Human trafficking reduces its victims to nothing more than a commodity. This crime in all its manifestations offends against human dignity and constitutes a severe violation of human rights. However, the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms contains no explicit prohibition on human trafficking. The first part of this work examines the extent to which we can infer an unwritten prohibition of human trafficking from Art 4 of the ECHR and the positive obligations for the member states associated with such a ban. This evolving interpretation is examined through a comprehensive analysis of the prohibition of human trafficking in international law. The second part of the work discusses how the Federal Republic of Germany specifically implements its positive obligations in the fight against human trafficking and the shortcomings that still exist.