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Special Rapporteur (SR) on contemporary forms of slavery, its causes and consequences, presented her first thematic report on bonded labour to the Council. In her address speech at the Council Ms. Shahinian said that the majority of public information on bonded labour refers to its traditional manifestation which is widely reported in Africa, Asia and South America, however, the public is not aware of new forms of bonded labour which also exist in Europe and North America in its modern forms of labour in agriculture, domestic servitude, the garment industry, the construction industry and prostitution. The SR believes that the causes of bonded labour have not changed with the times. Poverty, migration and discrimination are still the main causes of bonded labour. Forced labour is not addressed effectively by member States: the ILO estimates that 12.3 million people worldwide are victims of forced labour. While only 20% of forced labour occurs as a result of trafficking, the instances of forced labour are addressed only in the context of trafficking. Given the gravity of human rights violations associated with forced or bonded labour, it is important that all forms of slavery are in compliance with the definitions given in the 1926 and 1956 Slavery conventions. The SR concluded her speech by calling for stronger political will, commitment, innovative efforts to restore economic growth and collective action to create a more equitable, inclusive and sustainable future. The summary of the SR report is available here. For more information see UN press release. On 16 September, Najat M'jid Maalla, Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, presented her thematic report on child pornography on the Internet. "Child pornography on the Internet has become a very growing and profitable business with an estimated value between $3 billion and $20 billion.According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), there are more than 4 million sites featuring victims who can be even minors under 2.It is very difficult to estimate the real extent of the phenomenon because of its illegal nature, but some global estimates range from 10,000 to 100,000, including children of all ages. The development of new technologies, constant changes in production methods and consumption patterns and the international dimension of child pornography make the fight against this phenomenon difficult". The summary of the report is available here. Turning to the country visits, the SR noted that the amplitude of sale of children and child prostitution and pedo-pornography remained low in Estonia. The SR also noted the strong political willingness in Estonia to include the promotion and protection of child rights among the Government’s priority. With respect to her visit to Latvia, the SR noted that the reported number of cases of child prostitution and treatment of children to sexual ends had been low. For more information see UN press release.