A/HRC/23/48 unchallenged ability to create their own – often exploitative – working conditions for women and children in informal „hidden‟ sectors where they easily can take advantage of the legislative weaknesses.6 The same report notes that “demand and supply factors are closely intertwined … Poverty and expectations of better earning opportunities induce thousands … to migrate and seek employment in unregulated and informal sectors where they are extremely vulnerable to exploitation. This abundant labour supply … fuels a level of demand that would not otherwise be there”.7 16. Businesses that take advantage of trafficked persons aim to minimize production costs and maximize profits by not paying wages, requiring excessive overtime or otherwise failing to meet basic health and safety standards in environments that are inherently dirty, difficult or dangerous. Legitimate businesses may also maximize profit by subcontracting the recruitment of workers to a labour provider who uses methods associated with trafficking in persons, such as debt bondage or intimidation. 17. In the case of services provided by trafficked persons, the person who purchases or uses such services as sexual, care for the elderly or infirm, or domestic work generally comes into direct contact with the person being exploited. In contrast, consumers seeking cheap products generally have no personal contact and are often situated in a different country altogether. However, in both cases it is conceivable that the users of the services provided are unaware that those involved in producing goods or providing services for them have been trafficked or subjected to illegal force or coercion. 18. In some regions there is a specific demand for children to work in circumstances which are inconsistent with internationally recognized standards and frequently violate national law. For example, some children who are recruited to work in private homes as domestic workers are sought by employers because they are too young to resist their authority or pose a threat. While not all such cases involve trafficking or forced labour, some do. In various regions of the world, including industrialized countries, children are also deliberately sought by beggar masters. 8 19. On a number of occasions over the past decade, concern has been voiced that largescale sporting events create a demand for the services of people who are trafficked and therefore require preventive action specifically to discourage demand. This concern led various agencies to inform the media before sporting events that large numbers of women or children were about to be trafficked. Some recent campaigns to discourage demand associated with sporting events have taken a wider perspective, pointing out that the organizers of sporting events have a responsibility to prevent not only people being trafficked to provide sexual services to fans, but also trafficking in the context of construction and the production of merchandise for sale at the events. C. Existing international and regional legal frameworks and initiatives on addressing demand 1. International legal and policy frameworks and initiatives 20. The fundamental international instrument containing specific provisions on demand is the Trafficking in Persons Protocol. Its article 9, paragraph 5, states that States parties shall adopt or strengthen legislative or other measures, such as educational, social or 6 7 8 6 Demand Side of Human Trafficking in Asia: Empirical Findings (Bangkok, 2006), p. 3. Ibid., pp. 2–3. See Terre des Hommes and United Nations Children‟s Fund (UNICEF), Action to prevent child trafficking in South Eastern Europe: A preliminary analysis (2006).