Fight against human trafficking in Europe within the framework of human rights

Human trafficking, a top item on Europe's security agenda and considered as a part of organized crime, is the modern form of slavery. From the past to the present, a large number of individuals were and continues to be exposed to human trafficking, and the cases of human trafficking are on the increase worldwide. In time this particular crime type has come to be evaluated within the framework of international documents, while since the 1990s the fight against it started to be treated as a matter of fundamental right. Thus, the fight against human trafficking at the international and regional levels increasingly gained momentum. A number of key European documents on the issue such as the founding treaties, the recommendations of the Council of Europe, and the decisions of the ECtHR show that the struggle against of human trafficking is tackled in Europe in the context of fundamental rights. The aim of this study is to try to show the development of human trafficking in Europe, which has important security and human rights; the fight against this particular crime; and regulations at the regional level. This study tries to explain human trafficking and the fight against it within the framework of legal texts, conventions and recommendations that exist in the mechanisms of the Council of Europe and EU through the method of document analysis. In the fight against human trafficking, the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings and the 2011/36/EU Directive are compared and the measures to be taken are explained. This study, apart from seeking to answer the question of why there is a need to fight against human trafficking, also tries to answer other questions pertaining to the prevention of this crime and the protection of the victims internationally by analyzing the regulations and measures adopted by the EU and Council of Europe. Keywords: human trafficking, Council of Europe, ECtHR decisions, 2011/36/EU Directive