Legislation

Throughout this knowledge module, reference to certain provisions or sections of a piece of legislation, part of a legal judgment, or aspect of a practice does not imply that the legislation, judgment, or practice is considered in its entirety to be a good example or a promising practice.

Some of the laws cited herein may contain provisions which authorize the death penalty. In light of the United Nations General Assembly resolutions 62/149, 63/168, 65/206, and 67/176 calling for a moratorium on and ultimate abolition of capital punishment, the death penalty should not be included in sentencing provisions for crimes of violence against women and girls.

Other Provisions Related to Domestic Violence LawsResources for Developing Legislation on Domestic Violence
Sexual Harassment in Sport Tools for Drafting Sexual Harassment Laws and Policies
Immigration Provisions Resources for developing legislation on sex trafficking of women and girls
Child Protection Provisions Resources on Forced and Child Marriage
Other provisions related to dowry-related and domestic violence laws
Related Tools

Other Related Regulations

Last edited: January 26, 2011

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Drafters should review laws and regulations related to prostitution and the sex industry [link to section on Prostitution and Sex Trafficking in this section of the Knowledge Asset], sex tourism, and the marriage broker industry at a minimum. The existence of industries that revolve around the sale and purchase of human beings either for purposes of prostitution, pornography, stripping, and other forms of sexual exploitation assist sex traffickers in finding “markets” for the sale of women and girls they exploit.  As such, laws and regulations related to these industries must be harmonized with sex trafficking laws. All forms of violence against women and girls, from domestic violence to forced marriage, may serve as “push” factors, which make them vulnerable to sexual exploitation and sex trafficking.   

The Center for Women and Public Policy published Model Provisions for State Anti-Trafficking Laws, which contains proposed language for both sex tourism industry regulation and marriage broker industry regulation. (See: Model Provisions for State Anti-Trafficking Laws, Center for Women Policy Studies, 13-17, 2005)

Promising Practice: The Taiwanese government sponsored public awareness campaigns in 2011 that included advertisements and public service announcements generally raising awareness about trafficking in persons, as well as a television commercial raising awareness about child sex tourism. (See: U.S. State Department 2012 Trafficking in Persons Report, 335, 2012) In addition to championing a campaign against child sex trafficking, Cameroon’s First Lady also signed an agreement with tourism agencies and tour operators to create an initiative to prevent child sex tourism. (See: U.S. State Department 2012 Trafficking in Persons Report, 110, 2012)

Drafters should review all related laws, regulation and programmes for their inclusion and sensitivity to sex trafficking victims. Particular attention should be paid to provision of services for victims and health related policies, including HIV/AIDS programmes and interventions.

Tool:

OSI's Public Health Program, What Works for Women and Girls: Evidence for HIV/AIDS Interventions (2010). This website is a resource for practitioners working on health, HIV and AIDS and related issues. The site is based on a review of literature and data from over 90 countries and provides brief descriptions of evidence-based programming strategies as well as gaps in interventions, and covers key issues including reduction of violence and discrimination against women. Available in English.