Amelia is a barrister based at Doughty Street Chambers, specialising in extradition, human rights and children law. She is ranked in Chambers and Partners as a leader in the field of Extradition. She has expertise in cases involving trafficking and writes regular legal updates on extradition.

Here Amelia provides us with another critical extradition law update, discussing trafficking within the context of Article 4 of The European Convention of Human Rights and extradition law. She refers to relevant case law, frameworks and guidance throughout. She ends with an important discussion about trauma-informed approaches and how trauma impacts cases and legal work in general.

Key words/topics

Trafficking and Art 4 context

Trafficking and extradition

Trauma informed approach 

Human Rights

Article 4 ECHR

Domestic provisions

Modern Slavery Act 2015

The Nationality and Borders Act 2022

National Referral Mechanism

Single Competent Authority 

Reasonable Grounds

Conclusive Grounds

Positive and negative obligations

SM v Croatia 

Operational duty rest and recovery

SLP v Prosecutor General of the Republic of Latvia [2025] EWHC 298 (Admin) 

Grecu v Gorj County Court (Romania) [2022] EWHC 2056 (Admin)

Non-punishment

Nexus offending

V.C.L. and A.N. v United Kingdom 

G.S. v United Kingdom 

SNT v Poland [2024] EWHC3349 (Admin)

Z v Poland [2014] EWHC 1242 (Admin)

C v The Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Latvia 

Krolik v Poland [2012] EWHC 2357 (Admin); [2013] 1 WLR 490 

IM v Bulgaria [2019] EWHC 602 (Admin)  

Modern Slavery: Statutory Guidance for England and Wales

R v Joseph, VCL & Ors [2017] EWCA Crim 36

R v Brecani [2021] EWCA Crim 731

GRETA Country Reports 

Country Visit Reports by the UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons 

U.S. Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Reports 

Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) Country Guidance decisions

Procedural safeguards

The Trauma-Informed Code of Conduct for all Professionals Working with Survivors of Human Trafficking and Slavery  

Vicarious trauma

Acute trauma

Chronic trauma

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Complex trauma