eu-charter

EU Charter of Fundamental Rights

Article 5 - Slavery / Forced Labour

Article 5 - Slavery / Forced Labour

1. No one shall be held in slavery or servitude.
2. No one shall be required to perform forced or compulsory labour.
3. Trafficking in human beings is prohibited.

    • Text:

      The right in Article 5(1) and (2) corresponds to Article 4(1) and (2) of the ECHR, which has the same wording.
      It therefore has the same meaning and scope as the ECHR Article, by virtue of Article 52(3) of the Charter. Consequently:

      - no limitation may legitimately affect the right provided for in paragraph 1;
      - in paragraph 2, "forced or compulsory labour" must be understood in the light of the "negative" definitions contained in Article 4(3) of the ECHR:

      "For the purpose of this article the term "forced or compulsory labour" shall not include:
      (a) any work required to be done in the ordinary course of detention imposed according to the provisions of Article 5 of this Convention or during conditional release from such detention;
      (b) any service of a military character or, in case of conscientious objectors in countries where they are recognised, service exacted instead of compulsory military service;
      (c) any service exacted in case of an emergency or calamity threatening the life or well-being of the community;
      (d) any work or service which forms part of normal civic obligations."

      2. Paragraph 3 stems directly from the principle of human dignity and takes account of recent developments in organised crime, such as the organisation of lucrative illegal immigration or sexual exploitation networks. The annex to the Europol Convention contains the following definition which refers to trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation: "traffic in human beings: means subjection of a person to the real and illegal sway of other persons by using violence or menaces or by abuse of authority or intrigue with a view to the exploitation of prostitution, forms of sexual exploitation and assault of minors or trade in abandoned children". Chapter VI of the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement, which has been integrated into the "acquis communautaire", in which the United Kingdom participates and Ireland has requested to participate, contains the following wording in Article 27(1) which refers to illegal immigration networks: " The Contracting Parties undertake to impose appropriate penalties on any person who, for financial gain, assists or tries to assist an alien to enter or reside within the territory of one of the Contracting Parties in breach of that Contracting Party's laws on the entry and residence of aliens." On 19 July 2002, the Council adopted a framework decision on combating trafficking in human beings (OJ L 203, 1.8.2002, p. 1) whose Article 1 defines in detail the offences concerning trafficking in human beings for the purposes of labour exploitation or sexual exploitation, which the Member States must make punishable by virtue of that framework decision.

      Source:
      Official Journal of the European Union C 303/17 - 14.12.2007
      Preamble - Explanations relating to the Charter of Fundamental Rights:
      These explanations were originally prepared under the authority of the Praesidium of the Convention which drafted the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. Although they do not as such have the status of law, they are a valuable tool of interpretation intended to clarify the provisions of the Charter.

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    • 7
      July
      2009
      Trafficking in human beings is a major problem both in the EU and worldwide. Every year a substantial number of children fall victim to trafficking for sexual exploitation or other purposes. There are extremely low numbers of convictions in child trafficking cases. Overall, the report finds that the EU must do more to address the issue. The FRA calls for better legislation to combat child trafficking. The protection and care for victims, in particular, must be improved.