International Agreement for the suppression of the White Slave Traffic


The International Agreement for the suppression of the White Slave Traffic is a series of anti–human trafficking treaties, the first of which was first negotiated in Paris in 1904. It was one of the first multilateral treaties to address issues of slavery and human trafficking. The Slavery, Servitude, Forced Labour and Similar Institutions and Practices Convention of 1926 and the International Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Women of Full Age of 1933 are similar documents.

Early treaties

The initial treaty was concluded in Paris on 18 May 1904 and came into force on 18 July 1905. A total of 26 states ratified the original 1904 treaty. However, five years after the treaty came into force, it was re-negotiated in Paris and concluded on 4 May 1910. The 1910 treaty came into force on 5 July 1920, and a total of 41 states ratified it.

1949 Protocol

In 1949 in Lake Success, New York, a Protocol was negotiated which amended and updated both the 1904 and the 1910 treaties. The Protocol was concluded on 4 May 1949 and came into force on the same date. The resulting amended treaties came into force on 21 June 1951 and 14 August 1951 and. As of 2013, 33 states have ratified the amending Protocol and the amended 1949 versions of the treaties have 54 state parties.