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Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2013
- Document code
- A/HRC/24/43
Document
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- The closest figure for the number of individuals subjected to contemporary forms of slavery is that of 21 million victims of forced labour worldwide. This obviously does not include other forms of slavery that the Special Rapporteur has covered such as servile marriage, domestic servitude, child slavery and bonded labour which would show in a much higher number of victims.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- Contemporary forms of slavery can be found around the world, but there are certain regions where it is more prevalent. For the 2012 International Labour Organization (ILO) estimate, the number of persons in conditions of forced labour are broken down by region: the Middle East had 600,000 persons in forced labour, "developed economies and the European Union" had 1.5 million, Central and South-Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States had 1.6 million, Latin America and the Caribbean had 1.8 million, Africa had 3.7 million, and Asia and the Pacific had 11.7 million. Despite having the second lowest number of victims of forced labour, Central and South-Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States registered the highest rate of forced labour, at 420 per 100,000 inhabitants.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- Women are also more often in charge of children, which adds pressure on them to work and provide for their households. Owing to the need to work, women may be financially obliged to remain in undesirable jobs and thus forced to endure less than ideal working conditions. In many countries, women are also at a disadvantage due to cultural traditions. Finally, women and girls are often denied equal access to education, which makes them less attractive in the labour market and fuels the cycle of poverty and vulnerability to slavery.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- Servile marriage and domestic servitude are two forms of contemporary slavery that disproportionately affect women and girls. In a previous report, the Special Rapporteur defined servile marriage as an arrangement "in which a spouse is reduced to a commodity over whom any or all the powers of ownership are attached" (A/HRC/21/41, summary). Practices such as polygamy and "bride price", especially when coupled with the prevalence of domestic violence, are possible indicators of servile marriage. Women's bodies are directly tied to a family's honour in many cultures, and if a girl refuses to marry, "she can be subject to character assassination or kidnapping by the man or his family to force her into marriage or to rape her" (ibid., para. 71). There is little to no legal protection for women in these situations in many countries. Some countries have gone so far as to enact legislation that acquits perpetrators of rape if they marry their victim. If a woman enters into a servile marriage, she essentially becomes a slave to her husband and his family.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- Servile marriages are still practised today; for example, in Papua New Guinea. According to a 2012 report by The Projection Project, "women are victims of forced, fraudulent, servile, fraudulently brokered, and temporary marriages. Children may also become victims of exploitative marriage".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- Domestic work is one of the largest service industries in the world, but it is among the least visible due to its location in the private sphere. Many women in domestic work find themselves physically and socially isolated and their right to organize is significantly restricted. Live-in workers are often expected to work 16-17 hours a day, frequently without a day off or vacation time. The work can be extremely taxing, including carrying heavy loads and handling toxic substances. Physical, emotional and sexual abuse occur in situations of domestic servitude. Employers often confiscate domestic workers' passports or identity papers and withhold their wages for "safe keeping", which makes it very difficult for them to leave their employment.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- During her mission to Lebanon, the Special Rapporteur was informed that migrant domestic workers made up 25 per cent of the Lebanese workforce and faced "physical abuse, a category encompassing physical suffering caused by working a minimum of 18 hours per day and physical assault … non-payment of wages, sexual abuse, moral harassment, food deprivation, sexual harassment, forced labour … physical threats, forced prostitution, non-renewal of papers and employment of minors" (A/HRC/21/41/Add.1, para. 9). The Governments of Madagascar, Philippines and Sri Lanka have since prohibited their citizens from working in domestic service in Lebanon due to these extremely poor conditions and the fact that there is virtually no system in place in Lebanon to protect domestic workers. Article 7 of the Lebanese Labour Code of 1946 specifically excludes domestic workers from its provisions (ibid., para. 21).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- Children working as domestic servants experienced a variety of abuses, including physical and sexual abuse, long working hours, isolation and little to no access to education. According to the University of Nairobi, "child domestics [experience] significantly more psychological problems than other children (both working and non-working children). Frequent headaches, eating problems, nightmares, tiredness and unhappiness were found to be very common amongst child domestics". These children were found to be extremely vulnerable to becoming victims of slavery.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- Discrimination based on race, ethnicity and caste also plays a role in increasing vulnerability to contemporary forms of slavery. Bonded labour in Asia, for example, disproportionately affects people with disadvantaged social statuses such as a low caste and the majority of forced labour victims in South America were from indigenous cultures, while strict social hierarchies in West Africa can dictate a person's status as a slave. In many societies, racism is very common and typically the darker the skin, the more abuse that follows.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- In Nepal, a debt bondage system, the labourers of which are known as Haliyas, can be found in the agricultural sector. Haliya means "one who ploughs". Ploughing land is considered to be dirty and unskilled work that only lower-class citizens should perform, making it the work of "untouchables" or Dalits. Haliyas are either paid very little for their work or paid only in small amounts of food. Debt quickly accrues as workers take out loans for personal expenses, while landowners take advantage of them by charging exorbitant interest rates. According to a Centre for Human Rights and Global Justice report, "such discrimination is intentionally designed to keep alive a system of debt bondage".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- In September 2008, the Government of Nepal officially liberated all Haliyas and pardoned their debts to landowners. However, in 2010, the Asia Human Rights Commission reported that most Haliyas were still working for their landlords, despite formal liberation. It is very difficult for former Haliyas to integrate into the labour force as they have little to no education or technical skills and 97 per cent do not own land. Approximately 150,000 people were estimated to be affected by the Haliya system in 2010. All Haliyas are male because females are not allowed to plough and cannot get loans to own land of their own. However, women still assist their husbands' landlords by collecting food for the animals or carrying manure to the farms. Children of Haliyas are often involved in the work as cattle herders, and therefore miss out on educational opportunities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- Migrant workers are also disproportionately affected by contemporary forms of slavery. Many are especially vulnerable because they are employed far from their homes, lack language skills and familiarity with host country legal systems, may be undocumented, hired through recruitment agencies, are unprotected by laws in host jurisdictions, rarely receive adequate training, lack access to effective grievance mechanisms, are vulnerable to contract substitution, and/or are severely underpaid. Limitations on migrant workers' freedom of movement greatly increase their chances of becoming victims of contemporary slavery. Employers may confiscate their passports or identity papers and migrant workers are often employed in remote locations where they are dependent on their employers even for basic necessities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- In informal artisanal mining, contemporary slavery is prevalent and freedom of movement is severely curtailed. Mines are often located far from population centres and many small, informal mines operate in areas outside the purview of the law. Therefore, it is very difficult for authorities to locate and identify victims of slavery in the sector. There are no labour inspections at many informal mines and violence, crime, and substance abuse are rampant. Working hours are often long, work is extremely dangerous, living conditions are poor and workers are often paid illegally low wages. Debt bondage and child slavery are also common.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- Another vulnerable group of workers are Pallaris, women who work outside the mines separating out minerals from piles of dirt. Interviews with in-country labour experts indicate that Pallaris generally lack formal work contracts, are paid at piece rates set by mineral brokers and must obtain authorization from the mine owners or administrators to work outside the mines. This authorization can be rescinded at any time, which makes Pallaris extremely vulnerable. Sometimes Pallaris are forced to provide sexual favours or do additional work to obtain or maintain their authorization. Children often work alongside their mothers or in the gold mines themselves. Children as young as 8 have been known to work underground with their fathers, small children are often sent down small mine shafts, and children are made to carry extremely heavy loads and exposed to toxic chemicals in gold extraction and processing.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- In addition to domestic work and mining, contemporary forms of slavery can be found in many other industries. According to the ILO 2012 estimate, 90 per cent of the 20.9 million victims of forced labour were employed in the private economy. Slavery can also be found in fishing, domestic work, quarrying, brick kilns and illegal activities. Forced labour is prominent in agriculture, logging, mining, apparel and electronics manufacturing, personal-care services, construction and food processing.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- Malaysia is currently the world's second largest producer of palm oil. According to a recent report, in order for Malaysia to "meet the growing global demand for cheaply produced palm oil, some producers are relying on forced labor and other forms of modern slavery". Agricultural work is not an attractive form of employment for the majority of Malaysians. Therefore, men, women, and children - primarily from Indonesia and Philippines - migrate to Malaysia in order to work on these plantations. Many of these workers are undocumented, poor and isolated, making them extremely vulnerable to contemporary forms of slavery. The Secretary General of Indonesia's Commission for Child Protection reported that tens of thousands of Indonesian migrant workers and their children had been "systematically enslaved" on Malaysian plantations. The number of Indonesian children in forced labour in Sabah, Malaysia, is estimated to be as high as 72,000. Children born at the plantations are not issued birth certificates, preventing them from attending school and forcing them to stay at the plantations and work.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Men
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- ILO has reported that 69 per cent of child labour occurs in the agricultural sector, where there is a high incidence of the worst forms of child labour. Because agricultural work is generally low-paid, carried out by temporary and migrant workers and occurs in isolated rural areas subject to little government oversight, both child and adult agricultural workers are vulnerable to contemporary forms of slavery.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- A number of sources have reported that children are subjected to contemporary slavery in Ghanaian fisheries by "fisher-entrepreneurs" or middlemen who take them far from their homes to work in fisheries. Recruiters reportedly deceive families with promises of educational opportunities in exchange for a few hours of work each day. Children are also often promised cash or in-kind payments for their labour, such as a cow for boys or a sewing machine for girls. Parents may be offered an advance for their child's work, thus placing the child in a situation of debt bondage. Lake Volta is a popular destination for child slaves, as fishery resources have been depleted and children are considered cheap sources of labour. Tasks in the fishing sector are gendered: boys paddle canoes, pull in nets and carry fish; girls sort, pack and transport fish; and both boys and girls are often tasked with deep-water diving to clear entangled nets. Children usually work six to seven days a week, at least 12 hours a day, and fishing expeditions can last for many days. These children are exposed to dangerous working conditions, long hours, sexual and physical abuse, and even death due to drowning, snake bites or physical abuse at the hands of boat or equipment owners.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- According to recent reports, migrant workers in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are subject to contemporary forms of slavery in the construction sector. By nature, work in this sector is seasonal, time-sensitive and temporary, qualities that can lead to poor working conditions. Construction companies also use subcontracted labour, which can be exploited more easily. A 2003 survey estimated that 88,000 non-British workers were employed in construction. Migrant workers are attractive to construction companies because they are often seen as cheap, disposable labour. It is not possible for migrant workers to obtain a work permit for construction work, so they must enter the United Kingdom on a self-employed visa, which adds to their vulnerability and invisibility.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- Children as young as 3 years old were reportedly working in mines and quarries in Sierra Leone in 2012, with children as young as 10 subjected to contemporary forms of slavery in diamond mines. Children break apart, shovel and wash gravel all day, six days a week, for little to no compensation, with wages ranging from USD 0.15-0.60 per day. They are vulnerable to disease, injury and death due to collapsing mine pits. Children working in mines are denied educational opportunities, preventing them from escaping the cycle of poverty and enslavement. Families often cannot afford to send their children to school because they need their labour to supplement family earnings, as 60 per cent of the population lives in poverty, according to the United Nations Development Programme. The civil war in the country exacerbated children's vulnerability to slavery, as numerous child soldiers abducted by armed factions were subsequently forced to work in mining, many children lost their parents and schooling for most children was interrupted.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- Article 1 of the 1926 Slavery Convention defines slavery as the "the status or condition of a person over whom any or all of the powers attaching to the right of ownership are exercised". The Convention calls for the "complete abolition of slavery in all its forms", including the "capture, acquisition, sale or exchange, and disposal" of persons (art. 2, in conjunction with art. 1). Since the drafting of the Convention, most international legal frameworks have included articles concerning the prohibition of slavery, including article 4 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), article 8, paragraph 1, of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) and, more recently, the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (the Palermo Protocol).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- Since 1926, a number of other international instruments have been drafted in order to address the varied forms of modern-day slavery that occur in the ever-changing social, political and economic environment. The Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery, adopted in 1956, highlights debt bondage and serfdom as specific forms of slavery. The Convention defines debt bondage as "the status or condition arising from a pledge by a debtor of his personal services or of those of a person under his control as security for a debt, if the value of those services as reasonably assessed is not applied towards the liquidation of the debt of the length and nature of those services are not respectively limited and defined" (art. 1 (a)). Serfdom is defined as "the condition or status of a tenant who is by law, custom or agreement bound to live and labour on land belonging to another person and to render some determinate service to such other person, whether for reward or not, and is not free to change his status" (art. 1 (b)).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- The Supplementary Convention also addresses the practice of servile marriage as a form of slavery, although it does not label it as such. The Convention outlaws practices in which: a woman is "promised or given in marriage on payment"; "the husband of a woman, his family, or his clan, has the right to transfer her to another person"; and "a woman on the death of her husband is liable to be inherited" (art. 1 (c)). States Parties to the Convention are asked to establish suitable minimum ages of marriage. Servile marriage was also alluded to in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 16 establishes that "marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- The Supplementary Convention also alludes to child slavery. The Convention requires the abolition of "any institution or practice whereby a child or young person under the age of 18 years, is delivered by either or both of his natural parents or by his guardian to another person, whether for reward or not, with a view to the exploitation of the child or young person or his labour" (art. 1 (d)). Article 10, paragraph 3, of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights states that, "children and young persons should be protected from economic and social exploitation. Their employment in work harmful to their morals or health or dangerous to life or likely to hamper their normal development should be punishable by law." Drawing on this, ILO Convention No. 182 (1999) concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour defines and prohibits the worst forms of child labour, including child slavery (arts. 1 and 3).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Youth
