The Crime of Human Trafficking in Certain Specialized International Agreements (The 1956 Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery and the Slave Trade, and the 2000 Protocol to Prevent and Punish Trafficking in Persons as a Model)

Abstract

Human trafficking is one of the oldest crimes known to humanity throughout history. It constitutes a blatant infringement and a serious violation of human rights, especially as it has come to be practiced in more than one country. Given its increasing gravity and the awareness of the international community of the necessity to combat it, international efforts have intensified to confront it through various international instruments. The 1956 Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery, as well as the 2000 Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, are among the most important specialized international agreements aimed at addressing this crime. This is what we will attempt to highlight through this study by reviewing the content of the two conventions with regard to this serious crime, in terms of its concept and legal structure, and by highlighting the rules of criminalization and punishment contained therein.