A/HRC/20/18 Peoples’ Rights, organized by OHCHR in cooperation with the African Commission, in Addis Ababa. 8. On 2 and 3 February 2012, the Special Rapporteur participated in the Informal Network of European National Rapporteurs and Equivalent Mechanisms, organized by the European Commission and the European Union Anti-Trafficking Coordinator. B. Country visits 9. The Special Rapporteur visited Thailand from 8 to 19 August 2011, and Australia from 17 to 30 November 2011, at the invitation of the respective Government (see A/HRC/20/18/Add.1 and Add.2). 10. The Special Rapporteur also visited the United Arab Emirates from 11 to 17 April 2012, at the invitation of Government, and plans to visit Gabon in May 2012. The Special Rapporteur thanks all Governments for their cooperation with her in the planning and conduct of these missions. III. Integration of a human rights-based approach in the prosecution of cases of human trafficking 11. International law requires States to prosecute trafficking and related offences. 2 The Special Rapporteur notes, however, that the prosecution of anti-trafficking responses is a broad category that includes not only the investigation and adjudication of trafficking cases but also encompasses a number of related spheres of activity, including the applicable legal framework, international legal cooperation and asset confiscation. Prosecution should therefore be seen as only a part of a strategy of criminalization. 12. For any effective criminalization strategy, the Special Rapporteur notes the need for a rights-based approach to trafficking.3 Such an approach has been widely endorsed by the international community, including the General Assembly 4 and Human Rights Council. 5 The commentary on the Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking explains that a human rights-based approach is a conceptual framework for dealing with a phenomenon such as trafficking that is normatively based on international human rights standards and that is operationally directed to promoting and protecting human rights. It affirms that such an approach requires analysis of the ways in which human rights violations arise throughout the trafficking cycle, as well as of States’ obligations under international human rights law. It seeks to both identify and redress the 2 3 4 5 4 Most States have ratified the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. Article 5 of the Protocol requires the establishment of trafficking as a criminal offence. The duty to criminalize has also been outlined in various regional treaties, including the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution, art. III; Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, art. 18; and Directive I 2011/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 April 2011 on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims. See A/HRC/10/16. Such as the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. For example, Human Rights Council resolution 11/3, paras. 1, 3 (f), 6, 7, 8, and General Assembly resolution 63/156, preamble and paras. 5 and 18.