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- Domestic servitude can be another contemporary form of slavery, although it has not garnered as much attention in the international human rights frameworks of the twentieth century. Domestic servitude is implicitly prohibited in the articles of the Slavery Convention, the Covenants and Declarations that make up the International Bill of Human Rights, ILO Convention No. 105 (1959) concerning the Abolition of Forced Labour and the 1998 ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. The Convention on the Rights of the Child and ILO Convention No. 182 both protect children against conditions akin to domestic servitude. In June 2011, ILO adopted Convention No. 189 concerning decent work for domestic workers, which similarly addresses such issues. The Convention sets out protections against domestic servitude, outlining specific rights for domestic workers, including fair terms of employment, decent working and living conditions, respect for their privacy, and protection against all forms of abuse, harassment, and violence (arts. 5 and 6).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- Slavery and compulsory or forced labour are separate practices that are addressed independently in most international human rights documents. The Slavery Convention establishes that States should "take all necessary measures to prevent compulsory or forced labour from developing into conditions analogous to slavery" (art. 5). ILO Convention No. 29 (1930) concerning Forced or Compulsory Labour defines forced labour as, "all work or service which is exacted from any person under the menace of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered himself voluntarily" (art. 2). The Convention on the Rights of the Child, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, ILO Convention No. 182 and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (1950) all address forced labour.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- There are a number of legal limitations that present challenges in protecting individuals from becoming the victims of contemporary forms of slavery. First, some countries have failed to ratify the Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery, including El Salvador, Liberia and Peru. In other cases, many countries that have ratified the Convention have not brought their domestic legislation into line with international standards. Still other countries also fail to explicitly define, prohibit or sanction specific forms of slavery, making it difficult to prosecute such cases. In Colombia, for example, the law does not specify sanctions for forced labour, except in cases involving trafficking in persons, while in Philippines, labour experts have noted that many laws prohibiting contemporary forms of slavery only cover children, victims of trafficking and victims of forced labour subjected to violence or debt bondage.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- Legal loopholes that fail to cover certain categories of workers may also allow for their exploitation. This is the case in France and a number of other countries, where labour laws do not cover domestic workers (A/HRC/15/20, para. 74). In Guatemala, the law fails to provide special protections for agricultural workers and instead includes legislation that discriminates against them. It was not until 2011, for example, that the minimum wage for agricultural workers was set at the same level as that for workers in other sectors, while payments in kind, a remnant of peonage in Guatemala, are still permitted in the agricultural sector.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- Even if prosecutors are able to successfully prosecute cases, penalties and fines are often too low to be dissuasive. For example, in Morocco, employers found guilty of using forced labour are subject to fines of approximately USD 3,000-3,500 for a first offence and double for a subsequent offence, along with a jail sentence of 6-90 days. However, these sanctions are not sufficiently dissuasive.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- Certain countries also have laws that make migrant workers vulnerable to slavery-like practices. For example, in the Dominican Republic, temporary migrants must be provided with a "temporary worker card". This carnet only allows them "to perform the gainful activity for which they were admitted, for the authorized period of time and within the authorized area". Migration Law 285-04 stipulates that employers should "repatriate" workers once their carnets expire, giving employers the authority to deport workers. This creates a legal restriction on migrant workers' freedom of movement, links them to a specific employer and creates an inherent menace of penalty of deportation for leaving their jobs or workplaces.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- There are a number of institutional deficits that may prevent the full enforcement of laws against contemporary forms of slavery. Although countries may have ratified laws and international conventions that explicitly prohibit and sanction such exploitation, many Governments have not taken adequate action to enforce these laws. In some cases, central Governments' failure to recognize the existence of contemporary slavery severely limits their enforcement activities. For example, the Government of the Dominican Republic has not recognized the existence of forced labour in any economic sector in the country, including sugar. For this reason, there are no plans or programmes designed to combat the abuse.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- In many countries in which slavery occurs, victims are poor, have few political connections and have little power to voice their grievances. These communities are normally marginalized and discriminated against as a result of their caste, race, gender and/or their origin as migrants or indigenous populations. In contrast, perpetrators may be wealthy, well-connected individuals who are able to influence policy and enforcement. This can result in corruption and a system in which there is little pressure on authorities to take action to combat exploitation. In Peru, gold generates tremendous profits and breeds corruption at every level, making it extremely difficult to combat labour abuses in illegal gold mining, including significant indicators of slavery. Such corruption facilitates the continued operation of illegal mines and gold-laundering and frustrates government enforcement efforts. In many cases, even when authorities have the will to carry out enforcement, they lack the training and resources to adequately do so.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- A lack of resources and low levels of awareness and understanding often manifest themselves in deficiencies in labour inspectorates and other public enforcement institutions, severely limiting Governments' ability to detect victims of contemporary forms of slavery. For example, one of the biggest factors impeding the ability of the Government of Guatemala to protect agricultural workers from exploitation is its deficient labour inspection system. Problems facing the Labour Inspectorate include a lack of staff and funding, the inability of inspectors to set fines and labour inspectors' fear of carrying out inspections in the agricultural sector due to high levels of violence in the country.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- Even in countries in which authorities have the will and resources to combat contemporary slavery, they face the difficulty of locating victims. Contemporary forms of slavery often involve hidden populations, some of whom perform illicit work. Slavery often occurs in isolated areas and access can be challenged or compromised when workers are involved in illegal activities, when they are geographically isolated, or when they work in violent or politically unstable countries or regions. The challenge of accessing women and children can increase in countries with cultural norms that restrict them from having contact with outsiders or strangers, or their general freedom of movement. For example, the Special Rapporteur has reported that it is difficult to access forced child labourers working in mines and quarries located in remote areas (see A/HRC/18/30).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- It can also be difficult to identify victims of contemporary forms of slavery. Unlike child labour or dangerous working conditions, in which inspectors may identify victims by sight, it is difficult to identify victims of slavery without conducting extensive assessments. As most victims may not show visible signs of entrapment, authorities must ascertain whether they are being forced to work against their will. They must assess whether workers are employed under conditions to which they originally consented and whether there is the menace of penalty for leaving their employment. In some cases, a victim of slavery may be labouring alongside a freely employed worker. This requires authorities to have a much higher level of training, time and resources at their disposal.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- Yet, even when inspectors are trained to identify victims of slavery, many victims may be afraid to talk because of threats made against them. This is especially true with migrant workers, many of whom are afraid that authorities may harass, detain or deport them. In the United States of America, for example, some migrant workers have reported that they are afraid to talk to neighbours or unable to do so owing to language barriers. In some cases, their employers have threatened to report them to immigration authorities if they try to leave.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- The State's ability to enforce the law can also be weak in remote and isolated areas. In the Plurinational State of Bolivia, for example, the State had a weak presence in the Chaco region, resulting in a failure to comply with ILO Convention No. 29. In Peru, research indicates that the Government's capacity to enforce labour and criminal law in protected and remote areas is limited by the danger and costliness of entering them. Owing to a fear of heavily armed groups operating illegally, the authorities are not able to enter protected areas unless they are provided with military support.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- Lack of prosecutions and convictions for contemporary forms of slavery can also be a significant problem. One reason for this is poor integration and cooperation among government institutions. The Special Rapporteur noted that, during some of her missions, there was lack of integration between the criminal, labour and civil law specifically addressing forced labour, which impeded enforcement efforts. This lack results in inadequate investigations and sanctioning of slavery-like practices. The Special Rapporteur has noted that multi-sectoral commissions must have representation from relevant concerned government offices in order for them to effectively combat slavery.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- Another challenge in combating contemporary forms of slavery is the failure of Governments in some countries to adequately protect victims, while in other countries punitive actions by the State can exacerbate worker vulnerability, in some cases forcing workers deeper underground and making it harder to detect victims.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- There has been a series of improvements to legal frameworks on both an international and national level that represent best practice in combating contemporary forms of slavery. At the national level, a wide range of countries have passed comprehensive legislation prohibiting and sanctioning contemporary forms of slavery. For example, in 2007 Mauritania passed a law criminalizing slavery. Additionally, in Brazil, article 149 of the Penal Code establishes a sentence of between two and eight years' imprisonment for subjecting a person to forced labour, arduous or degrading working conditions or holding workers at workplaces through surveillance, debt bondage, restriction of movement and retention of personal identification documents or property. The sentence is increased by 50 per cent for cases involving children or discrimination based on religion, gender or race. Brazilian law also prohibits and penalizes other activities related to forced labour, including debt bondage. Nevertheless, owing to the variety of mechanisms used to subject individuals to slavery, many countries have also necessarily looked beyond traditional laws on forced labour and human trafficking. For example, some have established mechanisms to combat exploitative recruitment and hiring practices which increase the risk of contemporary forms of slavery. The Contract Act in Bangladesh, for example, establishes that all employment contracts must be made with the free consent of all parties without coercion, undue influence, fraud or misrepresentation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- Other countries have also stepped up efforts to regulate private employment agencies, as required by ILO Convention No. 181 (1997) concerning Private Employment Agencies. In 2011, the Government of Malaysia amended its Employment Act of 1955, defining the term "labour contractor" and requiring that wages paid to domestic workers be deposited into a bank account, that labour contractors register employees with the Director General of Labour and that the termination of foreign workers' employment be reported to the Director General of Labour. This amendment created a new type of legal labour relationship between third-party contractors and employees. In the Czech Republic, the Employment Act was amended in January 2011 to require the regulation of employment agencies. Such agencies must now be insured, pass a criminal record check and report statistics on the number and nationality of workers placed in employment.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- A number of countries have also established specific protections for migrant workers, many of whom are extremely vulnerable to contemporary forms of slavery. In 2011, the Czech Republic made several legislative changes to improve protections for migrants and reduce their vulnerability to exploitation. The Act on Residence of Foreign Nationals was amended to require that employers cover the costs of repatriation when foreign nationals exit the country before the expiration of their work permit. Taiwanese law requires government oversight of the agencies through which migrant workers are recruited in order to ensure that they are not charged excessive service fees. In the United Arab Emirates, Ministerial Resolution No. 1186 of 2010 allows migrant workers to transfer from one employer to another after their contracts expire. In 2007, the Mexican National Migration Institute improved labour protections for migrant agricultural workers with the intent of regularizing and reducing abuses of migrant workers.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- Some countries of origin of migrant workers have also taken important steps. They have established protections for their citizens to reduce the risk of contemporary forms of slavery when migrating overseas for employment. The Nepalese Foreign Employment Act of 2007 delineates the role of the Government in the management of overseas employment through the regulation of licences for recruitment agencies. It also defines the process of recruitment for overseas employment; sets minimum wage, labour contract and insurance requirements; requires pre-departure training; and sets procedures for filing complaints. However, it failed to cover employment of Nepali migrants in India. In May 2012, the Government of Nepal announced a policy of mandatory verification of migrant workers' documents by Nepali missions abroad and that it was working with receiving-country Governments to establish a minimum salary for Nepali migrant workers in Malaysia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which are amongst the largest employers of Nepali workers.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- As business has become increasingly global, the international community has also responded by adopting non-binding global frameworks that are addressed to business. For example, the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights offer companies guidance on key labour and human rights issues relevant to contemporary forms of slavery. These principles, which were endorsed by the Human Rights Council in June 2011, cover all aspects of human rights, including reference to ILO core labour standards; and provide a common, authoritative standard and reference point for mitigating the risk of negative human rights impacts.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- Alongside the development of new laws, many countries have also taken steps to ensure that laws are effectively enforced. This is often more difficult, resource-intensive and time-consuming than getting laws passed. However, a number of countries have taken efforts to overcome challenges to successfully combat contemporary forms of slavery.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- In order to do so, some sending and receiving countries of migrant workers have signed bilateral agreements or memoranda of understanding. Argentina and Peru, for example, recently established a Memorandum of Understanding on migrant domestic workers (see A/HRC/15/20, para. 82), while a new one for the employment of Indonesian maids was signed between the Governments of Indonesia and Malaysia in 2011 to update a 2006 agreement. This agreement requires an employment contract, sets recruitment fees, provides for a weekly day of rest, allows maids to keep their passports and requires the month-long training of Indonesian maids prior to entering Malaysia as workers. The agreement lifted a two-year ban that Indonesia had imposed on migration to Malaysia for domestic work.