Case law related to trafficking in human beings and prostitution in Slovenia

Current scientific and professional discussions on prostitution and trafficking in human beings arise from different definitions of the two phenomena and therefore also deal with them differently. One of the dimensions linking the two phenomena is case law, which is one of the important indicators for the establishment of trafficking in people and evaluation of policies implemented in this field. The analysis of case law related to criminal offences of trafficking in people in Slovenia covers the period from 2001 to 2005 and is based on field work carried out in Slovene courts which passed judgement on adult offenders for criminal offences related to trafficking in people (pimping, procuring prostitution, placing in conditions of slavery and, from 2004, on amended articles of the Criminal Code, Abuse of Prostitution and Trafficking in People). The study analysed data on criminal proceedings, how they began, what were their course and their duration and what was their outcome. The paper also discusses the accused, the convicted, persons involved in prostitution and their clients. It is interesting to know who they are, what their number is, what their motives are and what are their mutual relations. The analysis confirmed that the two phenomena are interwoven and that they are not determined only by supply and demand, but also by broader societal and social conditions. The paper stresses the need to establish a uniform methodology for collecting the very varied data about trafficking in people, which could have a positive impact on the future conduct of court proceedings.