The International Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Women and Children is a 1921 multilateral treaty of the League of Nations that addressed the problem of international Human trafficking, trafficking of women and children.

Background

The growth of the social reform movement during the late 19th century gave momentum to international efforts by women's rights groups, social hygiene activists, and others, to address trafficking in women and children and its role in prostitution and exploitation of labour, labour exploitation. Previous international conventions had been ratified by 34 countries in 1901 and 1904, and 1910 as "International Agreement for the suppression of the White Slave Traffic, Convention for Suppression of White Slave Trade". The League of Nations, formed in 1919, quickly became the organization coordinating international efforts to study and attempt to end the practice. The work of the League in this area is considered to be one of its successes while overall it was a failure due to its inability to prevent war. The work of the League in this area was a central part of Evelyn Waugh's 1928 novel Decline and Fall.

League of Nations

When it was established, the League of Nations at first did not include women's rights groups, who protested their exclusion and canvassed politicians for support. Ultimately, United States President Woodrow Wilson and France's Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau supported the participation of women's rights groups, who they argued were best suited to give a voice to women's issues. The League held the International Conference on White Slave Traffic in 1921, and agreed on the ''1921 International Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Women and Children'' on 30 September 1921. In 1933, it passed the ''International Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Women of Full Age''.

Key contents

The 1921 Convention ensure that protection from trafficking and sexual exploitation on the international level. The Article 6 states that "The High Contracting Parties agree, in case they have not already taken licensing and supervision of employment agencies and offices, to prescribe such regulations as are required to ensure the protection of women and children seeking employment in another country." and the Article 7 to "undertake in connection with immigration and emigration adopt such administrative and legislative measures as are required to check the traffic in women and children. In particular, they undertake to make such regulations as are required for the protection of women and children travelling on emigrant ships, not only at the points of departure and arrival, but also during the journey and to arrange for the exhibition, in railway stations and imports of notices warning women and children of the traffic and indicating the places where they can obtain accommodation and assistance."

Impact

The 1921 Convention set new goals for international efforts to stem human trafficking, primarily by giving the anti-trafficking movement further official recognition, as well as a bureaucratic apparatus to research and fight the problem. The Advisory Committee on the Traffic of Women and Children was a permanent advisory committee of the League. Its members were nine countries, and several non-governmental organizations. An important development was the implementation of a system of annual reports of member countries. Member countries formed their own centralized offices to track and report on trafficking of women and children. The advisory committee also worked to expand its research and intervention program beyond the United States and Europe. In 1929, a need to expand into the Near East (Asia Minor), the Middle East, and Asia were acknowledged. An international conference of central authorities in Asia was planned for 1937, but no further action was taken during the late 1930s.

Reservations

To this 1921 Convention, some nations declare reservation (law), reservations; inter alia, Australia, British Empire, Japan, Spain and New Zealand reserve the application to the colonies, protectorate and mandated territory, mandated territories; India, Japan and Thailand reserve the Article 5 on limitation of age under 21 years old.

Subsequent international law

The League of Nations disbanded with World War II, and was succeeded by the United Nations. The 1921 Convention thereby was replaced by the ''1947 Protocol to amend the 1921 Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Women and Children'', legislation tabled by the United Nations Secretary General on 12 November 1947. The 1947 Protocol was ultimately ratified by 46 countries. This Protocol was superseded by the ''Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others'' (1949) whose Preamble recalls the 1921 Convention together with "1910 Convention for Suppression of White Slave Traffic", and "1933 Convention on the Suppression of Traffic of Women of Full Age", again tabled by the United Nations Secretary-General.

References

External links

Ratifications of 1921 treaty

Signatures and ratifications of amended treaty
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suppression of the Traffic in Women and Children Convention Human trafficking treaties League of Nations treaties Treaties concluded in 1921 Treaties entered into force in 1922 Treaties of the Kingdom of Afghanistan Treaties of the Principality of Albania Treaties of Algeria Treaties extended to Australia Treaties of the First Austrian Republic Treaties of Belgium Treaties of Vargas-era Brazil Treaties extended to Canada Treaties of the Republic of China (1912–1949) Treaties of Cuba Treaties of the Czech Republic Treaties of Czechoslovakia Treaties of Denmark Treaties of the Kingdom of Egypt Treaties of Finland Treaties of the Weimar Republic Treaties of the Kingdom of Greece Treaties of the Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946) Treaties extended to British India Treaties of the Irish Free State Treaties of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946) Treaties of Jamaica Treaties of the Kingdom of Libya Treaties of Luxembourg Treaties of Madagascar Treaties of Malawi Treaties of Malta Treaties of Mexico Treaties of Montenegro Treaties of Myanmar Treaties of the Netherlands Treaties of Nicaragua Treaties of Norway Treaties of the Dominion of Pakistan Treaties of the Philippines Treaties of the Second Polish Republic Treaties of the Kingdom of Romania Treaties of the Soviet Union Treaties of Serbia and Montenegro Treaties of Sierra Leone Treaties of Singapore Treaties of Slovakia Treaties of Sweden Treaties extended to the French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon Treaties of Turkey Treaties of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia Treaties of the Bahamas Treaties of Cyprus Treaties of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic Treaties of Fiji Treaties of Ghana Treaties of Mauritius Treaties of North Macedonia Treaties of Trinidad and Tobago Treaties of Zambia Treaties of Zimbabwe 1921 in Switzerland Treaties extended to the British Leeward Islands Treaties extended to the British Windward Islands Treaties extended to British Honduras Treaties extended to British Ceylon Treaties extended to British Cyprus Treaties extended to Gibraltar Treaties extended to British Hong Kong Treaties extended to British Kenya Treaties extended to the Crown Colony of Malta Treaties extended to Northern Rhodesia Treaties extended to Nyasaland Treaties extended to the Crown Colony of Seychelles Treaties extended to Southern Rhodesia Treaties extended to the Straits Settlements Treaties extended to the Crown Colony of Trinidad and Tobago Treaties extended to British Guiana Treaties extended to the Colony of Fiji Treaties extended to the Colony of Jamaica Treaties extended to British Mauritius Treaties extended to British Dominica Treaties extended to the Gold Coast (British colony) Treaties extended to the Colony of Sierra Leone Treaties extended to the Gambia Colony and Protectorate Treaties extended to Tanganyika (territory) Treaties extended to the Uganda Protectorate Treaties extended to the British Solomon Islands Treaties extended to the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Treaties extended to Mandatory Palestine Treaties extended to the Emirate of Transjordan Treaties extended to the Colony of Sarawak Treaties extended to the Sultanate of Zanzibar Treaties extended to British Burma Treaties extended to the Nauru Trust Territory Treaties extended to New Zealand Treaties extended to the Union of South Africa Treaties extended to the Faroe Islands Treaties extended to Italian Somaliland Treaties extended to Italian Libya Treaties extended to the Italian Islands of the Aegean Treaties extended to the Dutch East Indies Treaties extended to Curaçao and Dependencies Treaties extended to Surinam (Dutch colony) Treaties extended to Portuguese Macau Treaties extended to the Territory of New Guinea Treaties extended to the Territory of Papua Treaties extended to Norfolk Island Treaties extended to West Berlin Anti-slavery treaties