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- Some countries have developed national strategies or action plans against contemporary forms of slavery. These initiatives can take various forms, including high-level interministerial commissions or new departments within existing government agencies. During her missions, the Special Rapporteur has encouraged countries to develop national action plans that incorporate country-level efforts into wider regional and international initiatives, which should be adapted to each country's context, and incorporate all relevant stakeholders. In-country research in Peru indicates that the Ministry of Labour's new National Plan to Combat Forced Labour for 2013-2017 includes many of these elements, as well as a number of other advances. This new plan includes improved definitions of forced labour; explicit acknowledgement of forced labour in the country; a baseline study to address a lack of statistics; pilot interventions to combat forced labour; and strategic, progressive and measurable goals. In Brazil, the National Commission for the Eradication of Slave Labour was established in 2003 to bring representatives of the legislative, executive and judiciary branches of the Government of Brazil together with representatives of the United Nations and civil society to combat contemporary forms of slavery. This well-funded, permanent Commission, which is responsible for developing national plans to combat slavery and carrying out national awareness-raising campaigns, has been considered a leading example of successful efforts to combat slavery.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- One of the most important steps in ensuring the successful implementation of laws on contemporary forms of slavery is the provision of training to authorities, including law enforcement officers, labour inspectors, judges and immigration officials. Training should cover relevant law, victim protection mechanisms and techniques for identifying victims.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- Labour inspectorates and labour courts are extremely important entities, as they are on the frontline of detection and sanctioning of contemporary forms of slavery. It is therefore essential that they function properly and include measures such as increased fines for labour law violations; reduced timelines for processing cases and imposing fines; increased funding for the labour inspectorate; provision of police assistance; establishment of a unit to verify employer compliance with labour court orders; criminal prosecution of employers who fail to comply; and monitoring of enforcement of labour court orders.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- Some countries have also taken action to punish perpetrators of contemporary forms of slavery and compensate their victims. In Argentina, in one notable court case, a judge ordered the owners of a garment factory that was employing Bolivian workers under conditions of forced labour to turn the factory over to the workers. In the Plurinational State of Bolivia, the Government has confiscated land on which individuals were subject to forced labour and turned it over to those who were forced to work on it. In 2013, the state of São Paulo in Brazil passed a law that makes companies liable for contemporary forms of slavery in their production chains (including in the operations of their subcontractors). The law allows the state government to cancel complicit companies' tax registration for 10 years, thereby making it impossible for them to continue operating legally. In May 2013, the Governor of São Paulo signed a decree enacting the above-mentioned Law 14.946, and the Senate of Brazil was considering passing the Proposed Constitutional Amendment (PEC) 57A/1999, which allows for the expropriation of the property of companies that have subjected workers to contemporary forms of slavery.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- At the regional level, courts have also enforced slavery laws. For example, in 2008, Niger - which had criminalized slavery in 2003 - was brought before the Economic Community of West African States Community Court of Justice, which ruled that Niger was responsible for failing to protect 24-year-old Hadijatou Mani from slavery.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- One of the most important elements in combating contemporary slavery is awareness-raising and prevention. Some countries have set up innovative systems to raise awareness of contemporary forms of slavery. For example, in 2009, ILO noted that, as part of the National Policy and Plan of Action of Pakistan, the Government incorporated information on bonded labour into the curriculum of judicial officials, police and the civil service.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- There have also been recent awareness-raising campaigns on an international level that focus on awareness among global companies. Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) has laid out a series of good practice examples on global migration to which businesses should adhere. BSR establishes specific standards regarding the legal status of migrant workers, worker rights, recruitment, orientation and training, wages and benefits, withholding of documents, living conditions, leave, grievance mechanisms, and termination and repatriation. ILO has also developed a handbook for employers and business on forced labour, which seeks to raise their awareness and understanding of the issue.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- Unions have also become increasingly involved in global initiatives to raise awareness of contemporary forms of slavery. For example, the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations has recently published a tool for its affiliates on migrant workers' vulnerability. The Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL) has carried out a mass media campaign to raise awareness about slave-like conditions under which workers are employed in the Italian agricultural sector. The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines has also set up information desks at airports, bus and train stations; shown videos on public transportation; and established community education programmes and a website to educate potential victims on risks of contemporary forms of slavery.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- Consumer-based initiatives and public awareness campaigns have also begun to focus on contemporary forms of slavery. The International Organization for Migration "Buy Responsibly" campaign looks at consumer products like cocoa, coffee, sugar and shrimp, and identifies how each of these can be linked to forced labour in global supply chains. The Slavery Footprint campaign personalizes modern-day slavery by asking consumers "how many slaves work for you?" It raises awareness about the effects of each person's consumption, including products such as electronics, food, apparel and other household items. Finally, the Free2Work application for mobile phones provides consumers with information about specific products and how they relate to modern-day slavery. It rates companies based on their anti-slavery commitments, assigning them a letter grade from "A" to "F" to inform consumers and promote ethical consumerism.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Movement
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- Despite the progress that has been made in recent years, awareness-raising and prevention have not been fully effective and victims of contemporary forms of slavery still abound. This requires the identification, protection and rehabilitation of victims.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- The identification of victims is greatly aided by strengthening the capacity of labour inspectorates and other public institutions, such as police and immigration authorities, and by raising the awareness of authorities regarding laws on contemporary forms of slavery and techniques for identifying victims. The creation of specialized units to identify victims is also crucial. In the Czech Republic, a special police department aimed at uncovering forced labour was established in April 2006. Brazil also offers an important and highly successful example of specialized training, with its mobile inspections unit comprised of representatives from across government enforcement agencies.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- Government measures to ensure that victims receive full protection and support when they are identified are also important. Such measures guarantee that perpetrators do not retaliate against victims for reporting abuses and help those victims to feel safe whenever they do report. Victims and their family members may be provided with safe houses, protection services and legal assistance. To this end, some countries have established specific protections for workers. For example, in Guatemala, article 10 of the Labour Code prohibits any form of reprisals against workers that are intended to completely or partially restrict them from exercising their legal rights.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- In addition to identifying and protecting victims, Governments have also taken steps to rehabilitate them and reintegrate them into communities and labour markets. Victims may need psychological counselling to overcome the trauma they have experienced; they may also need compensation, social support, job training, social welfare and assistance with finding new employment to ensure that they do not fall prey to slavery again.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- Nevertheless, Government-run rehabilitation and reintegration efforts are not always effective. In these cases, other stakeholders can offer assistance. Unions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in sending and receiving countries have cooperated in order to facilitate the reintegration of victims when return home. In Nepal, where government reintegration services have been limited, two NGOs rehabilitate and reintegrate returned migrant workers. Pouraki Nepal was initiated by women migrant workers, while Pravasi Nepali Coordination Committee advocates for the rights of male migrants. In-country research in Nepal also indicates that a new foundation to aid migrant workers has been established, with a free training centre in Kathmandu that helps rehabilitate and reintegrate returned migrant workers, including a counselling centre for female returnees.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- In cases in where Governments are unwilling or unable to take action to combat contemporary forms of slavery or where complex problems require the coordinated action of multiple stakeholders, new initiatives have been formed to tackle these issues. While national authorities are the primary entities responsible for combating slavery, other stakeholders have recently emerged to aid their efforts, including intergovernmental organizations, unions, NGOs and companies.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 68
- Paragraph text
- ILO followed this up in October 2008 with the publication of its handbook for employers on Combating Forced Labour, which sought to "encourage a broad partnership approach to the fight against forced labour and trafficking through the active engagement of business actors in global action" (p. 7).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- Unions have also been active in combating contemporary forms of slavery. For example, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) established a best practice manual for trade unions on How to Combat Forced Labour and Trafficking in order to "provide trade unionists and other interested individuals and organisations with a useful tool for increasing awareness of what forced labour is and how it can be effectively challenged".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 70
- Paragraph text
- A large number of NGOs have taken up the fight against contemporary forms of slavery and engaged other stakeholders to successfully do so. For example, Anti-Slavery International has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ITUC in order to form a Global Trade Union Alliance to Combat Forced Labour and Trafficking. They have agreed to share skills and experience on combating contemporary forms of slavery and integrate their members to reach a common goal. Under this auspice, they have formed a multi-stakeholder group in Europe comprised of unions and NGOs whose goal is to protect women and young people from contemporary forms of slavery. The Brazilian NGOs Repórter Brasil and Ethos have created the National Pact for the Elimination of Slavery, which brings the Government, ILO, NGOs and companies together to combat forced labour. Over 130 companies had signed the pact as of the end of 2010, including large companies such as Wal-Mart Brazil, committing to not buying goods produced with forced labour.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- There have also been successful cases in which international associations of employers and employment agencies have established agreements with other stakeholders in order to improve efforts to combat contemporary forms of slavery. For example, the International Confederation of Private Employment Agencies signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Global Union for Skills and Services in 2008. This Memorandum established a global partnership with other stakeholders to combat contemporary forms of slavery, policy advocacy and cooperation with ILO to encourage ratification and application of ILO conventions.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 72
- Paragraph text
- Some countries have taken proactive efforts to form multi-stakeholder initiatives to ensure more effective efforts to combat contemporary forms of slavery. This includes multi-stakeholder committees responsible for combating contemporary forms of slavery, which include members of civil society. These committees are important in holding Governments accountable for enforcing laws on contemporary forms of slavery. In cases in which the Government fails to carry out its commitments, it is necessary for these stakeholders to engage the media, form alliances and mobilize public support in order to exert pressure on the authorities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 73
- Paragraph text
- Recently, stakeholders have made efforts to influence the sourcing decisions of companies and national and local governments in order to reduce the level of contemporary forms of slavery. It is now generally accepted that Governments are responsible for preventing contemporary forms of slavery and holding companies accountable - whether a product is produced in the country, manufactured by a company based in the country or imported and consumed by its citizens. Additionally, civil society organizations have also taken steps to promote responsible sourcing decisions and have provided guidance to companies on ways to prevent contemporary forms of slavery in their supply chains.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 74
- Paragraph text
- Some Governments in countries that produce goods associated with contemporary forms of slavery have taken steps to publicize and punish individuals and companies that produce these goods. For example, Brazil passed a decree in 2003 containing a list, commonly referred to as "the Dirty List" of 52 individuals and entities that use or have used slave labour. The individuals and entities on the biannually updated list are barred from receiving national subsidies or tax exemptions and from engaging in financial arrangements with a number of public financial institutions. The Bank of Brazil denies financing to landowners who employ slave labour and the Ministry of National Integration recommended that private sector lenders also deny them financing. The Ministry of Labour's "dirty list" included 165 employers of slave labourers in 17 states in 2009, 220 employers in 2010 and 294 employers at the end of 2011.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 75
- Paragraph text
- In other cases, Governments have taken efforts to reward companies that take positive steps to combat contemporary forms of slavery, including by offering access to State contracts. In Argentina, the National Institute for Industrial Technology recently established a comprehensive national certification system for companies operating in the textile industry. The agency offers "certificates of quality" to firms that refrain from using forced labour and provide their employees with decent working conditions. Participating companies granted the certificate are eligible to bid on lucrative State textile contracts. In a similar spirit, the Plurinational State of Bolivia operates a certification programme called the Triple Seal, which is designed to encourage compliance with national labour laws and awarded to companies that prohibit child labour, discrimination and forced labour across their entire supply chains.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 76
- Paragraph text
- Consumer countries and countries in which companies are headquartered have also taken action to prevent contemporary forms of slavery. In the United States, the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act, which took effect on 1 January 2012, states that human trafficking and forced labour are state, federal and international crimes. The Act requires that all retailers and manufacturers with annual worldwide revenues in excess of USD 100 million disclose information about their efforts to eradicate contemporary forms of slavery from their supply chains so that consumers' purchasing decisions can be better informed. These disclosures must be posted on the companies' websites and include information about efforts to eradicate slavery from their supply chains, including verification, supplier audits, certifications, accountability standards and training. Failure to disclose this information by 30 November 2012 could allow for legal actions brought by the Attorney General of California.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 77
- Paragraph text
- Of course, companies are ultimately responsible for meeting their legal and moral obligations to prevent contemporary forms of slavery in their supply chains, and NGOs and multi-stakeholder initiatives have emerged to provide practical guidance to companies seeking to meet their obligations under national law, international standards and voluntary principles. The Fair Hiring Toolkit, developed by Verité and launched in 2011, gives companies comprehensive guidance on improving their codes of conduct, strengthening their social audits, and better understanding the complexities and risks of contemporary forms of slavery in their supply chains.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 78
- Paragraph text
