ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS

2015 ASEAN Convention Against Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children 

COUNCIL OF EUROPE

2005 Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings

EUROPEAN UNION

2011 Directive 2011/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

1998 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court

UNITED NATIONS

2000 Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, Supplementing the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime

2000 Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child in Armed Conflict

2002 Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography

For information on which countries are signatories or state parties, please see the United Nations Website.

AFGHANISTAN

2018 Penal Code (Articles 510, 511, 512)

2017 Law to Combat Crimes of Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants (available in Persian)

2009 Law on the Elimination of Violence Against Women

ALBANIA

1995 Criminal Code (as amended in 2015) (Articles 110, 128)

ANDORRA

2005 Criminal Code (Articles 121, 134, 152, 252) (available in French)

ANGOLA

2014 Law No. 3/14 (Chapter III, Articles 18-23) (available in Portuguese)

2017 Penal Code

ARGENTINA

2012 Law 26842 (available in Spanish)

ARMENIA

2015 Law on Identification and Assistance to Victims of Human Trafficking and Exploitation (draft available)

2003 Criminal Code (as amended in 2017) (Articles 132, 132-2)

AUSTRALIA

1995 Criminal Code Part 1 and Part 2 (as amended in 2017)

2013 Crimes Legislation Amendment (Slavery, Slavery-like Conditions and People Trafficking) Act

2013 Crimes Legislation Amendment (Law Enforcement Integrity, Vulnerable Witness Protection and Other Measures) Act

2013 Migration Amendment (Reform of Employer Sanctions) Act 2013

2007 Migration Amendment (Employer Sanctions) Act 2007

AUSTRIA

1974 Criminal Code (as amended in 2017) (Articles 104, 116, 217) (available in German)

THE BAHAMAS

2008 Trafficking in Persons Prevention and Suppression Act (2017 Amendment)

BAHRAIN

2008 Law No. 1

BARBADOS

2016 Trafficking in Persons Prevention Act (TIPPA)

1994 Offenses Against the Person Act (Articles 18, 20, 33 and 34)

BELARUS

1999 Criminal Code (as amended in 2013) (Article 181) (available in Russian)

BELIZE

2013 Commercial Exploitation of Children (Prohibition) Act

2013 Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Act

BENIN

2006 Act Relating to the Transportation of Minors and the Suppression of Child Trafficking (available in French)

BOLIVIA

2012 Law 263 (available in Spanish)

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

2003 Criminal Code (as amended in 2016) (Articles 210a, 210b) (available in Bosnian)

BRAZIL

2016 Law 13.344 (available in Portuguese)

1940 Penal Code (as amended in 2017) (Articles 149, 231, 231-A) (available in Portuguese)

BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

2004 Trafficking and Smuggling Persons Order

BURKINA FASO

2015 Law No. 061-2015/CNT Law on the Prevention and Repression of Violence Against Women and Girls and Support for Victims (available in French)

2014 Law No. 011-2014/AN Law Suppressing the Sale of Children, the Prostitution of Children, and Child Pornography

2008 Law No. 029/AN on the Fight against Trafficking in Persons and Similar Practices

BURMA

2005 Anti-Trafficking in Persons Law

2012 Wards and Village Tracts Administration Act

1861 Penal Code (Section 374)

CABO VERDE

2003 Penal Code (as amended in 2015) (Articles 148, 149, 271, 271A)

2007 Labor Code (Article 14) (available in Portuguese)

CAMBODIA

2008 Law on the Suppression of Human Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation

CANADA

1995 Criminal Code (as amended in 2017) (Section 279.01, 279.02, 279.03, 279.011, 286.1)

2001 Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (as amended in 2017) (Section 118)

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

2010 Penal Code (Article 151)

2009 Labor Code (Articles 7,8) (available in French)

CHILE

2011 Law 20.507 (available in Spanish)

1874 Penal Code (as amended in 2017) (Article 367) (available in Spanish)

CHINA

1979 Criminal Code (as amended in 2007) (Articles 240, 241, 244, 358, 359)

COMOROS

2015 Law Countering Child Labor and Trafficking in Children (Article 6)

1981 Penal Code (as amended in 1995) (Articles 310, 311, 323, 333) (available in French) (2014 amendments pending)

1984 Labor Code (as amended in 2012) (Article 2) (1984 Code available in French; 2012 Amendments available in French)

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

2009 Law 09/001 Child Protection Code (available in French)

2006 Law 6/018 (Sexual Violence Statute) (available in French)

COSTA RICA

2012 Law 9095 (available in Spanish)

1970 Criminal Code (as amended in 2010) (Articles 170, 171, 172, 189) (available in Spanish)

COTE D'IVOIRE

2016 Law No. 2016-1111 Relating to the Fight Against Trafficking in Persons (Available in French)

2010 Law No. 2010-272 Pertaining to the Prohibition of Child Trafficking and the Worst Forms of Child Labor

1981 Penal Code (as amended in 2017) (Articles 335, 336, 376, 378) (Available in French)

CUBA

1987 Penal Code (as amended in 2009) (Articles 299.1, 300.1, 303, 310.1, 312.1, 316.1) [unofficial translation – source: Lawyers Without Borders UK]

