An Introduction to Human Trafficking - United Nations Office on ...

Vulnerability, prevention and human
trafficking: the need for a new paradigm
Michèle A. Clark
I.—<strong>Introduction</strong>
In the present paper, current practices in the prevention of trafficking in human beings
are analysed in order <strong>to</strong> understand why trafficking continues <strong>to</strong> be identified as a growing
phenomenon. Numerous prevention initiatives and considerable funding notwithstanding,
a preliminary conclusion is that existing prevention practices do not reflect the
comprehensive approach embodied in definitions of crime prevention in general or in the
illustrative definition of “prevention” in article 9 of the Pro<strong>to</strong>col <strong>to</strong> Prevent, Suppress and
Punish <strong>Trafficking</strong> in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the <strong>United</strong>
<strong>Nations</strong> Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. 1 “Prevention” as it has been
conceptualized in normative frameworks are examined, as also how those frameworks
have been narrowly implemented. Vulnerability, in particular the vulnerability of an individual
in his or her social context, emerges as the missing link in formulating welldeveloped
policies and practices. Focus is placed on what constitutes vulnerability <strong>to</strong>
trafficking as a prerequisite for the development of valid prevention programmes. New
considerations are introduced as regards the development of strategic policies <strong>to</strong> prevent
trafficking that are capable of addressing the real problems of vulnerable populations
according <strong>to</strong> their own needs, in their own contexts.
The <strong>Trafficking</strong> Pro<strong>to</strong>col was adopted in November 2000 and had been ratified by 116
countries as at 4 December 2007. Since the adoption of the Pro<strong>to</strong>col, the international
community has witnessed an explosion of popular and political interest in combating trafficking
in human beings, reflected in an influx of funds, widespread awareness-raising
campaigns, feature films and numerous books, the enactment of anti-trafficking legislation
around the world, law enforcement-centred training and the rapid proliferation of victim
support services provided by non-governmental, international or regional organizations.
These measures are being implemented within the framework established in the <strong>Trafficking</strong>
Pro<strong>to</strong>col, now known as the “3P” approach, focusing on the prevention of the crime, the
prosecution of offenders and the protection of victims.
Several years later, it is now reasonable <strong>to</strong> ask how far countries have come in preventing
trafficking. In areas of prosecution and protection, tangible evidence of new
1
General Assembly resolution 55/25, annex II.
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