Oxana Rantseva (1981-2001), human trafficking and the ECHR

Since 2005, for the European Court of Human Rights (Siliadin v. France), trafficking in human beings falls within the scope of Article 4: prohibition of slavery, servitude and forced labour. The French legal system was condemned for failing to punish a couple who trafficked a girl, and used her as their maid. The target of the ECHR here was criminal law: traffickers must be punished.

The ECHR passed another landmark judgment (Rantsev v. Cyprus and Russia) on human trafficking in January 2010. Oxana Rantseva, a Russian citizen, had a working permit in Cyprus, but was effectively used as a prostitute in a cabaret. After two weeks, she tried to escape, but her employer denounced her to the police. The police detained her and handed her back to the employer. The same day, she died in ‘mysterious circumstances’. She ‘fell from her balcony’, just like Giuseppe Pinelli did in a Milan police station in 1969. Police failed to investigate her death.

The ECHR held the following (para. 284): 

The Court considers that the spectrum of safeguards set out in national legislation must be adequate to ensure the practical and effective protection of the rights of victims or potential victims of trafficking. Accordingly, in addition to criminal law measures to punish traffickers, Article 4 requires Member States to put in place adequate measures regulating businesses often used as a cover for human trafficking. Furthermore, State’s immigration rules must address relevant concerns relating to encouragement, facilitation or tolerance of trafficking.

The target of the ECHR is: states. States of origin, transit and destination must prevent trafficking AND protect victims and potential victims.

In addition, the ECHR found that the police had violated Rantseva's right to liberty (article 5).

News highlights, January 2015

Limited impact of aid in the DRC: http://www.irinnews.org/report/101053/much-aid-little-long-term-impact-in-drc

UN peacekeeping is multitasking in the CAR: http://www.irinnews.org/report/100633/un-peacekeeping-dilemmas-in-car

Impact on food security of potential EU-US trade agreement (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership):

Negative: http://www.euractiv.com/sections/development-policy/german-ngo-says-ttip-will-undermine-global-food-security-303699

Positive: http://www.euractiv.com/sections/development-policy/ttip-big-bonanza-developing-countries-eu-claims-311507

Advice to undergraduate and graduate students

General advice:

Be curious, critical, serious, and considerate!

Attend classes, read books, and make the most of the extra-curricular activities in and outside university.

Start looking for internships in your first year.

If you have the opportunity, go a year abroad to another university.

In particular, at university:

Select the modules you are really interested in.

Start thinking early on about your own dissertation (even if you are in your first year). This is your opportunity to create your own work from finding a research question to making your argument.

Be aware that, in class, handwriting is more efficient than typing on the computer: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140424102837.htm.

Use seminars as much as possible to express your views, and develop your skills in organisation and criticism.