In most of the nations of the world, trafficking in women for the purpose of sexual exploitation is a crime punished by the law. Nevertheless between 1.3 and 4.4 million women and girls are estimated to be still exploited by sexual trafficking networks. Although United Nations, the Council of Europe and the European Union, or national law in Spain have instruments aimed at eradicating this type of human trafficking, the number of detained traffickers and victims made free, is a mere anecdote and impunity is usual. Far from showing a decrease in its prevalence, trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation is in a process of expansion in the all world. This article analyses the factors that contribute to this expansion and the policies of prevention, victims' protection and persecution of the crime from a multilevel perspective, in order to provide a diagnosis of those elements that undermine the effectiveness and operativeness of the institutional action. Consistent with this analysis and as conclusions, the author makes some proposals to remedy the dysfunctions detected and suggest a change of paradigm in the design of policies against trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. © UNED. Revista de Derecho Político.

Gender equality SEXUAL EXPLOITATION Trafficking in human beings (THB) Public policies public international law

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