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Part Two. Article 2 337who are so often the victims of such trafficking, 18 and to promote and facilitate cooperationamong States Parties to meet these objectives. 19Rolling text (A/AC.254/4/Add.3/Rev.7)Ninth session: 5-16 June 2000“I.Purpose, scope and criminal sanctions“Article 1“Purposes 20“The purposes of this Protocol are:“(a) To prevent and combat [international] trafficking in persons, paying particularattention to the protection of women and children; 21 and“(b) To promote and facilitate cooperation among States Parties in order to meetthis objective.”Notes by the Secretariat5. At its eleventh session, the Ad Hoc Committee considered, finalized and approvedarticle 1, as amended on the basis of a proposal submitted by Azerbaijan (seeA/AC.254/5/Add.36). A separate subparagraph (b), based in its initial form on a proposalsubmitted by Germany, was also included to cover the objectives of protection and assistanceof victims of trafficking, as well as that of respect for their human rights. (In the samecontext, see also the note submitted by the Office of the United Nations High Commissionerfor Human Rights, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,UNICEF and the International Organization for Migration at the eighth session of the AdHoc Committee (A/AC.254/27 and Corr.1), in which it was emphasized (para. 3) that thepurpose of supporting and protecting the victims of trafficking, together with the purposeof eliminating trafficking, should be explicitly set out in the article.) The amendments arereflected in the final text of the draft protocol, as included in the report of the Ad HocCommittee (A/55/383, sect. IV, draft resolution, annex II), that was submitted to the GeneralAssembly for adoption pursuant to resolution 54/126 of 17 December 1999.18At the informal consultations held during the seventh session of the Ad Hoc Committee, one delegation suggestedthat the words “women and children who are so often the victims of such trafficking” should be moved to the preamble.19At the informal consultations held during the seventh session of the Ad Hoc Committee, some delegations suggestedthat this article should distinguish between the purposes of this protocol and the draft protocol against the smuggling ofmigrants by land, air and sea. One delegation suggested adding the words “all forms of exploitation”.20At the ninth session of the Ad Hoc Committee, this text was agreed subject to the outcome of the discussion on thebracketed word “international”. It was restructured in order to indicate that the purposes referred to in subparagraphs (a)and (b) were equally important. Several delegations suggested including an additional subparagraph to deal with the protectionof victims. The parallel text, contained in article 3, subparagraph (c), of the revised draft migrants’ protocol(A/AC.254/4/Add.1/Rev.5), states (in square brackets): “To promote international cooperation in the interests of the protectionof the victims of such trafficking and respect for their human rights.”21At the ninth session of the Ad Hoc Committee, there was general agreement to delete the words “who are so oftenthe victims of such trafficking” after the words “women and children”.