- In recent years, contemporary slavery has drawn increasing attention from Governments and stakeholders around the world, although this attention remains insufficient to the task of its eradication. A number of international instruments have defined and prohibited, inter alia, debt bondage, serfdom, servile marriage, child slavery, forced labour and traditional forms of slavery.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 79
- Paragraph text
- A number of stakeholders have begun to take action to combat slavery in its contemporary forms. However, there are key challenges that prevent the reduction of slavery, including legal and policy challenges and institutional and implementation challenges. Among the legal and policy challenges are the absence of legislation in some countries, deficiencies and loopholes in legal frameworks, insufficiently dissuasive sanctions and laws that increase the vulnerability of workers. Institutional and implementation challenges include corruption, government failure to recognize the existence of contemporary slavery, a lack of political will and/or resources, the difficulty of locating and identifying victims, and a failure to adequately protect affected workers and provide sustained programmes for their effective rehabilitation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 80
- Paragraph text
- Nevertheless, a series of good practices at international, regional, and country levels provide us with examples of the way forward. Among these are improvements to legislation, enforcement efforts, awareness-raising and prevention activities, and the identification, protection and rehabilitation of victims. The Special Rapporteur held follow up workshops in Brazil, Ecuador, Mauritania and Peru which resulted in action plans to implement her recommendations. Her recommendations included the need to include and strengthen these good practices and show the commitment and will of Governments to tackle slavery.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 81
- Paragraph text
- Multi-stakeholder initiatives and recent efforts to encourage responsible sourcing to protect workers also have the potential to strengthen the global fight against slavery.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 82
- Paragraph text
- Slavery and slavery-like practices are often clandestine. The majority of those affected are from the poorest, most vulnerable and marginalized social groups in society such as indigenous and caste-based groups. In order to effectively eradicate such exploitation in all its forms, Governments and other stakeholders must address the root causes of poverty, social exclusion and all forms of discrimination. At the heart of these campaigns, poverty reduction, the promotion of the Millennium Development Goals, the protection of human dignity and the establishment of robust protections against human and labour rights abuses, including effective access to remedy, should guide national and international strategies.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 83
- Paragraph text
- To strengthen global efforts, the following recommendations are made to Governments, international organizations and businesses.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 84
- Paragraph text
- To successfully combat contemporary forms of slavery, Governments should consider the good practices identified above and the recommendations presented below.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 85
- Paragraph text
- Governments should introduce or amend, where necessary, laws to effectively combat exploitation; strengthen implementation and enforcement; harmonize legislative and policy approaches to ensure greater coherence, efficiency and efficacy; develop and effectively monitor and implement national plans of action; introduce specialized agencies or institutions with the specific mandate to tackle contemporary forms of slavery; and ensure all such efforts are appropriately resourced and staffed.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 86
- Paragraph text
- Governments should promote and ensure access to basic rights such as education, work and health for all living within their country.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 87
- Paragraph text
- To detect and remedy contemporary forms of slavery, Governments should improve the capacity of labour inspectorates and other public enforcement bodies; provide them with adequate resources and training; enable them to carry out their duties in regions and sectors where individuals are vulnerable; and establish systems to effectively verify legal compliance, payment of fines and adherence to remediation orders.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 88a
- Paragraph text
- [Governments should also ensure that other institutions and stakeholders are appropriately resourced and trained to detect, report and prosecute cases, including by providing:] Training for labour ministries, police, prosecutors, judges, NGOs, service providers and health workers;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 88b
- Paragraph text
- [Governments should also ensure that other institutions and stakeholders are appropriately resourced and trained to detect, report and prosecute cases, including by providing:] Establishing effective and reliable systems for reporting cases and referring victims to support services;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 88c
- Paragraph text
- [Governments should also ensure that other institutions and stakeholders are appropriately resourced and trained to detect, report and prosecute cases, including by providing:] Promoting greater public awareness of contemporary forms of slavery and the labour and human rights of workers and citizens; and
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 88d
- Paragraph text
- [Governments should also ensure that other institutions and stakeholders are appropriately resourced and trained to detect, report and prosecute cases, including by providing:] Providing victims with free legal assistance, compensation, social protection, and long-term strategies for community and labour-market reintegration, including vocational training and job placement services.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 89
- Paragraph text
- Governments must create long-term and nationwide awareness campaigns to disseminate information about relevant laws and risks of slavery, and mechanisms to detect, report and combat it must be widely disseminated to all stakeholders, not just to workers.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 90
- Paragraph text
- Supporting the engagement of national Governments should be a priority for the international community and donor agencies.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 91
- Paragraph text
- To effectively tackle the contemporary forms of slavery, Governments at national and sub-national levels need sustainable, reliable and systematic assistance both of a technical and financial kind.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 92
- Paragraph text
- International agencies can assist Governments to develop strong legal and regulatory frameworks or revise existing frameworks, and promote the mainstreaming of policies against contemporary slavery, including across ministries and mandates such as poverty reduction, education, labour, social protection, health, trade, immigration and internal affairs.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 93
- Paragraph text
- International organizations should also support government efforts to build law enforcement capacity within public institutions; raise awareness of relevant stakeholders; build broad-based support for policies to eliminate contemporary slavery; develop and implement measures to assist victims of exploitation and prosecute perpetrators; and lead mobilization efforts for further financing and support.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 94
- Paragraph text
- Without sustained assistance from the international donor community, national Governments will lack the resources they need to effectively challenge the diverse and complex forms of abuse described in the present report.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 95
- Paragraph text
- Businesses must also take action both inside and outside of their supply chains. They need to find creative and effective ways to work with business peers and partners, NGOs, trade unions, Governments and international organizations.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 96
- Paragraph text
- Companies should engage with other actors across their industries and sectors; advocate for global action on contemporary forms of slavery both unilaterally and through membership or multi-stakeholder organizations; adopt codes of conduct and other corporate policies that explicitly prohibit forced labour and contemporary slavery; ensure that these policies are integrated throughout the company's management and performance systems; train all relevant staff, suppliers and other business partners on contemporary forms of slavery, and ensure that actions are taken beyond the first tier of the supply chain, where risks are greatest; and carry out risks assessments, audits and other forms of due diligence to determine, identify and root out any potential risk of exploitation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Child slavery
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2019
- Document code
- A/74/179
Document
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2011
- Document code
- A/HRC/18/30
Document
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- Children working in artisanal mines and quarries are subject to a series of violations of human rights and very often find themselves in conditions that amount to contemporary forms of slavery.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- Children are often treated by their employers as commodities - replaceable cheap labour to be thoroughly exploited. The 1926 Slavery Convention makes illegal any practice whereby "the status or condition of a person over whom any or all of the powers attaching to the right of ownership are exercised". Some of the children who work in artisanal mining and quarrying are also subjected to forced labour or debt bondage which are slavery-like practices that are expressly prohibited by international law.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- Children working in this sector face particular, and in some cases a combination of, physical, psychological, economic and sexual exploitation not found in other areas where children work. This is prohibited by article 1 (d) of the 1956 Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery which forbids "any institution or practice whereby a child or young person under the age of 18 years, is delivered by either or both of his natural parents or by his guardian to another person, whether for reward or not, with a view to the exploitation of the child or young person or of his labour". The impact of these forms of abuses is not only immediate but has long-term harmful repercussions on the children.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- Children, particularly unaccompanied children, working in artisanal mining and quarrying have no other choice but to work in this sector as they and their families are in desperate need of an income and have no or no better alternatives.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- Employers also wield physical and psychological power over the children that they employ. Consequently, although unaccompanied children may be allowed to leave the mine or quarry, they are unlikely to leave their jobs as they have a real or imagined fear of the repercussions. The Special Rapporteur notes that the combined elements of coercion, fear, restriction on freedom of movement and complete dependence on the employer exhibit characteristics which amount to contemporary forms of slavery.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- Large-scale mining companies undergo regular inspection and have unionized workers; however, child slavery in the mining and quarrying sector normally occurs in the small-scale (artisanal) mining and quarrying sector. The mining sector includes the extraction of minerals (such as coltan), precious metals (such as gold and silver), precious stones (such as diamonds and rubies) and semi-precious stones (such as tanzanite). Quarrying is extraction from an open pit in order to acquire stone or aggregate (sand, gravel or crushed rock) for the construction industry.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- The mines and quarries in which children work are often informal and situated in remote areas of a country; they remain out of reach of the rule of law in communities commonly referred to as "frontier communities", where traditional social structures of society and ethical value systems have broken down. These communities are often characterized by violence, crime and substance abuse. The people living in these communities are usually very poor and economically and socially marginalized. Children growing up in this type of community are vulnerable to various types of violations.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- Small-scale mining and quarrying occurs in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. As a result of the remoteness of mines and quarries and their informal and illegal nature, it is hard to provide exact statistics on the number of children working in this sector. Additionally, as in many other instances of contemporary forms of slavery, the victims are not visible. The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that there are at least 1 million children working in mining and quarrying whereas, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that there are 1-2 million children working in artisanal small-scale mining alone. Although estimates of the number of children working in this sector may vary, what is clear is that the numbers are likely to increase as a result of higher prices and demand for minerals from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries and emerging economies.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- In the past, the Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery considered the issue of child economic exploitation. The Special Rapporteur has given due consideration to the discussions of the Working Group in the elaboration of her present report.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur acknowledges that not all children who work are exploited. Indeed, the Special Rapporteur acknowledges that in some situations working can enrich the development of the child, family and community. Child exploitation occurs when the work that a child carries out is hazardous or interferes with the child's education, or is harmful to the child's health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development (art. 32, para. 1, of the Convention on the Rights of the Child).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- This report will demonstrate that the work carried out by children in the mining and quarrying sector, by its very nature and the conditions in which it is performed, qualifies as a contemporary form of slavery due to the debt bondage, forced labour and economic exploitation of the child and particularly so with regard to unaccompanied children working in artisanal mining and quarries. For instance, employers yield complete physical and psychological power and control over the children, they are completely and severely dependent on their employer for their basic needs, unable to leave their place of work due to fear of reprisals against themselves or their families and work in physically and socially isolated and remote areas where they are not able to report abuses or access justice.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- Different international instruments, ranging from the core international law against slavery to international human rights law and international labour law are relevant when defining the concept of child slavery.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- The core international law against slavery comprises the 1926 Slavery Convention and the 1956 Supplementary Convention. While the 1926 Convention defines the concept of slavery (art. 1) and introduces forced labour as being analogous to slavery (art. 5), the 1956 Convention broadens the concept so as to encompass other slavery-like practices. The ILO Convention No. 29 (1930) concerning Forced or Compulsory Labour offers a definition of forced labour and lays down a number of exceptions from its general prohibition.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- The concept of slavery and slavery-like practices cannot be analysed without referral to the development of international human rights instruments, starting with the adoption in 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which establishes the principle of the prohibition of slavery in all its forms. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights went on to legally prohibit slavery in all its forms, including servitude and forced labour (art. 8), while the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights recognizes that children should be protected from economic and social exploitation. Additionally "their employment in work harmful to their morals or health or dangerous to life or likely to hamper their normal development should be … punishable by law" (art. 10).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- When it comes to the specific situation of children, it is important to note those developments which occurred both in international human rights and labour laws that are relevant when addressing the issue of child slavery.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- International law does not clearly define child exploitation, but it has been widely accepted that "what gives cause for concern is work that places too heavy a burden on the child; work that endangers his safety, health or welfare, work that takes advantage of the defencelessness of the child, work that exploits the child as a cheap substitute for adult labour, work that uses the child's efforts but does nothing for his development, work that interrupts the child's education or training and this prejudices his future." This definition was legally encapsulated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which contains one of the most explicit and comprehensive set of obligations for States relating to the suppression of economic exploitation and worst forms of child labour. Article 32 of the Convention recognizes the child's right "to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child's education, or to be harmful to the child's health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development." Article 36 provides an even broader, albeit less specific safeguard, requiring States parties to "protect the child against all other forms of exploitation prejudicial to any aspects of the child's welfare."
