The draft law on the prevention of and the fight against trafficking in persons (TiP) was finally adopted by a vote in the plenary session of the Tunisian Assembly of the Representatives of the People on 22 July 2016. The aim of this law is to close a legal gap in the field of human trafficking and has just confirmed the international commitment of Tunisia, including the Palerma Protocol that Tunisia ratified in 2003. This law provides for the creation of a national body to fight against TiP that will enable victims especially women and children to speak out about these crimes and have access to justice.
In its report entitled « Le travail législatif à l’épreuve de la Constitution tunisienne et des Conventions internationales » published (in French only) in December 2015 FIDH called upon the Tunisian lawmakers to accelerate the adoption process for this important legal instrument in order to counter, prevent, repress and punish different forms of TiP including “forced labour, slavery, slavery-like practices, exclusion, serfdom, sexual exploitation, organised national and transnational crime, non-organised crime”. FIDH is closely monitoring Tunisia’s implementation of these legal measures.