2014 Labor Code (Article 116)

CURACAO

2011 Criminal Code (Article 2:239)

CZECH REPUBLIC

2009 Criminal Code (Section 168) (amended in 2014)

DENMARK

1930 Criminal Code (as amended in 2017) (Section 262a) (also available in English)

DOMINICA

2013 Act 13 Transnational Organized Crime (Prevention and Control) Act (Part III, Section 8)

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

2003 Law 137-03 (available in Spanish)

2003 Law 136-03 Code for the Protection and Fundamental Rights of Children and Adolescents (Article 25) (Available in Spanish)

1884 Penal Code (as amended in 2007) (Article 334) (available in Spanish)

EGYPT

2014 Constitution (Articles 80, 89) source Constitute

2010 Law No. 64 (Anti-Trafficking Law)

2008 Law No. 126 (Child Law)

EL SALVADOR

2014 Special Law against Trafficking in Persons (available in Spanish)

1997 Penal Code (as amended in 2017) (Article 367B) (available in Spanish)

ERITREA

2015 Penal Code (Articles 315, 316, 317, 318, 391)

1957 Penal Code (Articles 565, 605)

2001 Labor Proclamation 118

ESTONIA

2001 Penal Code (as amended in 2017) (Articles 133, 175)

ETHIOPIA

2015 Proclamation No. 909/2015, To Provide for the Prevention and Suppression of Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling Migrants (available in English and Amharic)

2009 Proclamation No. 632/2009 of 2009, Employment Exchange Services Proclamation (available in English and Amharic)

FIJI

2009 Crimes Decree

FRANCE

1992 Penal Code (as amended in 2016) (Article 225-4) (available in French)

GABON

2004 Law 09/04 Concerning the Prevention and the Fight Against the Trafficking of Children in the Gabonese Republic (available in French) (2013 Draft Amendment pending)

1963 Penal Code (Articles 48, 261)

1994 Law 21/63-94

1994 Law 3/94 Labor Code (Title 1, Article 4) (available in French)

GEORGIA

2006 Law on Combating Trafficking in Persons

1999 Criminal Code (as amended in 2016) (Article 143)

GERMANY

2016 Act to improve the fight against Human Trafficking and to amend the Federal Central Register Law as well as the Eighth Book of the Social Code (available in German)

1971 Penal Code (as amended in 2013) (Sections 232, 233)

GREECE

2013 Law 4198/2013 (available in Greek)

2003 Presidential Decree 233/2003

2002 Law 3064/2002

GRENADA

2014 Anti-Human Trafficking Act

GUINEA

2016 Penal Code (Articles 323) (available in French)

2010 Child Code (Articles 385-396)

GUINEA-BISSAU

2011 Public Law 12/2011 (available in Portuguese)

2009 Child Code

HAITI

2014 Law No. CL/2014-0010

HONDURAS

2012 Decree 59-2012 (Anti-Trafficking Law) (available in Spanish)

HUNGARY

2013 Criminal Code (Article 192, 192(3), 193, 203)

ICELAND

1940 Criminal Code (as amended in 2015) (Article 227a)

INDONESIA

2007 Law 21-2007 (Anti-Trafficking Law)

2014 Child Protection Law (available in Bahasa Indonesia)

IRAN

2004 Law on Combating Human Trafficking (available in Persian)

IRELAND

2013 Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Amendment 

2008 Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act

2015 Criminal Law (Sexual Offenses) Bill

ISRAEL

2006 Anti-Trafficking Law

JAMAICA

2007 Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Suppression and Punishment) Act (2013 Amendment) (2018 Amendment)

2014 Criminal Justice Act

JAPAN

1907 Penal Code (as amended in 2006) (Articles 226-2, 227)

1956 Prostitution Prevention Law (Articles 7, 10, 12)

1947 Labor Standards Act (as amended in 2008) (Article 5)

1947 Employment Security Law (as amended in 2007) (Article 63)

1947 Child Welfare Law (Amended 2007) (available in Japanese)

KAZAKHSTAN

1997 Penal Code (as amended in 2016) (Articles 68, 128, 135, 125 (3b), 126 (3b), 308, 134) (available in Kazakh)

KENYA

2010 Counter-Trafficking in Persons Act

2014 Victim Protection Act

2006 Sexual Offenses Act

DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA

No information available.

