ABSTRACT
The date 1998 was the year in which the international community commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration for Human Rights. The year 1999 was 50 years on from the signing of the 1949 Convention for the suppression of the traffic in persons and of the exploitation of the prostitution of others. Yet it has been estimated that some four million people are trafficked annually, worldwide. Indeed, organized trans-border criminality of all types is thriving, and trafficking in people for diverse purposes has been on the increase, generating huge profits for the traffickers and international crime rings. People are literally being bought and sold around the world, in most cases with impunity, in violation of their most fundamental human rights. As a matter of grave concern, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has made the eradication of trafficking a priority.
