1 PRINCIPLE 1 AND RELATED GUIDELINES: HUMAN RIGHTS OF TRAFFICKED PERSONS The human rights of trafficked persons shall be at the centre of all efforts to prevent and combat trafficking and to protect, assist and provide redress to victims. 1.1. PURPOSE AND CONTEXT Principle 1 and related guidelines require human rights to be central to all actions directed at both the prevention and combating of trafficking and the provision of protection and assistance to trafficked persons. This is an important starting point for the Trafficking Principles and Guidelines because, as noted in part 1, trafficking can be considered and dealt with from a range of different perspectives including migration, public order and crime control, as well as human rights. Principle 1 confirms that priority must be given to the human rights obligations accepted by States under international human rights law. Prioritizing human rights does not mean that other objectives or approaches are to be considered unimportant or invalid. For example, States remain entitled to develop strong criminal justice responses to trafficking. In fact, the Commentary identifies a number of specific obligations in this regard (see discussion under Principles 12-17 and related guidelines). States also remain free, within the constraints imposed by international law, to develop migration strategies that seek to address trafficking. However, at each step of every response, the human rights impact of that step and of the overall response must be considered and monitored. The ultimate objective of responses to trafficking should be to protect individuals from trafficking-related violations of their human rights and to provide assistance when such violations are not—or cannot be—prevented. The centrality of human rights in preventing and combating trafficking is founded upon international and regional human rights law. Article 28 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides that “[e]veryone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized”. The consequence of this article is that States must both themselves respect human rights and ensure compliance with human rights by non-State actors, in accordance with the duty of due diligence. The duty of due diligence is examined in more detail under Principle 2 and related guidelines. Principle 1 seeks to ensure that trafficked persons are accorded all human rights, including those to which they are entitled as victims of crime as COMMENTARY 51