REPUBLIC OF KOREA

1953 Criminal Code (as amended in 2013) (Chapter 31)

2004 Act on the Punishment of Acts of Arranging Sexual Traffic

2011 Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse

1997 Labor Standards Act

KUWAIT

2013 Law 91/2013 Combating Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants

2010 New Private Sector Labour Law No. 6 (amended in 2016)

KYRGYZ REPUBLIC

2012 Code on Children (Article 15)

2005 Law on Preventing and Combatting Human Trafficking 

1997 Labor Code (Article 10)

1997 Criminal Code (Articles 124, 260, 261) (amended in 2016)

LATVIA

1998 Criminal Code (as amended in 2013) (Sections 154-1, 154-2, 164, 165-1)

LEBANON

2011 Law Number 164 (Anti-Trafficking Law)

LIBERIA

2005 Act to Ban Trafficking in Persons

LIBYA

1953 Penal Code (articles 418, 419, 420, 425, 426)(as amended in 2014) (available in Arabic)

LUXEMBOURG

1879 Criminal Code (as amended in 2017) (Articles 382-1, 382-2) (available in French)

Bill No. 7008

MACAU

2008 Law Number 6/2008

MADAGASCAR

2014 Law No. 2014-040 (available in French)

2007 Anti-Trafficking Law 2007-038

2004 Labor Code (Article 4) (available in French)

Decree N2007-563 (Article 15)

MALAWI

2015 Anti-Trafficking Law

MALDIVES

2013 Prevention of Human Trafficking Act (Articles 14, 15, 16)

MALI

2012 Law 2012-023 Relating to the Combat against Trafficking in Persons and Similar Practices (available in French)

MARSHALL ISLANDS

2017 Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons Act

MAURITANIA

2015 Anti-Slavery Law (available in French)

Law 2013-011 (Article 1)

2003 Law On Suppression of Trafficking in Persons No. 025

Penal Code for Children (Article 54)

MEXICO

2012 Anti-Trafficking Law (available in Spanish)

MICRONESIA

2012 Anti-Trafficking Law

MONGOLIA

2002 Criminal Code (as amended in 2017) (Articles 12.3, 13.1, 113, 124, 168) (available in Mongolian)

MONTENEGRO

2007 Constitution (Articles 28, 63) (available in English)

2003 Criminal Code (as amended in 2004) (Articles 210, 444, 445, 446)

MOZAMBIQUE

2008 Law on Preventing and Combating the Trafficking of People (Articles 196, 198)

2014 Penal Code

NAMIBIA

2015 Child Care and Protection Act

2009 Prevention of Organized Crime Act

1980 Combatting of Immoral Practices Act (as amended in 2006) (available in English)

NETHERLANDS

1881 Criminal Code (as amended in 2017) (Article 273f) (available in Dutch)

NEW ZEALAND

1961 Crimes Act (Article 98)

NIGER

2010 Order No. 2012-86 on Combating Trafficking in Persons

1961 Penal Code (as amended in 2003) (Articles 270, 293, 181) (available in French)

2012 Labor Code (available in French)

NIGERIA

2013 Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition), Enforcement and Administration Act (as amended in 2015)

2003 Child Rights Act (Sections 28, 30)

NORWAY

1902 Penal Code (amended 2015) (Sections 257, 258)

OMAN

2008 Royal Decree No. 126/2008 (Law Combating Trafficking in Persons)

2014 Sultani Decree No. 22/2014 Promulgating the Child Law (available in Arabic)

PALAU

2005 Anti-Smuggling and Trafficking Act

PANAMA

2011 Law 79 (available in Spanish)

2007 Penal Code (as amended in 2015) (Articles 180, 186, 456) (available in Spanish)

PARAGUAY

2012 Law 4788 Comprehensive Anti-Trafficking Law (available in Spanish)

Law 3440/08 (Articles 129b, 129c)

PERU

1991 Penal Code (as amended in 2016) (Article 153)  (available in Spanish)

Legislative Decree No. 1232 (Article 168-B)

