Combating Human Trafficking in Brazil: The Role of Law and Civil Society

“Trafficking in persons” is not a new phenomenon, its origins date back to the so-called “white slavery” which has left the topic with a strong legacy of association to other complex phenomena, especially concerning the regulation of women’s migration and their sexuality. This has recently proven to be still true through the publication of the latest international document regarding the issue, the “Palermo Protocol” produced by the United Nations, which has brought the topic back to the attention of the international arena. The adoption of this instrument has generated a sequence of changes in the State parties’ national legislations whom had to adapt to the latest provisions. This process has taken place in Brazil as well, which constitutes a country of origin, transit and also destination of trafficking. Nonetheless, the adaptation of the Brazilian legal framework has been particularly slow, revealing some critical issues connected to the sensitivity of the matter. The Brazilian controversy has reflected and exacerbated the already existing feminist debate on the regulation of prostitution and especially the conflation of the norms concerning human trafficking with those regulating prostitution. This has stimulated the emergence of the civil society, which has consistently carried out actions for the prevention and the protection of victims of trafficking. Consequently, the thesis will analyse the criticalities concerning the Brazilian legal framework, subsequently concentrating on its repercussions and especially on the activity of civil society organisations, directly consulting the latter and drawing the conclusions about the phenomenon of trafficking and the legal framework created to address it from the insights offered by the people directly engaged and affected by the issue.