On Monday 27 May, the EU Council definitively adopted the Directive on the criminalisation of human trafficking, which adds the exploitation of surrogate motherhood, forced marriage and illegal adoption to the forms of exploitation covered by the legislation, according to a press release (see EUROPE 13397/14).
“As in the current directive, the new types of exploitation will be punishable by a maximum penalty of at least five years’ imprisonment or at least ten years’ imprisonment in the case of aggravated offences”, the EU Council explained.
The agreement includes a new aggravating circumstance to take account of the amplifying effects of the dissemination of exploitative material, such as the dissemination of visual content of a sexual nature involving the victim via information and communication technologies.
Legal entities, such as companies, will also be subject to harsher penalties, namely exclusion from access to public funding and withdrawal of the permits and authorisations required to pursue the activities that gave rise to the offence. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)