UN: Report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery

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Ms Gulnara Shahinian, the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences, presented her first report to the 9th session of the Human Rights Council.

The mandate was established during the 6th session of the Council, and Ms Shahinian has taken up her mandate in May 2008. She stressed that slavery is a problem that impacts both genders and all age groups. She felt it is almost ‘unbelievable’ in this day and age that slavery still persists.

She presented three main areas on which she intends to focus: forced labour, domestic labour, and child labour. Ms Shahinian stressed that cooperation is key to effective development of strategies to combat slavery at national, regional and international levels, in conjunction with raising awareness and enhancing knowledge of the modern forms of slavery.

Ms Shahinian also commented on the importance of country visits as a ‘unique opportunity’ to engage in direct dialogue with different stakeholders. She has requested such visits to Uzbekistan, Brazil and Bangladesh. Additionally she recommended ‘stronger political will’ from governments to enforce laws, and to develop rehabilitation programmes for victims of modern day slavery.

Egypt (on behalf of the African Group) expressed its support for the new mandate. However, it seemed to express some disappointment with the way the Special Rapporteur has set her priorities. In particular, it stressed that child labour was a priority, but questioned why forced prostitution has not been included as a focus area. It urged Ms Shahinian to include prostitution in her focal areas and demanded that she ‘redress this anomaly’.

Morocco highlighted the need to give particular attention to education and sensitisation of children, and to create a greater awareness of risk situations. Armenia, of which the Special Rapporteur is a national, suggested that Ms Shahinian needs to find ways to not duplicate existing mandates and welcomed the proposed cooperation with mandates of a similar nature.

[Source: International Service for Human Rights]

Further information

pdf: http://www.crin.org/docs/G0814785.pdf

Organisation: 
Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery
Attachment Link: 
http://www.crin.org/docs/G0814785.pdf

Countries

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