POLAND

1997 Criminal Code (as amended in 2016)(Articles 115.22, 115.23, 189a, 203, 204.3) (available in Polish)

PORTUGAL

1982 Penal Code (as amended in 2017) (Articles 159, 160, 169, 175) (available in Portuguese)

2003 Labor Code (as amended in 2017) (available in Portuguese)

ROMANIA

2009 Criminal Code (as amended in 2012) (Article 210, 211, 367)

RUSSIA

1996 Criminal Code (as amended in 2017) (Articles 127.1, 127.2) (available in Russian)

Labor Code (Article 4)

SAINT LUCIA

2010 Counter-Trafficking Act

2006 Labor Code (Article 6)

SINT MAARTEN

2012 Penal Code (Articles 2:239-245)

SAUDI ARABIA

2009 Suppression of the Trafficking in Persons Act (Royal Decree M/40) [translation – source: Protection Project]

SCOTLAND

2015 Human Trafficking and Exploitation Bill

SERBIA

2005 Criminal Code (as amended in 2016) (Articles 388, 390) (available in Serbian)

SEYCHELLES

2014 Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons Act

1955 Penal Code (as amended in 2012) (Sections 250, 259, 251)

SINGAPORE

2014 Prevention of Human Trafficking Act

1990 Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (as amended in 2009)

1961 Women’s Charter (as amended in 2016) (Articles 140, 141)

SLOVAK REPUBLIC

2005 Criminal Code (as amended in 2017) (Section 179) (available in Slovak)

SOLOMON ISLANDS

2012 Immigration Act

2016 Penal Code (Amendment) (Sexual Offences Bill) (Article 143, 145)

SOMOLIA

Penal Code (Articles 408 (1), 455, 457, 464)

SOUTH SUDAN

2017 Labor Act

2008 Penal Code (Articles 254,258, 276, 277, 278, 279, 282)

2008 Child Act

SPAIN

1995 Criminal Code (as amended in 2015) (Article 177 bis) (available in Spanish)

SUDAN

2014 Combatting of Human Trafficking Act

2007 Armed Forces Act

SURINAME

1911 Criminal Code (as amended in 2015) (Articles 307, 334) (available in Dutch)

SWITZERLAND

1937 Penal Code (as amended in 2017) (Articles 180, 181, 182, 195, 196)

SYRIA

2013 Law No. 11/2013 (available in Arabic)

2011 Decree No. 3/2011

TAJIKISTAN

1998 Criminal Code (as amended in 2011) (Articles 130.1, 130.2, 132, 167, 241.2)

TANZANIA

2011 Zanzibar Children’s Act (Article 102)

2009 Law of the Child Act

2008 Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act

2005 Zanzibar Employment Act (Article 7)

2004 Employment and Labor Relations Act (Article 6)

TIMOR-LESTE

2017 Law on Preventing and Combating Human Trafficking

2012 Labor Code (Article 67)

2009 Penal Code (Article 155, 162, 163, 164, 165)

2003 Immigration and Asylum Act – Law No. 9/2003 (Article 81)

TOGO

Penal Code (as amended in 2015) (Articles 317-320) (available in French)

2006 Labor Code (Article 4) (available in French)

2007 Child Code (available in French)

2005 Law Related to Child Trafficking (available in French

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

2011 Trafficking in Persons Act

TUNISIA

2016 Law No. 61 Relating to the Prevention and the Fight Against Human Trafficking (available in French)

1913 Penal Code (as amended in 2012) (available in French)

TURKMENISTAN

2016 Anti-Trafficking Law

1997 Criminal Code (as amended in 2016) (Article 129, 129 (1))

UGANDA

2016 Children (Amendment) Act

2009 Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act

2005 Employment Act (Section 5

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

2017 Federal Law No. 10

2006 Federal Law Number 51 (as amended in 2015)

UNITED KINGDOM

2015 Modern Slavery Act

For information on the laws of Northern Ireland and Scotland, please see the individual entries for these countries.

URUGUAY

2008 Immigration Law (Articles 78, 79, 81) (available in Spanish)

1967 Penal Code (as amended in 2014) (Articles 280, 281)

2004 Sexual Violence Law No. 17.815 (Article 6) (available in Spanish)

1927 Law No. 8.080 (available in Spanish

UZBEKISTAN

1994 Criminal Code  (as amended in 2002) (Article 135, 138)

Constitution (Article 37)

Labor Code (Article 7)

Administrative Code (Article 51)

Law on Guarantees of the Rights of the Child (Article 14)

VIETNAM

1999 Penal Code (as amended in 2015) (Articles 119, 120, 150, 151)

YEMEN

1994 Penal Code (Article 248, 279)

2002 Child Rights Law (Article 161

ZIMBABWE

2014 Trafficking in Persons Act

2015 Labour Relations Amendment Act

2004 Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act  (as amended in 2009)