TRAFFICKING LAWS OF THE WORLD

This page provides links to the trafficking laws of the following countries:

ALBANIA

Law No. 9188, 12 February 2004 [amends the Penal Code with respect to trafficking].

ARGENTINA

Resolution No. 746/2007 of 13 July 2007 of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights [creates a Program for the Prevention of Trafficking].

AUSTRALIA

Crimes Legislation Amendment (People Smuggling, Firearms Trafficking and Other Measures) Act 2002 (Act No. 141 of 2002).

Criminal Code Amendment (Trafficking in Persons Offences) Act 2005, Act No. 96 of 2005.

AUSTRIA

Criminal Law Amendment Act 2004, 1 March 2004 [amends the Penal Code with respect to trafficking].

AZERBAIJAN

Law on the Fight against Human Trafficking, June 2005.

BANGLADESH

Prevention of Women and Child Repression Act 2000.

BELARUS

Regulation No. 1636 of 8 November 2001 on the State Programme of Comprehensive Measures for Combatting Trafficking in Persons and the Spread of Prostitution for 2002-2007.

Law No. 15-3 of 4 May 2005 [amends the Penal Code with respect to trafficking].

Presidential Decree No. 3 of 9 March 2005 on certain measures to combat trafficking in persons.

Decree No 352 of 8 August 2005 on Prevention of the Consequences of Trafficking in Human Beings.

BELGIUM

Law of 13 April 2005, as amended through 2005 [amends the Penal Code with respect to trafficking].  

BELIZE

Families and Children Act, 1998 (Act No. 17 of 1998), 8 July 1998 [prohibits the trafficking of children].

BOLIVIA

Law No. 3325 of 3 February 2006 [amends the Penal Code with respect to trafficking].

BRUNEI

Trafficking and Smuggling of Persons Order, 2004, 20 December 2004.

BULGARIA

Combating Trafficking in Human Beings Act, 2003, as amended through 2008.

CAMBODIA

Act of 29 February 1996 on the Suppression of the Kidnapping, Trafficking and Exploitation of Human Persons.

CAMEROON

Law No. 2005/015 of 29 December 2005 [combats trafficking].

CANADA

Act to amend the Criminal Code (trafficking in persons) (Chapter 43 of 2005), 25 November 2005.

CHINA

China National Plan of Action on Combating Trafficking in Women and Children

 (2008-2012), 13 December 2007.

COLOMBIA

Law No. 747 of 19 July 2002 [amends the Penal Code with respect to trafficking].

Law No. 985 of 26 August 2005 [adopts measures with respect to trafficking].

COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MARIANAS

Public Law No. 14-88, 23 September 2005 [prohibits trafficking].

COOK ISLANDS

Crimes Amendment Act 2003 (Act No. 6 of 2003), 7 May 2003.

COSTA RICA

Law No. 7999 of 5 May 2000 [amends the Penal Code with respect to trafficking].

Law No. 8002 of 8 June 2000 amending Article 161 and 162 of the Penal Code, Law No. 4573 of 4 May 1970 [deals with trafficking].

CROATIA

National Programme for Suppression of Trafficking in Persons 2005-2008, 2004.

CYPRUS

 

Law No. 3(1) of 2000 on Combating of Trafficking in Persons and Sexual Exploitation of Children.

 

CZECH REPUBLIC

 

Guidelines on the Programme of support and protection of victims of trafficking in human beings and its institutional support, 2005.

 

EAST TIMOR

Law No. 9/2003 of 15 October 2003 [prohibits trafficking].  

ECUADOR

Decree No. 1823 of 30 August 2006 [combats trafficking].

EL SALVADOR 

Decree No. 210 of 25 November 2003 [amends the Penal Code with respect to trafficking].

Decree No. 457 of 18 October 2004 [amends the Penal Code with respect to trafficking].

Decree No. 568 of 4 October 2001 [amends the Penal Code with respect to trafficking].

FIJI

Immigration Act 2003 (Act No. 17 of 2003), 6 November 2003 [prohibits trafficking].

FINLAND

Act No. 650 of 2004 [amends the Penal Code with respect to trafficking].

GABON

Law No. 09/2004, 29 June 2004 [combats trafficking].

GEORGIA

Law of Georgia of 2006 on combating human trafficking, 28 April 2006.

Amendment to the Criminal Code, 2003 [prohibits trafficking].

GERMANY

Thirty-seventh Law amending the Penal Code, 11 February 2005 [amends the Penal Code with respect to trafficking].

