EU Court Labels Sex Trafficking As Slavery

Panel slams Russia, Cyprus in death of 20-year-old woman
By Emily Rauhala,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 8, 2010 5:17 AM CST
EU Court Labels Sex Trafficking As Slavery
An EU court ruled sex trafficking violates anti-slavery conventions.   (Shutter Stock)

Sex trafficking constitutes slavery and is a violation of treaties demanding action to stop the crime, an EU court has ruled. It's the first time the EU Human Rights Court has outlined the responsibilities of authorities in cracking down on the crime. If police have a "credible suspicion" that someone has been trafficked, they must act, a representative in the case tells
the Wall Street Journal.


The ruling doesn't change existing laws but it declares that victims have a right to expect vigorous enforcement and that they can seek penalties from governments which fail to act.The case was brought by the father of a 20-year-old Russian woman who died two weeks after leaving Russia for Cyprus, where she was forced to work as a prostitute. The court ruled that both nations failed to adequately investigate her death. Years later, there is still no "clear explanation" as to what happened to her, the ruling states.
(More slavery stories.)

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