An accepted international definition of trafficking is found in the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children supplementing the Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime which says:

1. "Trafficking in persons" shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.
   Exploitation shall include, at the minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs;
2. the consent of a victim of trafficking in persons to the intended exploitation set forth in subparagraph (a) of this article shall be irrelevant where any of the means set forth in subparagraph (a) have been used;
3. the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a child for the purpose of exploitation shall be considered "trafficking in persons" even if this does not involve any of the means set forth in subparagraph (a) of this article;
4. "Child" shall mean any person less than eighteen years of age.

(Article 3)

Supply Side

Demand Side

Socio-cultural

• Illiteracy, and inadequate educational and employment opportunities as well as lack of gender perspective in education.
• Patriarchy, which is the main cause for the discrimination of women and girl-children.
• Erosion of traditional family values, and the pursuit of consumerism encourages the sale of women and children.
• Racial discrimination, racism and related intolerance which makes the women from such communities more vulnerable to trafficking.
• The media and new technologies which through advertising and the commercialisation of sex, present women's bodies as objects solely for sexual pleasure.

Socio-cultural

• Male attitudes and perceptions of women in society, and women's unequal socio-economic status.
• Pornography and its role in the growth in demand for sex. This is coupled with an ever increasing use of the internet as its vehicle and as a means for traffickers to market women and children.
• Patriarchy resulting in the unequal power relations between men and women and in the discrimination of women.
• Consumerist behaviour with the commodification and commercialisation of sex leading to the consideration of women's bodies as commodities and objects of sexual pleasure.

Economic

• Economic disparities within countries, and between countries and regions which is the primary cause for the growth in trafficking in women.
• Feminisation of poverty because women constitute 70% of the world's poor and they support their families through precarious employment in the growing informal sector.
• Globalisation and its differential impact on women through economic restructuring and transition with cuts on social spending which affect women.
• Economic liberalisation which relaxes controls, opens borders between countries, facilitating population mobility and illegal migration.
• A lucrative business with high monetary returns because women are sold and resold a number of times. At the same time there are less dangers of being apprehended and this attracts crime syndicates.
• Downfall of communist regimes in Eastern and Central Europe and the difficulties in relation to an economy in transition.

Economic

• Demand by employers for an unskilled and cheap labour market. Women's labour is usually in low status work in the domestic and entertainment spheres and in the informal sector.
• An expanding commercial sex industry and increased demand for sex. The variety of ways it merchandises women and children are: prostitution, sex trafficking, sex tourism, mail-order bride, strip clubs, topless bars and so on. The growth in the child sexual exploitation is due to male client preferences for younger women and girls because of the fear of HIV infection.
• Development policies promoting tourism, and patterns of development that depend on temporary migrant workers.

Political

• Feminisation of International Migration as women enter the labour market, together with the lack of regulation for labour migration which provides increased opportunities and channels for trafficking.
• Civil and military conflicts push people to flee their countries. Of the 25 million refugees in the world 80% are women and children. They become an easy prey in the hands of the traffickers.
• The growth of transnational crime, and the expansion of drug trafficking networks act as mechanisms for other forms of exploitation.
• Weak law enforcement mechanisms and measures to penalise offenders.
• Corruption by police, law enforcers, officials and peacemakers.

Political

• Military bases both past and present have created an enormous prostitution infrastructure.
• Unequal and exploitative political and economic relations dictated by the North which results in the deterioration of conditions of life in the South.
• Restrictive migration policies which have decreased the possibilities for regular migration.
• Sales of arms and the increase of armed conflict within and between countries with the consequent increase of displaced people and refugees who fall victims to traffickers.
• Weak law enforcement mechanisms and measures to penalise offenders.

International Conference on Trafficking:
Letter from John Paul II

In a recent letter to Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran on the occasion of the International Conference "Twenty-first Century Slavery - The Human Rights Dimension to Trafficking in Human Beings", Pope John Paul II said the following:

The trade in human persons constitutes a shocking offence against human dignity and a grave violation of fundamental human rights. Already the Second Vatican Council had pointed to "slavery, prostitution, the selling of women and children, and disgraceful working conditions where people are treated as instruments of gain rather than free and responsible persons", as "infamies" which "poison human society, debase their perpetrators" and constitute "a supreme dishonour to the Creator" (Gaudium et Spes #27). Such situations are an affront to fundamental values that are shared by all cultures and peoples, values rooted in the very nature of the human person.

(Taken from the Trafficking in Women and Children Information and Workshop Kit, produced by the JPIC Commission of the Union of the Superiors General, page 26)

Prayer for an End to Trafficking

O God, our words cannot express
what our minds can barely comprehend
and our hearts feel
when we hear of women and girls deceived
and transported to unknown places
for purposes of sexual exploitation and abuse
because of human greed and profit
at this time in our world.
Our hearts are saddened and our spirits angry
that their dignity and rights are being transgressed
through threats, deception and force.
We cry out against the degrading practice of trafficking
and pray for it to end.
Strengthen the fragile-spirited and broken-hearted.
Make real your promises to fill these sisters
with a love that is tender and good
and send the exploiters away empty-handed.
Give us the wisdom and courage
to stand in solidarity with them
that together we will find ways
to the freedom that is your gift to all of us.