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- In 1999, the ILO member States, conscious of the magnitude of the problem of children being trapped in the worst forms of child labour, adopted Convention No. 182 (1999) concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour. This convention is the reflection of a global consensus that immediate and effective measures should be taken to secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour as a matter or urgency. ILO recommendation No. 190 advises ILO members on the implementation of Convention No. 182 and allows for exceptions for children from the age of 16 working in hazardous environments, provided that the health, safety and morals of the children concerned are fully protected and that "the children have received adequate specific instruction or vocational training in the relevant branch of activity".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
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Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- There is undoubtedly a close link between ILO Convention No. 182 the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is important in combating the exploitation of children. Article 32 of the latter correlates to article 3 of the ILO Convention No. 182 with regard to debt bondage, serfdom, forced or compulsory labour, and all forms of slavery and any work which will harm the health, safety or moral of children.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- The position followed by the Committee on the Rights of the Child when considering periodic reports from State parties is that, "any work carried out by children in conditions below those established by the United Nations Convention [on the Rights of the Child] or by ILO standards should be considered as economic exploitation" (report of the Secretary-General on status of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, A/64/172, para. 9).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- In 1993, the Committee on the Rights of the Child devoted its second day of annual discussion to the economic exploitation of children (see CRC/C/20, para. 186-196). On this occasion, the indivisibility and interrelatedness of the rights of the child stipulated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child were highlighted, as was the fact that they are all inherent to the human dignity of the child. Therefore, a holistic approach should be taken when looking at the implementation of the right enshrined in article 32.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- The Committee on the Rights of the Child has on many occasions considered the issue of children working in mines and quarries. For example, in 2009, it expressed its concern at the presence of child workers as young as 5 years working in dangerous conditions in the mining industry, particularly the Katanga region (CRC/C/COD/CO/2, para. 80). In the past year, the Committee has considered the issue of children working in mines in Ecuador, Guatemala, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. Most recently, during the Committee's consideration of Ukraine (CRC/C/UKR/CO/3-4, paras. 74 and 75), the Committee raised concern about children working in the informal and illegal economy of the coal-mining sector, where children work under difficult and hazardous conditions.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
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Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- The Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights has also considered children working in mines and quarries in countries such as China (E/C.12/1/Add.107, para. 23) and Zambia (E/C.12/1/Add.106, para. 25). Most recently, it considered mining in Madagascar. The Committee recommended that the State party: reinforce the legal framework to combat child labour and adopt all the necessary legal and judicial measures to eradicate this phenomenon; support and reinforce the role of the family as an essential element for the protection of children and combat against child labour; and take all necessary measures to implement effectively all policies against child labour, including through awareness-raising campaigns for the public on protection of children, strengthen preventive measures, and prosecute and punish those who are responsible (see E/C.12/MDG/CO/2).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- The root causes, manifestations and aggravating factors of child slavery in the mining and quarrying sector sometimes occur individually (like in the case of forced labour and debt bondage), or when coupled with, for instance, poverty and the informality and illegality of the sector, or when combined together. This section describes each of these factors and how they cause and keep a child in contemporary forms of slavery, whereby the child is treated merely as a commodity and experiences coercion, fear, restriction of movement and complete dependence on the employer.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- Poverty is one of the main reasons for children working in mines and quarries sector. In such cases, parents are unable to provide for their basic needs and require children to work in this sector in order to support the family income. Very often children work with their parents.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- With the growth in rural poverty and lack of investment in rural livelihoods, communities are drawn to work in this sector as they know that they can gain immediate benefits from selling gold as opposed to cultivating land.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- As in many other sectors where children work, employers find it easier to hire children as they are easily exploited and cheaper to employ. Children are also recruited to work in mines because of their small size and the fact that they are thought to be nimble.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- Although international law requires that primary education is free and compulsory, very often parents still have to pay for school equipment such as uniforms, books and stationery. Such additional costs make it unaffordable for parents to send their children to school. Additionally, mechanisms are often not in place to enforce the compulsory primary education requirements. Due to lack of childcare facilities or schools in the area of the mines and quarries, parents, often mothers, end up taking their children to work.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- In cases where schools are available, their insufficient number, the insufficient number of teachers, the poor educational infrastructure and the poor quality of education result in illiterate children and disgruntled parents who have made a financial sacrifice to put their children in school. Moreover, further compounding the situation, where schools are available, compulsory and free, children may not be able to attend, as they are still required to work in order to supplement the family income to meet basic needs, such as food and accommodation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- The lack of or insufficient legal framework, policies and institutions to combat child slavery and to support and protect children from slavery is a significant cause of child slavery in the mining sector. This is often compounded by a weak institutional framework whereby there is a lack of clarity about the roles and responsibilities of Government bodies and often a lack of sufficient human and financial resources to implement, where they exist, Government programmes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- The informality in which the artisanal mining and quarrying is performed makes it difficult for the authorities to control this sector, which allows for the use of children. Many existing laws on mining were established to regulate large-scale mining operations. These laws are inappropriate for small-scale and artisanal mining and quarrying whose owners have very little understanding of health, labour and safety regulations by which they are to abide. The mines and quarries are often in remote ungoverned areas of the country and have unskilled and non-unionized workers with little knowledge of their rights: this situation, compounded by the poverty in these remote areas, facilitates child slavery in this sector.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- Furthermore, where concessions are granted, they are given only to enable the extraction of minerals or stones. These concessions do not provide for ensuring workers' rights.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- Generally, regions where mining and quarrying communities live suffer from a lack of basic public services (potable water, sanitary facilities and electricity), including social services. The lack of these basic services means that families have to assume the costs for these services. This places a further financial burden on families, which can result in child slavery in this sector (see A/HRC/18/30/Add.2).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- Artisanal mines are often based in remote places which make it easy for armed groups to control. For instance, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, armed groups force both adults and accompanied and unaccompanied children to work in artisanal mines to extract minerals such as gold and coltan. Coltan is used in the manufacture of products such as mobile phones, laptops and rechargeable batteries. The minerals are then sold to fund the activities of the armed groups (A/HRC/13/63, para. 21).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Environment
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- Some unaccompanied children are brought to the mines and quarries by "middlemen" who traffic them from their families and leave them at the mines. Such a case has been reported for instance in Côte d'Ivoire. Children and their families are deceived as to the dangerous and exploitative nature of the work they will end up doing. Such practice is prohibited by article 1 (d) of the 1956 Supplementary Convention: "any institution or practice whereby a child or young person under the age of 18 years, is delivered by either or both of his natural parents or by his guardian to another person, whether for reward or not, with a view to the exploitation of the child or young person or of his labour".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- Some parents take out loans against their children's labour. Other parents sell their children and, upon their arrival in the mines, the children are charged exorbitant prices for their transportation to the mines, food and tools by the employer or middleman. In both these instances, the children are often unable to leave the mines or quarries until they have paid off the debt owed to the middleman or employer. In majority of the cases, children become bonded as a result of their parents' debt. Bonded labour is prohibited under the 1956 Supplementary Convention. Many children report not being able to save or even earn enough money to send back home. This results in them being unable to leave their situation until their debt is paid. In 2010, the Special Rapporteur received information that Bangladeshi and Nepali children were being purchased by middlemen or abducted and sold by gangs to mining employers in India. The price of the child varied from 50-75 USD. According to the information received, the children are forced to work to pay off their debt. The middlemen bring both boys and girls to work in the mines. The girls living and working in the mines are often sexually abused by adult mine workers and employers.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- The current financial crisis has seen demand in investments such as property fall and, with inflation on the rise and the lack of confidence in paper money, demand for gold has seen a huge increase. As of April 2011, the price of gold hit a record high of $1,466 per ounce. Additionally, the increased usage of mobile phones has resulted in the increased international demand and price for coltan. International demand for minerals leads families and children to "rush" to work in this sector because they see this as a quick way to informally make money (see A/HRC/18/51).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- The discovery of new mineral reserves tends to result in rushes for gold and diamonds. This has been the case for gold in Brazil, Ecuador and Papua New Guinea. Madagascar has also experienced a "sapphire rush". On her recent mission to Peru, the Special Rapporteur was able to see the effects of the gold rush in Madre Dios, Peru (see A/HRC/18/30/Add.2).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Environment
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- Many children who work also come from groups that have been discriminated against and/or marginalized, for example, indigenous peoples, migrants or those given a certain social status such as caste. For example, countries may have a highly stratified society which in many communities dictates the kind of work one does. This means that a family from a particular stratum can only perform certain jobs. The lower you are in this stratified society the lower paid the jobs that one can perform. Consequently, one finds that many children who work are those from the lower strata. This makes them doubly vulnerable to abuses.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- The lack of traditional family and social structures in artisanal mining and quarrying communities increases the likelihood of child slavery. This is especially true for migrant and trafficked children working in this sector. They are often undocumented, do not receive any Government support or protection and are vulnerable to exploitation by mine employers. These communities are set up by people who for various reasons leave their traditional way of live and go to work in this sector. The communities are set up in an ad hoc manner with little or no regard to societal norms. These communities often attract those unable or unwilling to sustain traditional lifestyles or occupations (see A/HRC/18/30/Add.1).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- HIV/AIDS has had a huge impact on all of society, not least those subject to child slavery in mining and quarrying. In central and southern Africa the scourge of AIDS has left many orphans. This situation - coupled with the fact that there is already a lot of pressure on the disintegrating traditional extended family support system - means that many orphans end up working unaccompanied in this sector.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- As mentioned earlier, the combined elements of coercion, fear, restriction on freedom of movement and complete dependence on the employer exhibit characteristics which amount to contemporary forms of slavery. This contemporary form of slavery results in the violation of a series of other children's rights. This section deals with the violations that occur while they are in slavery within mines and quarries.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- Children start to work with their families (parents or relatives), unpaid, in mines and quarries from the age of 3. They start by performing small tasks such as lifting stones, supplying adults with tools, breaking stones and sifting gravel in order to support the family and eventually end up involved in all aspects of mining and quarrying. Children in artisanal mines and quarries also cook and clean for their families and other adult mine workers.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- Children often start performing the same tasks as adults more regularly and full time from the age of 12 years (see A/HRC/18/30/Add.1). By the time they are adolescents, children work in the actual extraction of minerals underground, underwater or on the surface. These children are also likely to work in the separation, processing and transportation of the minerals. The children face the same risks as adults but lack the same strength and judgement to protect themselves from harm. The effects that this work has on children are much more severe than for adults because of their anatomical, physiological and psychological development, which places them in a situation of increased vulnerability. Tools and safety equipment, when available, have been designed for adults and to correspond to the measurement of children. Children also work very long hours with little or no pay.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- Children working in the mines and quarries are vulnerable to physical, sexual, moral and social harm. Artisanal mining and quarrying is inherently informal and illegal -as either it costs too much to get the legal permit to mine or there is no need to get a permit as the law is not enforced. These "frontier communities" are riddled with violence, crime, trafficking in young girls and women for sexual exploitation, prostitution, drug and alcohol use (ibid.). There have been reports that children are given drugs so that they are able to fearlessly extract minerals underground or underwater. Children also take drugs and alcohol in the belief that it makes them stronger and as a result of peer pressure. The drug abuse (particularly amphetamines and marijuana) and alcohol (commercial and/or local brew) destroy their health and keep them in the vicious circle of poverty. Children who arrive alone to work in this sector are even more vulnerable to abuses (see A/HRC/18/30/Add.2).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Environment