GUATEMALA

Decree No. 14-2005 of 2 March 2005 [amends the Penal Code with respect to trafficking].

HAITI

Law of 5 June 2003 [prohibits trafficking].

ICELAND

Act No. 40 of 2003 [amends the Penal Code with respect to trafficking].

IRELAND

Child Trafficking and Pornography Act, 1998 (Act No. 22 of 1998), 29 June 1998.

Child Trafficking and Pornography Act (Amendment) Act 2004 (Act No. 17 of 2004).

ISRAEL

Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (Legislative Amendments) Law, No. 5766-2006.

ITALY

Law No. 228 of 11 August 2003 [combats trafficking].

Decree No. 237 of 19 September 2005 of the President of the Republic [regulates the above Law].

JAMAICA

Child Care and Protection Act, 2004 [prohibits trafficking].

JAPAN

Act on Punishment of Activities Relating to Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, and the Protection of Children, as amended through Act No. 106 of 2004.

Action Plan of Measures to Combat Trafficking in Persons, December 2004.

LATVIA

Law of 25 April 2002 [amends the Penal Code with respect to trafficking].

Cabinet Regulation No 889 of 31 October 2006, Regulations regarding the Procedures, by Which Victims of the Traffic in Human Beings Receive Social Rehabilitation Services, and the Criteria for the Recognition of a Person as a Victim of the Traffic in Human Beings.

 

MALAYSIA

Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act 2007 (Act No. 670), 17 July 2007.

MALTA

Act No. 3 of 2002 [amends the Penal Code with respect to trafficking].

MAURITIUS

The Child Protection (Amendment) Act, 2005 [prohibits trafficking].

MEXICO

Decree of 12 March 2007 [amends the Penal Code with respect to trafficking].

MOLDOVA

 

Law No. 241-XVI of 20 October 2005, Law on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings.

 

Decision of the Supreme Court of Justice of Moldova of 22 November 2004 [sets forth a detailed explanation of how the crime of trafficking is to be understood under the Criminal Code].

MYANMAR

The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Law 2005, 13 September 2005.

NEW ZEALAND

Crimes Amendment Act 2002 (Act No. 20 of 2002) [prohibits trafficking].

NIGERIA

Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Law Enforcement and Administration Act, 2003 (Act No. 24 of 2003), 14 July 2003, and the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Law Enforcement and Administration (Amendment) Act, 2005.

PAKISTAN

Prevention and Control of Human Trafficking Ordinance, 2002.

Prevention and Control of Human Trafficking Rules, 2004.

PANAMA

Law No. 16 of 30 March 2004 amends the Penal Code with respect to trafficking].

PERU

Law No. 28950 of 15 January 2007 [amends the Penal Code with respect to trafficking].

PHILIPPINES

Republic Act No. 9208 of 26 May 2003, Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003.

ROMANIA

Law No. 678 of 21 November 2001 on the Prevention and Combat of Trafficking in Human Beings.

Law No. 287 of 11 October 2005 [amends the above Law].  

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Law No. 162-FZ of 8 December 2003 [amends the Penal Code with respect to trafficking].

SENEGAL

Law No. 2005-06 of 10 May 2005 on trafficking in persons and related practices and on the protection of victims.

SIERRA LEONE

The Anti-Human Trafficking Act, 2005, 18 August 2005.

SINGAPORE

Children and Young Persons Amendment Act 2001 (Act No. 20 of 2001), amending the Children and Young Persons Act [prohibits trafficking].

SRI LANKA

Penal Code (Amendment) Act, No. 16 of 2006, 24 April 2006 [prohibits trafficking].

Convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution Act, No. 30 of 2005, 20 September 2005 [gives effect to the SAARC Convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution].

TAJIKISTAN

Law on the Fight against Human Trafficking, 8 July 2004.

TANZANIA

Sexual Offences Special Provisions Act, 1998 (Act No. 4 of 1998), 1 July 1998 [amends the Penal Code with respect to trafficking].

TOGO

Law No. 2005-009 of 3 August 2005 on the trafficking of children in Togo.

UKRAINE

Law to introduce the changes to the Criminal Code of Ukraine (on improvement of the criminal responsibility for trafficking in human beings and making others involved in prostitution, 12 January 2006.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

 

Law on Anti-Trafficking, 11 November 2006.

UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND

Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004, Act No. 19 of 2004, 22 July 2004 [prohibits trafficking].

URUGUAY

Law No. 17815 of 6 September 2004 [prohibits trafficking].

VIETNAM

Law on Child Protection, Care and Education, 15 June 2004 [prohibits trafficking].