Human Trafficking

General Assembly: Social, Humanitarian & Cultural Committee

Topic: Human Trafficking

The trafficking and exploitation of humans for profit is a multimillion-dollar criminal industry that plagues every continent and country on the planet. The act of trafficking is not limited to any one act or method, but rather encompasses the entire scope of transportation, transference, and holding of individuals against their will to gain a profit. According to previous resolutions passed by the United Nations, the three core elements that define the act of human trafficking are the act (acquiring the individual), the means (how the individual is sold/exploited), and the purpose (which is always for exploitation). Per the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, human trafficking has been defined as:

“…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.”

There have been multiple resolutions and treaties put into place by the United Nations that place limits on human trafficking. The most prominent piece of legislation to do so is the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons included in the 2000 UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. This protocol sets forth precedents and policies that must be taken into account when deciding how to take the next step forward. As of February 2023, 181 nations are party to this protocol. Additionally, other bodies of the UN, such as the Committee on Human Rights have put forth detailed limits on trafficking actions that need to be taken into consideration.

This is a multi-faceted issue with many of nuances, it is important for this body to hone its focus on the specific human rights issues and the global implications at hand. It is imperative for this body to utilize the existing definition of human trafficking provided to guide debate and discourse while also discussing what further steps need to be taken.

Focus Questions:

1. What steps have already been taken by the United Nations to prevent the spread of human trafficking and how should those be supplemented?
2. How can the UN aid in all steps of the process, including preventative and reactive efforts and how should those efforts be evaluated?
3. What should be the balance between UN involvement and individual nations creating policies to address this specific issue?

Research Links:
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons:
https://www.unodc.org/res/human-trafficking/2021the-protocol-tip_html/TIP.pdf

Human Rights and Human Trafficking Factsheet No.36:
https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Publications/FS36_en.pdf

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