adopting legislative
or other measures, such as educational, social or cultural
measures, to discourage and reduce the demand that
fosters all forms of exploitation of persons, especially
women and children, and that thus promotes trafficking”);
General Assembly resolution 63/156, preamble, paras. 2,
14 (“Noting that some of the demand for prostitution and
forced labour is met by trafficking in persons in some parts
of the world”; “Calls upon Governments to discourage,
with a view to eliminating, the demand that fosters the
177
100
4.3. A HUMAN RIGHTS-BASED APPROACH
TO UNDERSTANDING AND ADDRESSING
DEMAND
As noted in the discussion under Principle 1 and
related guidelines, a human rights approach
is normatively based on international human
rights standards and is operationally directed
to promoting and protecting human rights. In
developing rights-based strategies to reduce
demand, the following considerations may be
relevant:
trafficking of women and girls for all forms of exploitation,
and in this regard to enhance preventive measures,
including legislative measures, to deter exploiters of
trafficked persons, as well as ensure their accountability”;
and “[e]ncourages Governments … to take appropriate
measures … to discourage, with a view to eliminating,
the demand that fosters all forms of exploitation”); and
Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children,
Human Rights Council Resolution 11/3, preamble and
para. 3 (“Noting that some of the demand for prostitution
and forced labour is met by trafficking in persons in some
parts of the world”; and “[urges] governments to … adopt
or strengthen legislative or other measures to discourage
the demand that fosters all forms of exploitation of
persons and leads to trafficking in persons”). On regional
responses to the issue of demand, see, for example, the
Brussels Declaration, para. 7 (“It should be an essential
and common goal for the fight against trafficking to
address the reduction of the demand for sexual services
and cheap labour”); EU Plan on Best Practices, para.
3(vi) (“eliminating demand for all forms of exploitation,
including sexual exploitation and domestic labour
exploitation”); OSCE Action Plan, Recommendation IV(3.3)
(“Adopting or strengthening legislative, educational,
social, cultural or other measures, and, where applicable,
penal legislation…to discourage the demand that fosters
all forms of exploitation of persons, especially women and
children, and that leads to trafficking”); ECOWAS Initial
Plan of Action, p. 6, para. 1 (“States … shall develop
and disseminate public awareness materials focusing
on … discouraging the demand that leads to trafficking,
particularly by addressing those who might exploit victims
of trafficking, for example as child domestics or farm
labourers”); Ouagadougou Action Plan, p. 4 (“Take
measures to reduce the demand for services involving the
exploitation of victims of trafficking in human beings”);
OAS Recommendations on Trafficking in Persons, Sections
II(2), V(1); COMMIT MOU, para. 26.
RECOMMENDED PRINCIPLES AND GUIDELINES ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING
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