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 persons,
especially women and children, will be useful in preventing and combating
that crime,