INTRODUCTORY NOTE
It is with pride that the United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crimeand the Treatment of Offenders (UNAFEI) offers to the international community the Resource
Material Series No. 87.
This volume contains the Annual Report for 2011 and the work produced in the 150th
International Senior Seminar, conducted from 12 January to 9 February 2012. The main theme ofthe 150th Seminar was “Trafficking in Persons – Prevention, Prosecution, Victim Protection andPromotion of International Cooperation”.
The “Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women andChildren,” which supplements the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized
Crime, recognizes human trafficking as a global problem. The Protocol entered into force on 25
December 2003, and its purposes are: (a) to prevent and combat trafficking in persons, paying
particular attention to women and children; (b) to protect and assist the victims of such trafficking,with full respect for their human rights; and (c) to promote cooperation among States Parties inorder to meet those objectives (Article 2).
Human trafficking is difficult to detect and particularly difficult to investigate and successfullyprosecute. It can often be difficult to obtain the full cooperation of its victims. Investigators andprosecutors need to know how to deal with these challenges. Further, a significant proportionof trafficking in persons cases are transnational, and even domestic cases may involve victims
or offenders who originate from an outside jurisdiction. These transnational elements aggravate
the complexity and difficulties of investigation and prosecution. Varying legal requirements andrestrictions, jurisdictional problems, differences in criminal law and procedure, lack of coordination,and translation and language problems are some of the most frequently experienced barriers tointernational cooperation and mutual legal assistance. The Trafficking in Persons Protocol also
requires States Parties to take certain measures to protect victims and prevent human trafficking.
UNAFEI, as one of the institutes of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
Programme Network, held this Seminar to explore various issues that relate to anti-humantrafficking measures and strategies.
In this issue, in regard to the 150th International Senior Seminar, papers contributed by visiting
experts, selected Individual Presentation Papers from among the participants, and the Reports ofthe Seminar are published. I regret that not all of the papers submitted by the participants of theSeminar could be published.
I would like to pay tribute to the contributions of the Government of Japan, particularly theMinistry of Justice, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, and the Asia Crime Prevention
Foundation for providing indispensable and unwavering support to UNAFEI’s international trainingprogrammes.
Finally I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all who so unselfishly assisted in thepublication of this series; in particular, the editor of Resource Material Series No. 87, Ms. GraceLord.
August 2012

Tatsuya Sakuma
Director of UNAFEIv