Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others

Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others

States parties and signatories of the convention. States parties in dark blue. State signatories in light blue
Drafted	2 December 1949 (approval by the UN General Assembly)
Signed	21 March 1950
Location	Lake Success, New York
Effective	25 July 1951[1]
Condition	Ratification by 2 states
Signatories	25
Parties	82
Depositary	UN Secretary-General
Full text
Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others at Wikisource

The Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others was approved by the United Nations General Assembly on 2 December 1949,^[2] and entered into force on 25 July 1951. The preamble states:

"Whereas prostitution and the accompanying evil of the traffic in persons for the purpose of prostitution are incompatible with the dignity and worth of the human person and endanger the welfare of the individual, the family, and the community"

As of December 2013, 82 states were party to the convention (see map). An additional 13 states had signed the convention, but had not yet ratified it.^[1]

The convention supersedes a number of earlier conventions that covered some aspects of forced prostitution. Signatories are charged with three obligations under the 1949 convention: prohibition of trafficking, specific administrative and enforcement measures, and social measures aimed at trafficked persons. The 1949 convention presents two shifts in perspective of the trafficking problem, in that it views prostitutes as victims of the procurers, and in that it eschews the terms "white slave traffic" and "women", using for the first time race- and gender-neutral language.^[3] To fall under the provisions of the 1949 convention, the trafficking need not cross international lines.^[3]