Combating Child Sexual Slavery within the Framework of the Palermo Convention
Keywords:
Child sexual slavery, human trafficking, Palermo Convention, international human rights system, protection of victims, fight against organized crimeAbstract
Child sexual slavery constitutes one of the most severe forms of human rights violations and transnational organized crimes, which have been specifically addressed by the international human rights system and international criminal law instruments, particularly the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its supplementary Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children. This article, using a descriptive-analytical approach, examines the legal dimensions of child sexual slavery within the international legal system and evaluates the effectiveness of the Palermo Convention's mechanisms in prevention, prosecution, and victim protection. The findings of this study indicate that the Palermo Convention, through its tripartite approach of prevention, protection, and punishment, provides a broad legal framework for international cooperation in combating child trafficking for sexual exploitation. However, challenges such as the weak enforcement of state obligations, lack of coherence between domestic and international legal systems, and issues related to victim identification and support have hindered the full realization of the Convention's objectives.
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