Abstract
Against the backdrop of the rich judicial output of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), the case law under Article 4 (slavery, servitude, forced labor, and human trafficking) of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is scarce. To be more precise, the existing judgments in which the Court has dealt with abuses inflicted by non-state actors (i.e., employers) reaching the level of severity of Article 4 are eight. In this chapter, I will review these recent judgments and offer a comprehensive analysis of the challenges that need to be addressed in terms of definitional limits and the states’ positive obligations so that human rights law can more effectively respond to the factual reality that reveals that many individuals are subjected to severe forms of exploitation. As to the definitional challenges, one problematic development that I will highlight is the central focus on the concept of human trafficking that has been the dominant frame for conceptualizing abuses. While this development has had some positive effects, it has also led to some negative repercussions that need to be acknowledged. In particular, the concept of human trafficking has brought confusion and obscurity as to the nature and gravity of the harm suffered. As to the positive obligations corresponding to the right not to be subjected to slavery, servitude, and forced labor, the ECtHR has made some impressive advances that I will detail and analyze.
Notes
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
This is only valid at regional European level, where states have adopted binding legal obligations to protect and assist victims of human trafficking. See Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings and Directive 2011/36/EU on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims, 5 April 2011. At the global level, the Palermo Protocol does not impose binding legal obligations upon states to protect and assist. See Stoyanova (2011).
References
V Stoyanova, United Nations against Slavery: Unravelling Concepts, Institutions and Obligations 38(3) Michigan Journal of International Law (2017a) 359
C Haddad, “The Definition of Slave Labor for Criminal Enforcement and the Experience of Adjudication: the Case of Brazil” 38(3) Michigan Journal of International Law (2017) 497
V Stoyanova, L.E. v. Greece: Human Trafficking and the Scope of States’ Positive Obligations under the ECHR 3 European Human Rights Law Review (2016a) 290
V Stoyanova, Protection of Victims of Human Trafficking and the ECtHR’s Inadmissibility Decision in G.J. v. Spain, European Database of Asylum Law (2016b) http://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/en/journal/protection-victims-human-trafficking-and-ecthr%E2%80%99s-inadmissibility-decision-gj-v-spain
H Cullen, “Siliadin v France: Positive Obligations under Article 4of the European Convention on Human Rights” 6(3) Human Rights Law Review (2006), 585.
V Stoyanova, Human Trafficking and Slavery Reconsidered. Conceptual Limits and States’ Positive Obligations in European Law (Cambridge University Press. 2017b).
V Stoyanova, Article 4 of the ECHR and the Obligation of Criminalizing Slavery, Servitude, Forced Labour and Human Trafficking 3(2) Cambridge Journal of International and Comparative Law (2014) 407.
B Bourgeois, Statutory Progress and Obstacles to Achieving an Effective Criminal Legislation against Modern-day Forms of Slavery: the Case of France 38(3) Michigan Journal of International Law (2017).
V Stoyanova, “Dancing on the Borders of Article 4: Human Trafficking and the European Court of Human Rights in the Rantsev Case” 30(2) Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights (2012) 163
J Allain, “Rantsev v Cyprus and Russia: The European Court of Human Rights and Trafficking as Slavery,” 10(3) Human Rights Law Review (2010), 546
V Stoyanova, Complementary Protection for Victims of Human Trafficking under the European Convention on Human Rights, 3 Goettingen Journal of International Law (2011) 777.
V. Stoyanova, “The Crisis of a Definition: Human Trafficking in Bulgarian Law” (2013) 5 Amsterdam Law Forum 64
J. Allain, “No Effective Trafficking Definition Exists: Domestic Implementation of the Palermo Protocol” (2014) 7 Albany Governmental Law Review 111, 129
V. Stoyanova, J. and Others v. Austria and the Strengthening of States’ Obligation to Identify Victims of Human Trafficking, Strasbourg Observers Blog (7 February 2017c) https://strasbourgobservers.com/2017/02/07/j-and-others-v-austria-and-the-strengthening-of-states-obligation-to-identify-victims-of-human-trafficking/
V Stoyanova, Irregular Migrants and the Prohibition of Slavery, Servitude and Forced Labour and Human Trafficking under Article 4 of the ECHR, EJIL Talk! (26 April 2017d) https://www.ejiltalk.org/irregular-migrants-and-the-prohibition-of-slavery-servitude-forced-labour-human-trafficking-under-article-4-of-the-echr/
V Stoyanova, Chowdury and Others v. Greece: Further Integration of the Positive Obligations under Article 4 of the ECHR and the CoE Convention on Action against Human Trafficking, Strasbourg Observers Blog (28 April 2017e) https://strasbourgobservers.com/2017/04/28/chowdury-and-others-v-greece-further-integration-of-the-positive-obligations-under-article-4-of-the-echr-and-the-coe-convention-on-action-against-human-trafficking/
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Stoyanova, V. (2019). European Court of Human Rights and the Right Not to Be Subjected to Slavery, Servitude, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking. In: Winterdyk, J., Jones, J. (eds) The Palgrave International Handbook of Human Trafficking. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63192-9_94-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63192-9_94-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-63192-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-63192-9
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Law and CriminologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences