Last week, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons released a report including points HTI recommended in its submission. Douglass Fellow Sam Franks drafted the HTI submission after the Special Rapporteur requested input from civil society groups to incorporate in her report on the non-punishment principle.

The non-punishment principle is the concept that “trafficked persons should not be…punished for illegal conduct that they committed as a direct consequence of being trafficked.” The principle is an essential component of victim protection strategies. This concept is one of the trauma-informed and victim-centered principles at the heart of the training provided by HTI staff for prosecutors and investigators in Partner Countries. 

HTI recommended two approaches to effectively implement the non-punishment principle:

• Investments in specialized training for investigators to properly identify victims of trafficking, and
• Utilizing victim-centered, trauma-informed investigations and prosecutions.

The Special Rapporteur is an independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council who monitors global human trafficking trends and provides recommendations to UN member countries for improving their responses to trafficking. This is the third time HTI has submitted input for a report to a UN body. By submitting input for these reports, HTI is able to encourage other countries to implement elements of our effective model to stop traffickers.

You can read HTI’s full submission here.