Trgovanje ljudima u svrhu seksualnog iskorištavanja - utječe li legalizacija prostitucije na smanjenje trgovanja ljudima?

Human trafficking is one of the greatest crimes of our time, and it is a human rights violation per se. People are trafficked for the purposes of forced labor, illegal employment, show business, false and forced marriages, forced prostitution etc. On the social level it manifests itself as a modern slavery, because the victim is typically in a slavery-like position in accordance to the perpetrator. Human trafficking is one of the most lucrative forms of the organized crime, and it is believed that, because of the low risk and high profit, it is at the very top of organized crimes, just behind the drug and arms trafficking. The most common victims of this form of trafficking are women and children therefore the most vulnerable social groups. Consequences that affect the victims of this type of trafficking are different, ranging from the psychological and physical trauma to the death. Particularly interesting question is that of the relation between human trafficking and the legalization of prostitution, i.e. whether the legalization acts positively on reducing the number of trafficked persons or not? Those states which have legalized prostitution point out as the key argument that in this way the number of the trafficked persons will be reduced. Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to show the relationship between prostitution and trafficking and to provide analysis and conclusion how the legalization of prostitution affects trafficking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]