The General Assembly,
 
      Reaffirming the principles set forth in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women, the International Covenants on Human Rights, the Convention
against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment,
the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Declaration on the
Elimination of Violence against Women,
 
      Recalling that the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted
by the World Conference on Human Rights on 25 June 1993, affirmed the human
rights of women and the girl child as an inalienable, integral and indivisible
part of universal human rights,
 
      Welcoming the Programme of Action of the International Conference on
Population and Development which, inter alia, called upon all Governments to
prevent all international trafficking in migrants, especially for the purpose
of prostitution, and for the adoption by Governments of both receiving
countries and countries of origin of effective sanctions against those who
organize undocumented migration, exploit undocumented migrants or engage in
trafficking in undocumented migrants, especially those who engage in any form
of international traffic of women and children,
 
      Recalling the recognition by the World Summit for Social Development,
held at Copenhagen from 6 to 12 March 1995, of the danger to society of the
trafficking in women and children,
 
      Welcoming the initiatives taken by the Commission on Crime Prevention
and Criminal Justice and the Ninth United Nations Congress on the Prevention
of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, held at Cairo from 29 April to 8 May
1995, towards criminalizing clandestine traffic in illegal migrants,
 
      Concurring with the conclusion in the Platform for Action adopted by the
Fourth World Conference on Women at Beijing on 15 September 1995, that the
effective suppression of trafficking in women and girls for the sex trade is a
matter of pressing international concern,
 
      Recalling its resolution 49/166 of 23 December 1994, and taking note of
Commission on the Status of Women resolution 39/6 of 29 March 1995,
 
      Acknowledging the work done by intergovernmental and non-governmental
organizations in compiling information on the scale and complexity of the
problem of trafficking, in providing shelters for trafficked women and
children and in effecting their voluntary repatriation to their countries of
origin,
 
      Noting with concern the increasing number of women and girl children
from developing countries and from some countries with economies in transition
who are being victimized by traffickers, and acknowledging that the problem of
trafficking also victimizes young boys,
 
      Convinced of the need to eliminate all forms of sexual violence and
sexual trafficking, including for prostitution and other forms of commercial
sex, which are violations of the human rights of women and girl children and
are incompatible with the dignity and worth of the human person,
 
      Realizing the urgent need for the adoption of effective measures
nationally, regionally and internationally to protect women and girl children
from this nefarious traffic,
 
      1.    Takes note with appreciation of the report of the
Secretary-General on the traffic in women and girls;
 
      2.    Appeals to Governments to take appropriate measures to address the
root factors, including external factors, that encourage trafficking in women
and girls for prostitution and other forms of commercialized sex, forced
marriages and forced labour, so as to eliminate trafficking in women,
including by strengthening existing legislation with a view to providing
better protection of the rights of women and girls and to punishing
perpetrators, through both criminal and civil measures;
 
      3.    Invites Governments to combat trafficking in women and children
through nationally and internationally coordinated measures, at the same time
establishing or strengthening institutions for the protection of the victims
of trafficking of women and children, and to ensure for victims the necessary
assistance, including legal support services that are linguistically and
culturally accessible, for their full protection, treatment and
rehabilitation;
 
      4.    Also invites Governments to consider the development of standard
minimum rules for the humanitarian treatment of trafficked persons, consistent
with human rights standards;
 
      5.    Urges concerned Governments to support comprehensive, practical
approaches by the international community to assist women and children victims
of transnational trafficking to return home and be reintegrated into their
home societies;
 
      6.    Encourages Member States to consider signing and ratifying or
acceding to the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and
the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others, international agreements on
the suppression of slavery and other relevant international instruments;
 
      7.    Invites the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in
addressing the obstacles to the realization of the human rights of women, in
particular, through his contacts with the Special Rapporteur of the Commission
on Human Rights on violence against women and the Special Rapporteur of the
Commission on Human Rights on the sale of children, child prostitution and
child pornography, to include the traffic in women and girls among his
priority concerns;
 
      8.    Also encourages the Centre for Human Rights of the Secretariat to
include the traffic in women and girls in its programme of work under its
advisory, training and information services, with a view to providing
assistance to member Governments, upon their request, in instituting
preventive measures against trafficking through education and appropriate
information campaigns;
 
      9.    Requests the Commission on Human Rights to encourage the Working
Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery of the Subcommission on Prevention of
Discrimination and Protection of Minorities to continue to address the issue
of the traffic in women and girls under its draft programme of action on the
traffic in persons and the exploitation of the prostitution of others;
 
      10.   Requests the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
to consider appropriate follow-up to the Ninth United Nations Congress on the
Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders on measures to address the
problem of trafficking in women and children and to submit a report thereon to
the Secretary-General, through the usual channels, for inclusion in his report
to the General Assembly;
 
      11.   Invites relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental
organizations to provide advisory services to Governments, upon their request,
in planning and setting up rehabilitation programmes for victims of
trafficking and in training personnel who will be directly involved in the
implementation of these programmes;
 
      12.   Decides to focus the International Day for the Abolition of
Slavery, 2 December 1996, on the problem of trafficking in human persons,
especially women and children, and to devote one meeting of the fifty-first
session of the General Assembly to the discussion of this problem;
 
      13.   Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly
at its fifty-first session, under the item entitled "Advancement of women", a
comprehensive report on the implementation of the present resolution, with due
regard for possible measures to improve the reporting procedure.