- Poverty
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- Working in "frontier communities" or in remote mines, children are often subject to moral turpitude. They are continuously exposed to physical violence from adult miners and their employers. Children are also at risk of sexual violence such as rape and other forms of sexual abuse. In some cases, children are also forced into prostitution. This has a huge impact on the child's mental well-being and exposes the child to HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Without any proper guardianship, unaccompanied children fall easily prey to alcohol and drug addictions, which further perpetuate their poverty (ibid.).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- Poor living and working conditions have an impact on the health and safety of children. As a result of unsanitary living conditions, children often suffer from diseases such as tuberculosis and diarrhoea.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- Children working in mines are physically and economically exploited, as they are required to spend long hours in poorly lit and ventilated underground mines for little or no payment. When they are paid, children performing the same tasks as adults are paid less than adults. These makeshift mines may run to over 80 metres underground and, in some instances, can only accommodate the width of children who crawl to excavate the ore. Children also set explosives to blast rock underground and carry heavy loads of ore to the surface. Children who do not work inside a mine may be found digging for long hours in rivers beds, shifting through sand or silt and then carrying heavy loads of mud on their heads or backs for further processing. The long hours working outside, without proper clothing or shelter results in exposure to extreme heat, cold, dryness and moisture.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Environment
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- Children working in mines run the risk of spinal injuries and physical deformities as a result of the heavy loads carried. They also face injury and sometimes death as a result of working in makeshift mines and handling explosives. Children mining underwater and underground risk death by suffocation and asphyxiation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- Children working in this sector commonly suffer respiratory illnesses such as silicosis due to the inhaling of rock dust. Many children are injured, disabled and sometimes die as a result of: the collapse of mine walls or roofs; handling explosives or drilling equipment; and using crude tools. These health risks may occur immediately or long after the children have been working in this sector.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- Children work without any training, safety equipment or protection. They are exposed to heat, noise, toxic metals and hazardous chemicals such as mercury and cyanide. Mercury is used in the extraction of gold in artisanal mining areas. As children are sometimes regarded as less suitable to labour intensive work, they are often given work in mercury amalgamation. As children do not wear any protective equipment, they absorb mercury through their hands and inhale it when it burns. The mercury impacts on: the nervous system of the child resulting in uncontrollable tremors - particularly in the face; their emotional well-being as they become prone to mood swings and irritability; their neuromuscular system leading to muscle atrophy, twitching, headaches and changes in nerve responses; and their cognitive functions are impaired. If exposed to higher levels of mercury, this affects the kidneys and can result in respiratory failure and death. Mercury has been found in the bodies of children working in artisanal gold mines in the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Peru, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- Toxic chemicals like mercury are able to seep into the soil and water supply thereby affecting food and water. These artisanal communities often lack basic services such as potable drinking water, electricity and medical services. Continued exposure to a polluted environment and contaminated water can manifest itself in acute respiratory problems and skin ailments if not immediately then in adulthood (see A/HRC/18/30/Add.2).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- Lead, the mineral, is also used in the extraction of gold and impacts on the neurological development of children. In 2010, the World Health Organization found lead poisoning in Nigerian children (some younger than 5 years) as a result of working directly in the extraction of gold and environmental lead contamination. Local villagers had noticed a high number of deaths and convulsions in young children, which is believed to be associated with the use of lead in gold-mining.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- Children endure physically demanding work where they have to carry heavy loads and stand, dive or squat for long hours. The physical demands have an effect on children's osteo-muscular development. A survey of children working in artisanal gold-mining in Mongolia reported that majority of them reported suffering from aches in the limbs and backbone. Another survey reported that they suffered from kidney and urinary diseases and exhaustion. During a mission to Ecuador, the Special Rapporteur witnessed children stunted in growth as a result of poor nutrition and working in mining (A/HRC/15/20/Add.3).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- To mine underwater, children dive into open muddy wells, which are normally 2 metres wide and 7 metres deep. Wearing crude eye masks which inhibit their vision and with the aid of oxygen from a compressor, the children extract soil in the hope that it contains gold. The children work for 3-5 hours underwater in a squatting position anchoring themselves with their elbows or knees. They face the risk of asphyxiation and suffocation underwater. This type of mining has been reported in places like Philippines (see E/C.12/MDG/CO/2).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- In quarries, children dig out stones, transport them on their heads and backs and spend long hours crushing stones into smaller pieces to be used in the construction industry. In the coal-mining sector, some children start working from the age of 4 but the majority of child workers start between the ages of 12 and 14. The majority of these children, accompanied or unaccompanied, work between 7 and 9 hours a day.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- Children who work above ground (carrying and breaking coal) are exposed to heatstroke and sunstroke. They also work longer hours than the children who work underground (cutting, digging and pulling trolleys of coal). For the children who get wages, the long hours are not reflected in their wages. According to the information received by the Special Rapporteur, children who ask for more pay are often verbally or physically threatened, punished by being beaten or left locked in mines.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- The growth of children is often stunted as a result of carrying heavy loads of stones, sand and gravel. These children also complain of exhaustion and muscle pain in the arms, shoulders and legs.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- Various reports site that children working in quarries are exposed to various accidents, such as head injuries or the loss or injury of fingers and toes, which reduces their physical abilities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- Some children try to combine working in the mines or quarries and going to school, as many of them need to work in order to assume the costs related to their education. However, these children are often tired, physically and mentally, and hence are often absent from class or lack the time to do their homework, rest in an adequate way or participate in recreational activities. This combination of factors results in their repeating classes, either a semester or a whole year. The school dropout rates increase drastically at 10 years old and is more pronounced at the secondary level of education, the majority of mining communities lacking secondary schools.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Education
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 68
- Paragraph text
- Studies show that such child slavery not only has a negative impact on the health, well-being and education of the child, but also later has a negative economic impact on communities and countries. According to the findings of these studies, children who work are more likely to have children who will also work and not go to school. Consequently, the poverty gets passed on from one generation to another.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- Both boys and girls are found working in artisanal mining and quarrying, but, as they grow up, they are attributed different tasks.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 70
- Paragraph text
- The boys are mainly found in underground and underwater extraction. They face the dangers of working inside the mines. Most of the girls are found above ground, breaking down the rocks and processing the minerals.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- The overall majority of children who work in artisanal mining and quarrying are boys. However, the number of boys and girls working in mines varies from country to country. In countries like Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania, the majority of children working in the mines are boys. Furthermore, in countries like the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru, as a result of cultural beliefs, girls are normally not allowed to enter mines or work outside the mines processing the ore and sifting the mineral from the slag (see E/C.12/MDG/CO/2). However, in Mongolia, the majority of children who work under the age of 13 are girls.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 72
- Paragraph text
- In addition to working in artisanal mining and quarrying, girls also perform domestic household tasks which involve cooking, taking care of siblings, cleaning supplying tools and food to other miners, carrying water and washing clothes. While performing these additional duties, girls are exposed to chemically contaminated water, food and soil. Women and girls are also found around the mines selling food, water and tools.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Environment
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 73
- Paragraph text
- Girls, especially unaccompanied girls, working in and around the mines and quarries are vulnerable to rape and sexual exploitation. Sexual exploitation can start from the age of 9 but many of the girls involved are aged between 13 and 17 years. In some mining communities like those in Burkina Faso and Niger, it is believed that male child miners will have greater luck in the mining pits if they have sexual intercourse with a virgin or have unprotected sexual intercourse and do not wash before going underground (see E/C.12/MDG/CO/2). Child prostitution also occurs in the mining communities. For example, in Ghana, girls as young as 12 living in gold-mining communities are found in prostitution (ibid.). A United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) study on sexual exploitation of children around mines and quarries found four main types of exploitation: prostitution on a regular basis, occasional prostitution, companionship or temporary unions, and forced prostitution.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 74
- Paragraph text
- Consequently, mining and quarrying communities often have a high rate of STIs (such as HIV and AIDS), teenage pregnancies and single-parent households. Chemical contamination from artisanal mining can be a risk to an unborn child or breastfeeding children.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 75
- Paragraph text
- The present chapter shows how if one principal crime goes unpunished, it makes way for -sometimes more complex - subsequent secondary crimes which are dependent on the principal crime. In this case, the fact that child slavery in mines and quarries goes unpunished has led to a series of other human rights violations, such as rape and sexual exploitation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 76
- Paragraph text
- To conclude, the nature and effects of child slavery in this sector on the health and education of children, as well as the violations of their rights to play and have recreational activities, limits their ability to fully develop their physical, intellectual and emotional capacities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 77
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur highlights the following five challenges in eradicating child slavery in artisanal mining and quarrying.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 78
- Paragraph text
- First, there are legal and enforcement challenges. This is due to the absence of legislation or inadequate legislation, lack of criminalization and the lack of enforcement or adequate enforcement of legislation relating to children working in slavery within the artisanal mining and quarrying sector. Where legislation exists, it is often complex and only favours the owner of the mine or quarry, not the workers - particularly in the case of the children. Additionally, where legislation exists in the form of bans on artisanal mining and quarrying, such activity is driven further underground. This increases the risk of violations of the rights of the children who work, as they are even more isolated and restricted in their movements in order to keep their work secretive.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 79
- Paragraph text
- Second, poverty, in particular rural poverty, is not only a cause but also an obstacle to eradicating slavery in artisanal mining and quarrying. Reports state that a working child incurs huge future income losses due to the negative impact working has on his human capital, health and education. In the case of child slavery in artisanal mining and quarrying, the negative impact is likely to be worse. With the lack of investment in rural livelihoods and alternatives to subsistence farming, mining - particularly gold-mining - is regarded as a quick way of making money. Artisanal miners make one-three times more money from mining than from farming (see E/C.12/MDG/CO/2). However, although better paid than other occupations, it needs to be highlighted that in most of the cases, owing to factors such as debt bondage, inflated prices for basic goods and lack of basic services, wages hardly cover subsistence costs, perpetuating the need for children to work.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 80
- Paragraph text
- Third, geographical challenges also contribute to the lack of proper enforcement of the law and Government programmes. Mines and quarries are usually found in remote, hard-to-access areas of the country. Those who live in remote areas establish "frontier communities". In some instances, Governments refer to difficulties in accessing these areas owing to internal armed conflict, organized crime or poor transport infrastructure. Remoteness also contributes to lawlessness in these communities, as perpetrators of violence and exploitation know that they are not within the reach of the law.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 81
- Paragraph text
- Fourth, the lack of public awareness about the slavery conditions experienced by children working in this sector is another challenge. The lack of general understanding of what constitutes child slavery and the illegal and informal nature of some artisanal mining and quarrying contribute to the difficulty in collecting data and information on where and how many children are involved in this work. This lack of knowledge makes it difficult to prevent, address and regulate child slavery. Knowledge would allow decision-makers at all levels to make better choices in tackling child slavery in this sector.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 82
- Paragraph text
- Lastly, unregulated artisanal mines and quarries pose serious medium- and long-term risks to food security and the environment. They are the cause of rapid deforestation, destruction of landscape, soil erosion and loss of biodiversity. Water, soil and air contamination occur as a result of: cyanide and mercury poisoning; direct dumping of tailings and effluents into rivers; river siltation; and river damage in alluvial areas. Children drinking, cooking and washing in contaminated water face immediate and long-term risks to their health.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 83
- Paragraph text
- The examples below demonstrate that a multistakeholder approach involving the community, local government, NGOs and United Nations agencies is essential in combating the phenomenon of child slavery in mining and quarrying.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 84
- Paragraph text
