Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons Especially
Women and Children, supplementing the
United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime
Adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly resolution
55/25 of 15 November 2000
Preamble
The States Parties to this Protocol,
Declaring that effective action to prevent and combat trafficking in persons, especially women and
children, requires a comprehensive international approach in the countries of origin, transit and
destination that includes measures to prevent such trafficking, to punish the traffickers and to protect the
victims of such trafficking, including by protecting their internationally recognized human rights,
Taking into account the fact that, despite the existence of a variety of international instruments containing
rules and practical measures to combat the exploitation of persons, especially women and children, there
is no universal instrument that addresses all aspects of trafficking in persons,
Concerned that, in the absence of such an instrument, persons who are vulnerable to trafficking will not
be sufficiently protected,
Recalling General Assembly resolution 53/111 of 9 December 1998, in which the Assembly decided to
establish an open-ended intergovernmental ad hoc committee for the purpose of elaborating a
comprehensive international convention against transnational organized crime and of discussing the
elaboration of, inter alia, an international instrument addressing trafficking in women and children,
Convinced that supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime
with an international instrument for the prevention, suppression and punishment of trafficking in
Have agreed as follows :
I. General provisions
Article 1
Relation with the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime
1. This Protocol supplements the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. It
shall be interpreted together with the Convention.
2. The provisions of the Convention shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to this Protocol unless otherwise
provided herein.