CMNT_TITLE

Articles 2(1) and 25 of the Convention. Trafficking in persons and penalties. In its previous observation, the Committee requested the Government to provide information about pending prosecutions as well as copies of any existing court rulings on the application of national legislation (sections 367 and 370 of the Penal Code) that penalizes trafficking in persons.

The Committee notes with interest the information provided by the Government in its report, according to which 11 sentences of from three to nine years’ imprisonment were imposed during the period from October 2006 to March 2008. The Government indicated that the text of the court judgements in these cases could not be supplied until the Supreme Court of Justice ruled on the appeals that were pending before it. The Committee hopes that the Government will provide a copy of the rulings mentioned as soon as possible, and that it will continue to inform about sanctions imposed on those responsible for the crime of trafficking in persons.

The Committee also notes with interest the adoption of the Strategic Plan 2008–12 of the National Committee against Trafficking in Persons, developed with assistance from the International Organization for Migration and the International Labour Organization, which has the objective of creating conditions and instruments that can contribute to the eradication of trafficking in persons. The Committee hopes that the Government will provide information about the actions undertaken in the different areas of the Strategic Plan, namely the legal framework, caring for victims, prevention, communication and sensitization.