UN Study on International Organ Trafficking

The United Nations and the Council of Europe have released a new study that calls for an international convention to combat organ trafficking.

The study is entitled Trafficking in organs, tissues and cells and trafficking in human beings for the purpose of the removal of organs:

"The Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women was concerned that organ trafficking and trafficking in human beings for the purpose of organ removal, long considered to be myths, seem to be realities all over the world. These phenomena exist for many reasons, but particularly because of extreme poverty and discrimination, including gender discrimination. In general, victims of trafficking in human beings tend to be women and children who know far too little about their rights or how to appropriately assert them. It is important to look into the existence of a gender aspect with regard to trafficking in human beings for the purpose of organ removal in particular, as well as with regard to live donators implicated in trafficking in organs, tissues and cells."

"The Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe and the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women decided to join their efforts and agreed that the study should be prepared jointly in the framework of co-operation. As well as considering both the medical and legal aspects, it was agreed also to look at ethical problems and organisational and other measures, with a view to providing an overview of the current legal and factual situation, including from a gender aspect, examining existing measures to combat both forms of crime and exploring further avenues to fight them."