State obligations to suppress human trafficking: a case study of a state of origin (Latvia) and a state of destination (Cyprus)

Abstract

Human trafficking is not just a crime, but also a serious violation of human rights, thus requiring States not only to take positive steps and refrain from abusive acts with a view to suppressing it, but also remedy the situation and provide redress to the victims. Being a phenomenon without borders, the human trafficking chain involves more than one States, which makes it difficult to determine whether it is mostly the State of origin or the State of destination which is to be held liable and to provide remedies for the victims. What obligations States have at each point of the trafficking path is an issue still largely unresolved. With a view to contributing to the debate over the above mentioned issue, the thesis uses a case study of a State of origin (Latvia) and a State of destination (Cyprus), in an attempt to explore the content and the range of State obligations to suppress human trafficking, with particular emphasis on the remedies available for the victims. Even though it is acknowledged that only joint efforts of the States of origin, transit and destination would considerably contribute to suppressing human trafficking, the focus of the thesis is on the State of destination and its obligations since the demand side is a predominant factor in the prevalence of human trafficking.