Violence against women and human trafficking

The UN defines violence against women as any act of gender-based violence that causes or is likely to cause physical, psychological or sexual harm, including threats, coercion or deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life. Gender-based violence, including human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, violates the rights of women and girls, hinders development and is an offense against humanity.Human trafficking is explicitly mentioned in relation to the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls in all settings, and although Directive 2011/36/EU and other European instruments do not categorize sex trafficking as a crime of gender-based violence, they do recognize the connection between the two phenomena and the relevance of a gender-based approach.