OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR
HUMAN RIGHTS
Traffic in women and girls
Sub-Commission on Human Rights resolution 2002/51
The Commission on Human Rights,
Recalling the United Nations Millennium Declaration, particularly the resolve expressed by heads of
State and Government to intensify efforts to fight transnational organized crime in all its dimensions, including
trafficking in human beings,
Recalling also all previous resolutions on the problem of the traffic in women and girls adopted by the
General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights, as well as the Convention for the Suppression of the
Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others,
Reaffirming the provisions pertaining to the traffic in women and children adopted by the World
Conference on Human Rights, the International Conference on Population and Development, the World Summit
for Social Development, the Fourth World Conference on Women, the Ninth and Tenth United Nations
Congresses on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, the twenty-third special session of the
General Assembly entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”,
the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly entitled “World Summit on Social Development and
beyond: achieving social development for all in a globalizing world”, the Second World Congress against
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination,
Xenophobia and Related Intolerance,
Stressing once again the urgent need to eliminate all forms of sexual violence and trafficking, including
for prostitution, which both violate and impair or nullify the enjoyment by women and girls of their human rights
and fundamental freedoms and are incompatible with the dignity and worth of the human person, through the
adoption of effective measures nationally, regionally and internationally,
Recognizing that victims of trafficking are particularly exposed to racism, racial discrimination,
xenophobia and related intolerance,
Noting with concern that women and girls are often subject to multiple forms of discrimination on the
grounds of their gender as well as their origin, particularly when they are victims of trafficking,
Welcoming the adoption by the General Assembly in resolution 55/25 of 15 November 2000 of the
United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and
Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the Convention,
Welcoming also the entry into force of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the
Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography,
Recognizing the importance of bilateral, subregional and regional cooperation mechanisms and
initiatives to address the problem of trafficking in women and children, in particular girls, and taking note of the
Convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution adopted in
January 2002 by the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation; the Declaration on the Fight against
Trafficking in Persons and the Initial Plan of Action against Trafficking in Persons (2002-2003) adopted at
Dakar in December 2001 of the Economic Community of West African States; the Asia-Europe Meeting Action
Plan to Combat Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, held at Beijing in May 2001; the
Europe against Trafficking in Persons Conference of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe,
held at Berlin in October 2001; and the Regional Ministerial Conference on People Smuggling, Trafficking in
Persons and Related Transnational Crime, held in Bali, Indonesia, in February 2002,
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