- ILO is leading a global programme entitled "Minors out of Mining", which includes at least 15 countries and partners from the mining industry such as the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) and the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), along with Communities and Small-Scale Mining (CASM). The aim of the programme is to effectively and efficiently deal with child exploitation in the informal mining and quarrying sector. Projects at the national level are designed to address the root causes and combat child labour in small-scale mining. Governments lead the work with support from workers, donors, employers and communities. ILO has implemented successful projects to stop children working in mines in many countries, such as Mongolia and Philippines, which focused on increasing the educational and vocational training opportunities for children. In Philippines, their project also focused on providing alternative livelihood schemes for the parents of children working in the mines.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 85
- Paragraph text
- Another successful ILO example is the programme for the prevention and progressive elimination of child labour in small-scale traditional gold-mining in Latin America, which had regional, national and local components and was aimed at contributing to the elimination of child labour in small-scale mining in the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. Successful intervention elements identified included: the establishment or improvement of social services, such as education services for children and health services for all the population; improvement of the technology for mining exploitation and health conditions and job security; giving impetus for micro-enterprises for mothers/fathers of children that had been working in mining and creation of income-generating alternatives for women; creation and strengthening of grass-roots organizations, and giving impetus to a local development processes with the participation of various actors.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 86
- Paragraph text
- In order to influence market forces and encourage ethical demand of minerals, initiatives such as the Fairtrade and Fairmined Standard for Gold from Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining, including Associated Precious Metals have been started. This initiative is led by the Alliance for Responsible Mining and the world renown, Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International. This standard aims to promote, among other things, human rights, the elimination of children working in this sector, the formalization of artisanal and small-scale mining and traceability of the mineral produced. The standard is currently being used by artisanal and small-scale mining communities in Latin America and scoping studies are being done to check the feasibility of using the standard in Africa and Asia.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 87
- Paragraph text
- In order to address poverty, social protection programmes that provide compensation to families for the loss of earnings from children's labour can be effective. Programmes such as Bolsa Familia in Brazil, conditional cash transfer programmes which provide direct cash transfers to poor families who keep their children in school and under regular medical supervision, have significantly contributed to the reduction of child labour. Between 2003 and 2007, Bolsa Familia had successfully raised 20 million people out of poverty, reducing poverty from 22 to 7 per cent.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 88
- Paragraph text
- A multistakeholder approach at all levels is required to combat child slavery in the mining and quarrying sector. States, under the leadership of a high-ranking Government official, should establish a multistakeholder team, with Government officials from different ministries dealing with child slavery, representatives from civil society organizations (CSOs) and experts who can develop, coordinate, deliver and monitor well-resourced plans to eradicate child slavery in this sector. Such a multistakeholder approach should focus on the following: the enactment and enforcement of legislation prohibiting children working in the mining and quarrying sector; the establishment of policies and programmes to implement the law; compulsory primary education; poverty reduction programmes that include social protection programmes and alternative employment opportunities; and measures to address the overall welfare of the child.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 89
- Paragraph text
- States should ensure that the best interests of the child are at all times paramount in any programme or policy related to children subject to child slavery in this sector. States should also cooperate on a bilateral, regional and international basis, with the assistance of CSOs, in order to eliminate child slavery in this sector. The areas in which child mining and quarrying occur in a country are likely to be geographically distinct. Therefore, programmes developed should clearly focus on making specific interventions adapted for each area of the country.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 90
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur recommends that States ratify fully and implement all relevant international legal instruments to prevent child slavery such as the 1926 Slavery Convention, the 1956 Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 91
- Paragraph text
- Governments should also sign and ratify all relevant ILO Conventions. In conformity with ILO Convention No. 182, Governments should adopt legislation that prohibits children from working in mines and quarries for both the formal and informal sector. Governments which have not yet established a list of hazardous work for children in conformity with ILO recommendation No. 190 need to do so urgently and include in such a list the work performed in the mining and quarrying sector as both types of work are by their very nature and the conditions in which they are performed hazardous work as defined in article 3 of ILO recommendation No. 190. Governments that have already established such a list need to ensure that work performed in the mining and quarrying sector is included or revise the list accordingly.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 92
- Paragraph text
- In addition to the general prohibition of slavery and forced labour in criminal legislation, Governments should also include explicit and broad prohibition in their legislation on children working in all types of mining and in all the operations linked to the mining and quarrying process.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 93
- Paragraph text
- Governments should effectively implement all legislation that prohibits child slavery in mines and quarries by ensuring effective investigation, prosecution, and punishment that is commensurate to the crime committed. Governments should also proactively investigate and prosecute other crimes committed around mines and quarries, such as sexual exploitation of children. Compensation and adequate rehabilitation for victims of child slavery should also be provided for in the laws prohibiting child slavery in this sector.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 94
- Paragraph text
- Labour legislation also needs to be revised, where necessary, so that it includes an explicit prohibition of the work performed by children in the mining and quarrying sector. All relevant legislation regulating this sector, including the legislation relevant to the artisanal mining and quarrying, must include a clear prohibition on children working in this sector.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 95
- Paragraph text
- Governments should increase the means for enforcing the law by allocating sufficient resources for labour inspection services. The legislation should provide for regular inspections of mines and quarries, and special training and information on child slavery should be given to inspectors responsible for this sector. The Special Rapporteur encourages Governments to take inspiration from the experience of the Brazilian mobile inspection units that -with protection from the federal police - undertake inspections in remote areas. Where crimes are committed, there should be prompt, effective investigation and prosecution of those exploiting children. The criminal penalties should be commensurate with the crimes committed.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 96
- Paragraph text
- Governments should establish clear and transparent procedures for gaining licences in artisanal mining and quarrying that benefit both the owner and the miners and expressly prohibit children working in this sector.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 97
- Paragraph text
- Governments should establish effective and accessible information and complaints mechanisms for victims such as an ombudsperson for children and allow for third parties to bring forward cases on behalf of children who have been victims of slavery. Governments should also provide victims of child slavery with adequate and unconditional assistance for their protection, rehabilitation and reintegration, including by funding and/or working with relevant international and NGOs.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 98
- Paragraph text
- In order to develop national policies against child labour, most States have created multisectoral insitutions to prevent and eradicate child labour, made up of governmental authorities, representatives of the workers' union, representatives of the employers' union, NGOs and international organizations, the main task of which is to articulate national action plan for the prevention and eradication of child labour. These institutions should have specific programmes to prevent and eradicate child slavery in the mining and quarrying sector. They should also develop and implement policies and social programmes targeting children working in the mines and quarries. Such policies and programmes need to be translated for use at the local levels. In countries most advanced in terms of decentralization, the regional, municipal and local governments have an increasing role with regard to the education, health and protection of children and youth services. Local governments, policies and programmes, because of their proximity to the reality of children and their families, are essential for the development of sustainable and effective actions for the eradication of child working in the mining and quarrying sector. These plans should have sufficient human and financial resources to ensure that they are fully implemented.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 99
- Paragraph text
- Education is widely considered to be the most effective tool for tackling child labour as it keeps children in school and away from work. The Special Rapporteur believes that this tool can also be used to prevent child slavery in mining and quarrying. Primary education should be made accessible and free or affordable for children and training programmes need to be set up for parents. Governments need to assign resources to build schools in artisanal mining and quarrying areas and adequately train teachers to identify children's problems and needs. The standard of education needs to be improved at all levels and the Government must provide secondary schooling and vocational training which is often absent. Recreational facilities should also be built to occupy children out of school hours, as parents often see mining and quarrying as a way to keep their children busy and out of trouble. The Ministry of Education should be allocated the necessary budget to implement these programmes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Education
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 100
- Paragraph text
- Adult literacy or vocational training should also be provided for parents working within the mines so as to increase their access to better paid alternative livelihoods. Increased wages will also enable them to send their children to school.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 101
- Paragraph text
- Poverty reduction programmes, such as cash transfer programmes, should be expanded with a specific focus on geographical areas where artisanal mining and quarrying occurs. These programmes should benefit only those whose children attend school and gain regular medical care. This would help improve their well-being.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Environment
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 102
- Paragraph text
- Economic alternatives, which provide the same income, need to be offered to working mining and quarrying families. Alongside the provision of economic alternatives, Governments should work with international organizations and CSOs to monitor this sector in order to transform it and ensure better pay and working conditions. This could then provide an income for families based on the labour of adults in a relatively safe working environment.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 103
- Paragraph text
- For adults who continue to mine and quarry, Governments should also provide alternative livelihoods through which they can supplement the family income. This would increase the economic security of the families and diminish their need for child labour. A proven effective strategy in fighting child slavery is to promote the development of other activities which diversify the local economy and render it less dependent on this sector.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 104
- Paragraph text
- Given that some children working in this sector are doing so with their families, the family needs to be the main focus of work in this area. Work needs to be done with families to emphasize the high risks and dangers to which children are exposed.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 105
- Paragraph text
- Governments should provide incentives for companies to explore technologies allowing minerals to be traced to their source. This information could then help Governments to ascertain who produced the minerals and under what conditions (including use of child slavery). Governments can then monitor and prosecute those that use child slavery.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 106
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur notes that, although quarrying holds many of the same risks to children as mining, there are more programmes focused on mining than on quarrying and urges all actors to intervene to eliminate child slavery in quarrying.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Environment
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 107
- Paragraph text
- Companies should comply with all applicable laws and respect human rights standards, particularly those on child labour and slavery-like practices. Businesses are required to comply with international agreements ratified by the country in which they operate and when they operate internationally. As proposed by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, companies, when conducting business with State or non-State entities and entities in its value chain, should either by action or omission: avoid causing or exacerbating adverse human rights impacts through their own activities, and address such impacts when they occur; and seek to prevent or mitigate adverse human rights impacts that are directly linked to their operations, products or services by their business relationships, even if they have not contributed to those impacts (see report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, A/HRC/17/31, para 13 ff.).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 108
- Paragraph text
- Businesses should exercise due diligence and ensure that their use of natural resources does not result in the violation of the human rights of children.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 109
- Paragraph text
- In order to address other human rights violations that have an effect on the child, the Special Rapporteur recommends that Governments adopt measures that respect, protect and fulfil the rights of child as stipulated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 110
- Paragraph text
- Governments should provide employers with information about affordable and alternative methods by which to reduce the adverse environmental impact on water, soil and air. This would benefit the health of the children living around the mines and quarries. Governments should also provide incentives for employers who meet environmental safety standards and work with United Nations agencies such as UNEP and the Global Mercury Project which was set up by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Global Environment Facility, which already have experience in mitigating the environmental impact of gold-mining.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 111
- Paragraph text
- Governments should establish programmes to create awareness in frontier communities about the health risks they face particularly with regard to handling toxic chemicals such as mercury, cyanide and lead. The communities should undergo testing for contamination and those contaminated should be provided with medical care. Local health workers should be clinically trained on how to prevent, diagnose and treat contamination. These programmes should also extend to ensure that workers are made aware of the less visible and long-term negative impact on the environment (soil, water) which threatens food security and biodiversity.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 112
