Over the last decade the European Court of Human Rights has sought to reinterpret Article 4 ECHR in ways that render it applicable to human trafficking and modern slavery. Yet whilst this accorded Article 4 ECHR a vital role, ambiguity pervaded the question of what constitutes ‘human trafficking’; an issue that came to the fore in SM v Croatia, ultimately culminating in the first Grand Chamber human trafficking judgment. This analysis piece responds to these developments by drawing out and reflecting upon the conceptual framework for human trafficking and Article 4 ECHR, identifying what we now know, and equally what remains unknown, about this important right. In this regard it highlights significant differences of opinion within the Court. Underpinning those differences are diverging views as to both the scope of Article 4 ECHR, and the role of the Court, such that radically different future directions remain both possible and contested.

中文翻译：

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人口贩运、SM 诉克罗地亚和《欧洲人权公约》第 4 条的概念演变

在过去十年中，欧洲人权法院试图重新解释《欧洲人权公约》第 4 条，使其适用于人口贩运和现代奴隶制。然而，尽管这赋予了《欧洲人权公约》第 4 条至关重要的作用，但关于什么是“人口贩运”的问题却一直模棱两可；一个在SM v克罗地亚中脱颖而出的问题，最终在第一个大法庭人口贩运判决中达到高潮。这篇分析文章通过引述和反思人口贩运的概念框架和《欧洲人权公约》第 4 条来回应这些发展，确定我们现在对这项重要权利的了解以及同样未知的情况。在这方面，它突出了法院内部的重大意见分歧。支撑这些差异的是关于《欧洲人权公约》第 4 条的范围和法院的作用的不同观点，因此完全不同的未来方向仍然是可能的和有争议的。