The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in
Persons, Especially Women and Children (Palermo Protocol)2 has been
commended as a tool enabling the international community to combat
human trafficking in the most recent "Global Report on Trafficking in
Persons" released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
(UNODC) in December of 2012." Dating back to the General Assembly
meeting on the day the Palermo Protocol was adopted, Mr. Rydzkowsi,
the Polish delegate to the United Nations explained the Protocol's virtue:
The new legal instrument is of a unique character because, for the
first time, it delivers in a precise manner the definition of the
phenomenon of transnational organized crime and defines
instruments of an effective fight against uncivil society. [Its
adoption] is a significant achievement and reflects the political will
of the international community to combat the increased threat
posed by organized crime.'
Mr. Vento, the Italian delegate to the United Nations, lauded the
Palermo Protocol, stating that it "pays equal attention to the repression
of illegal conduct and the protection of the victims, fills in many gaps in
international law and provides an effective instrument for international
cooperation.