Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the PacificGender and Development Discussion Paper Series No. 17
Violence Against and Trafficking in Women
as Symptoms of Discrimination:
The Potential of CEDAW as an Antidote
December 2005
This manuscript has been prepared by the Emerging Social Issues Division of the ESCAP Secretariat. It is part of a series of publications previously known as Women in development Discussion Paper Series. It has been issued without formally edited.
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CONTENTS
I. Introduction
3
II.
Human Trafficking
5
A.
Overview
5
1. Conceptual understanding of
trafficking
7
2. Characteristics and trends in
trafficking in Asia-Pacific Region
8
B. Obligations of
the State to combat trafficking 8
1. Anti-trafficking agreements and
initiatives in the Asia-Pacific Region
10
C. Dimensions of
trafficking and violence against women 11
1.
Human Rights dimensions
12
2. Gender dimension of
trafficking
12
3. Forced labour
15
4. Migration
16
5. Economic dimension
17
III.
CEDAW as a tool for addressing violence and trafficking in women 18
A. Violence
against women
19
B.
Trafficking and the CEDAW Convention
20
C. The work
of the CEDAW Committee on trafficking
22
D. Trafficking as a form of sex-based discrimination
24
E. Clarifying the
obligations and responsibilities of States Parties to CEDAW
in relation to
trafficking in women and girls
28
1. Determining the "content" of the
Convention's Article 6
28
2. A preliminary list of
action-oriented obligations for States Parties
29
IV.
Conclusions and Recommendations 33