OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR
HUMAN RIGHTS
Traffic in women and girls
Commission on Human Rights resolution 2001/48
The Commission on Human Rights,
Taking note of 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 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”
and 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”,
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,
Welcoming the adoption by the General Assembly in its 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 adoption by the Assembly 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
recently established Task Force on Trafficking in Human Beings of the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe,
as well as the draft convention for preventing and combating trafficking in women and children for purposes of
prostitution of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and the Action Plan for the Asia-Pacific
region of the Asian Regional Initiative against Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children,
Recognizing also that global efforts, including international cooperation and technical assistance
programmes, to eradicate trafficking in persons, particularly women and children, demand strong political
commitment by and the active cooperation of all Governments of countries of origin, transit and destination,
Stressing the need for a global approach to eradicate trafficking in women and children and the
importance, in this regard, of systematic data collection and comprehensive studies, including on the modus
operandi of trafficking syndicates,
Acknowledging the work done by intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations in compiling
information on the scale and complexity of the problem of trafficking, in providing shelter for trafficked women
and children, and in effecting their voluntary repatriation to their countries of origin,
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