Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings


The Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings is a regional human rights treaty of international human rights law by the Council of Europe. The Convention aims to:
In particular, the Convention requires national co-ordination measures, awareness raising, measures to identify and support victims and a "recovery and reflection period" during which trafficked persons will not be expelled from the receiving state.
The Convention establishes a monitoring mechanism consisting of 10 to 15 members elected by the states parties.
The Convention opened for signature on 16 May 2005, and entered into force on 1 February 2008. As of June 2017, it has been ratified by 47 European states. Every state in the Council of Europe has ratified the treaty except the Russian Federation.Belarus, a non–Council of Europe state, acceded to the convention in 2013.
The Convention is also recalled by the Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.