(School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND), Trafficking Reflection Booklet, Canadian Province, page 10)

The Declaration of the UISG

The following Declaration was ratified by the Union of International Superiors' General who represent over 800 congregations of women religious with 1,000,000 members.

Declaration of Women Religious Leaders
members of the International Union of Superiors' General
participating at the UISG Plenary Session held in Rome 6-10 May
and ratified by the Assembly of Delegates on 13 May 2001

We, almost 800 women leaders of one million members
of Catholic Religious Institutes throughout the world
reflecting on the theme
Women Religious: Many Cultures, One Heart:

Sent to be a living presence of the tenderness and mercy of God
in our wounded world
we publicly declare our determination to work in solidarity with one another

within our own religious communities and in the countries in which we are located
to address insistently at every level
the abuse and sexual exploitation of women and children
with particular attention to
the trafficking of women
which has become a lucrative multi-national business.

Drawing on our long tradition as educators we will continue
to promote the education and formation of women
within and outside our own congregations
by committing personnel and financial resources
to ensure the holistic development of women at every stage of life
empowering them to develop an inner strength
and appreciation of their God-given gifts to promote and enhance life.

As women committed to human rights
we declare once more our solidarity with the poorest countries
and restate our resolution to work for the cancellation of the International Debt.

As women opposed to the perpetuation of war and violence
we express our commitment to the creation of a culture of peace
and we call on heads of governments and multi-national companies
to stop the sale and purchase of armaments.

As women concerned about the preservation of Mother Earth
we will take action when and wherever possible
to end the destructive behaviour that causes global warning and climate change
and threatens all forms of life on our planet.

We pledge ourselves to implement these resolutions
through a system of networking
among ourselves and with other existing organisations with similar concerns
within churches and in society.

Attentive to the cries that arise with one voice from many cultures
we will respond as women disciples of Jesus Christ
seeing the world with the eyes of the heart
and with the compassion of a loving God.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights - 1948

Adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948. The articles that are applicable to the issue of trafficking in women and children are:

Article 4
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude, slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 5
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

The United Nations Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others, 1949

(Entry into force: 31 July 1951)
The Convention consolidates other international agreements concluded on this issue since 1904. The main objective of the Convention is to provide effective measures against all forms of trafficking in women and the exploitation of prostitution. For the first time in an international instrument, the Convention declares prostitution and the traffic in persons to be incompatible with the dignity and worth of the human person and to endanger the welfare of the individual, the family and the community.

The Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing 1995

The fourth critical area of concern "Violence Against Women" has an objective specifically reserved for trafficking in women for prostitution followed by the definition of actions to be taken by the different actors. The objective and the corresponding actions recommended are as follows:

Strategic objective D.3
Eliminate trafficking in women and assist victims of violence due to prostitution and trafficking.

Actions to be taken
130. By governments of countries of origin, transit and destination, regional and international organisations, as appropriate:

1. Consider the ratification and enforcement of international conventions on trafficking in persons and on slavery;
2. 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, in order 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 the perpetrators, through both criminal and civil measures;
3. Step up cooperation and concerted action by all the relevant law enforcement authorities and institutions with a view to dismantling national, regional and international networks in trafficking;
4. Allocate resources to provide comprehensive programmes designed to heal and rehabilitate into society victims of trafficking, including through job training, legal assistance and confidential health care, and take measures to cooperate with nongovernmental organisations to provide for the social, medical and psychological care of the victims of trafficking;
5. Develop educational and training programmes and policies and consider enacting legislation aimed to preventing sex tourism and trafficking, giving special emphasis to the protection of young women and children.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), 1989

(Entry into force: 2 September 1990)
The most relevent articles of the Convention concerning trafficking in children especially girls for sexual exploitation are:

Article 34
States Parties undertake to protect the Child from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse. For these purposes, States Parties shall in particular take all appropriate national, bilateral and multilateral measures to prevent:

1. The inducement or coercion of a child to engage in any unlawful sexual activity;
2. The exploitative use of children in prostitution or other unlawful sexual practices;
3. The exploitative use of children in pornographic performances and materials.

Article 35
States Parties shall take all appropriate national, bilateral and multilateral measures to prevent the abduction of, the sale of or traffic in children for any purpose or in any form.

Article 39
States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to promote physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration of a child victim of: any form of neglect, exploitation, or abuse; torture or any other form of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; or armed conflict. Such recovery and reintegration shall take place in an environment which fosters the health, self-respect and dignity of the child.