- Paragraph text
- Governments should provide frontier communities with basic services such as potable water and sanitary facilities. Governments should also provide health clinics and ensure that communities can access good-quality health services free of charge or at an affordable price. This would improve family living and health conditions and thereby diminish their expenses and their need to bring children to work with them.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 113
- Paragraph text
- CSOs and international organizations should work to ensure that alternative childcare services are also available so that mothers are not in a situation in which they take children with them to the mining and quarrying sites because of the lack of specific places to take care of children while they are working.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Contemporary forms of slavery affecting persons belonging to ethnic, religious and linguistic minority communities
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2022
- Document code
- A/HRC/51/26
Document
Contemporary forms of slavery in the informal economy
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2022
- Document code
- A/77/163
Document
Contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2020
- Document code
- A/75/166
Document
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2016
- Document code
- A/HRC/33/46
Document
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 5
- Paragraph text
- The practice of debt bondage, also known as bonded labour, is one of the four practices similar to slavery or forms of servitude that are addressed in the Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery, of 1956. Although servitude in international law has not been defined by an international instrument and the distinction between servitude and slavery has not been fully established, it has been considered that "servitude should be understood as human exploitation falling short of slavery. That is to say, such exploitation which does not manifest powers which would normally be associated with ownership, whether de jure or de facto". Debt bondage is a type of servitude but can also be characterized as slavery if characteristics denoting ownership are present. Furthermore, debt bondage can also be classified as forced labour under the International Labour Organization (ILO) Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29). That Convention establishes debt bondage as "work or service which is exacted from any person under the menace of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered himself voluntarily". Although debt bondage is not included in the definition of forced labour, there is a general consensus that the two practices overlap.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 6
- Paragraph text
- People enter the status or condition of debt bondage when their labour, or the labour of a third party under their control, is demanded as repayment of a loan or of money given in advance, and the value of their labour is not applied towards the liquidation of the debt or the length of the service is not limited and/or the nature of the service is not defined. Consequently, bonded labourers are often trapped into working for very little remuneration, or in some cases none, to repay the loan or advance, even though the value of their labour exceeds that sum of money.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- In situations of debt bondage, the power imbalance between the employer (or creditor) and the worker often increases the worker's vulnerability to further human rights abuses. Employers and creditors are reported to adjust interest rates, to make further deductions arbitrarily as penalties for perceived poor performance, and/or to charge high prices for basic goods or working tools resulting in an increase of the debt and the perpetuation of deeply exploitative situations. Furthermore, bonded labourers are often subjected to physical and psychological abuse, to abusive conditions of work, such as long working hours, to dangerous and unhealthy work, and to severe restrictions on their freedom of movement, including in relation to changing employment. Children in debt bondage can be particularly vulnerable to additional violations of their human rights, as they lack access to education as well as to opportunities to participate in cultural and recreational activities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- The definition of debt bondage in the Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery is sufficiently broad to cover the situation of workers trapped in debt bondage in systemic, archaic, feudal systems of slave-labour exploitation, as well as that of migrant workers from developing countries who leave their countries accruing debt to cover the costs associated with recruitment. Debt bondage is closely related to a number of forms of exploitation, including forced labour, the abuse of migrant workers, trafficking, and the worst forms of child labour. It has been observed that debt bondage is an area in which the relationship between trafficking and forced labour practices is particularly strong. Debt is considered to be a key source of vulnerability to trafficking and is one of the mechanisms used to force victims to work in exploitative or abusive conditions.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- Debt bondage occurs worldwide and is not confined to any one country or region and it occurs across various sectors of the economy. A global trend can be seen whereby vulnerable people, including those belonging to minority groups, indigenous people, women, children, people determined as being of low caste, and migrant workers, are disproportionately impacted by debt bondage. As will be discussed below, many victims of debt bondage face multiple and intersecting sources of discrimination which make them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- ILO estimated in 2012 that 20.9 million people worldwide were victims of forced labour. These figures refer to all forms of forced labour, however given the close interrelationship with debt bondage, the figures offer some insight into debt bondage prevalence trends globally. The Asia-Pacific region accounts for the highest absolute number of victims of forced labour: 11.7 million, or 56 per cent of the global total. The second-highest number is in Africa, with 3.7 million (18 per cent), followed by Latin America and the Caribbean, with 1.8 million (9 per cent). Developed economies and the European Union account for 1.5 million victims of forced labour (7 per cent), while the non-EU countries of Central, South-East and Eastern Europe and the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States have 1.6 million (7 per cent). In the Middle East, there are an estimated 600,000 victims (3 per cent). ILO has noted that the average period of time that victims spend in forced labour is approximately 18 months, with significant variation according to the forms of forced labour and across regions. The ILO data also illustrates that forced labour affects international migrants, internally displaced persons and people in their home countries. ILO estimates that there are 9.1 million victims (44 per cent) who have moved either internally or internationally, and 11.8 million (56 per cent) who are subjected to forced labour in their place of origin or residence.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- In Africa, debt bondage has been reported in sectors such as mining and agriculture, particularly in countries that are members of the Southern African Development Community, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia and Zimbabwe have been identified as being home to adults and children who are subjected to debt bondage or trafficking while working in the mining sector. Forced labour in the mining sector has been reported to involve multinational corporations that work on the extraction of precious metals or minerals. In the Kivu provinces in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, debt bondage has been reported as one of the most common forms of contemporary slavery in mines. Workers contract debts to purchase food, supplies and working tools when they start working and continue to accrue debt in order to meet their basic needs. Most of the workers in debt bondage in North Kivu province come from other eastern provinces.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- It has also been reported that indigenous peoples in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are subjected to practices similar to slavery, including debt bondage, by the Bantu majority. Indigenous peoples are often trapped in debt bondage by Bantu "masters" who often sell them goods such as clothes, food and medicine at inflated prices and add exorbitant rates of interest if the goods are not paid for on time and who demand their work in return. It is also a common practice for the Bantu to create new debts in order to sustain the exploitation of bonded labourers. For example, it has been reported that they provide food to indigenous children and then add inflated costs to the debts of parents.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Families
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- In Malawi, situations of debt bondage are reported to be prevalent within the tobacco industry. This sector is a major source of employment in Malawi and generates a significant amount of income for the country. Tobacco is traditionally grown by farmers who use waged workers, temporary workers and also tenants (workers to whom farmers provide land, food and housing and to whom they loan agricultural tools, the costs of which are deducted from future profits). The relationship between tenants and estate or farm owners has been reported to be largely exploitative, leading to a situation of debt bondage. The costs charged to tenants by the estate or farm owners exceed the amount received from tobacco sales due to manipulation of the debts. This leads to tenants, who are reportedly predominantly male, and their families, becoming trapped in situations of debt bondage. In 2013, the Special Rapporteur on the right to food estimated that 300,000 tobacco tenant families were living in extremely precarious situations in Malawi (see A/HRC/25/57/Add.1, para. 47). Since 1995, the Government has made several attempts to enact a specific law on tenancy labour but has yet not successfully developed such legislation. A tenancy labour bill was first drafted in 1995, and the latest version, from 2012, is still under debate.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- The practice of debt bondage in South Asia is reported to be widespread, particularly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. The existence of debt bondage has also been reported in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. However the majority of those in debt bondage are reported to be in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, despite the specific prohibition on such practices within the legal frameworks of these countries. Those who are trapped in debt bondage in South Asia are reportedly predominantly Dalits, persons of "low" caste, indigenous peoples or members of other minority groups.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- In traditional forms of debt bondage in South Asia, patronage assumes an important role in the employer-employee relationship, in that the labour and the life of the debtor become collateral for the debt accrued. In some cases, such patronage perpetuates the cycle of debt from one generation to the next. However, this generational debt bondage has decreased over the years and has been replaced by a more individualized temporary and/or seasonal form of bondage that is exclusively economic and lacks the dimension of patronage. This form of debt bondage, also known as "neo-bondage", is considered to involve the seasonal movement of migrant workers within and between countries. Such workers are recruited by intermediaries who usually demand the payment of an advance and the settlement of wages at the end of the contract in exchange for their intermediation. Neo-bondage is similar to traditional forms of bondage, in the sense that the men, women and children vulnerable to such practices mainly belong to marginalized communities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Men
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- Women and children often become trapped in situations of bonded labour because of debt contracted by an authoritative member of the family or as a result of the family's status. Children can also enter into bonded labour by inheriting a debt from a parent or other family member or they can be pledged individually to work in various sectors. The individual pledging of children has been identified as a phenomenon characterized by the recruitment of children through intermediaries who give their parents an advance. Such women and children are often vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse from employers. Cases of abduction of family members have been reported as a result of labourers seeking help to achieve release from bondage. Indirect bondage is prevalent in sectors such as agriculture and the brick kiln industry, in which women and children are reportedly bonded through the male household head. Women and children can also often be bonded in their own right, for example in domestic work, fish processing, silk farming, bangle production, or carpet making and weaving.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- In India, debt bondage is geographically widespread and has been reported to be prevalent in sectors such as the brick kiln industry, stone quarries, mining, manufacturing of beedi (Indian cigarettes), carpet weaving, construction, agriculture, power looms and cotton handlooms, as well as fish processing. Such practices are reported to be present in both the formal and the informal sectors. A survey conducted in 10 States in 1978 and 1979 by the Gandhi Peace Foundation and the National Labour Institute, which remains the most detailed survey on debt bondage, estimated the total number of bonded labourers in the agricultural sector at 2.62 million. The majority of people who are in debt bondage are Dalits, of "low" caste, or indigenous peoples - also referred to as members of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- In the western and central parts of Tamil Nadu, a high number of adolescent girls reportedly work as bonded labourers under the sumangali scheme in textile mills and garment factories, which is a major hub in the global knitwear sector that supplies international brands. The majority of these workers are reported to belong to Dalit communities and are aged between 14 and 18 years. Debt bondage is also reported in power loom workshops located in the Tiruppur region of Tamil Nadu, which produce woven cloth both for domestic manufacturers and for global suppliers. Those affected by debt bondage in this region are reported to include members of Dalit communities and other poor communities and to include both men and women. Furthermore, some non-agricultural industries in which debt bondage among children is reported to exist include carpet weaving, beedi making, silk production, silk sari production, the brick kilns and stone quarries.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- In Pakistan, debt bondage has been reported in industries such as the brick kilns, agriculture, fisheries, mining, carpet weaving and glass bangle production, among others. Debt bondage is primarily concentrated in the provinces of Sindh and Punjab in agriculture, and in the brickmaking industry where often entire families are held in bondage. Landless sharecroppers (haris) in Sindh and brickmakers (patheras) in Punjab are the most affected by debt bondage. It has been reported that bonded labourers are often held in captivity by armed guards or their family members are held as hostages, severely limiting the freedom of movement both of the bonded labourers and of their families. The estimates reported by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan pertaining to the period from 2011 to 2014 on the number of releases of bonded labourers ordered by courts in Sindh indicate that the largest number of releases occurred in the districts of Mirpur Khas, Sanghar and Umerkot. Furthermore, natural disasters such as the monsoon floods in 2010 have had a negative impact on the levels of debt bondage in agriculture and have increased migration-based bonded labour in numerous sectors such as construction and brickmaking. Debt bondage in Pakistan is mainly found among minorities, such as non-Muslims (Hindus or Christians) or Muslims who have converted from Hinduism.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Families
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- In Nepal, bonded labour can be found in sectors such as agriculture, cattle rearing, domestic labour, the brick kiln industry, embroidered textiles and the stone-breaking industry. A United Nations assessment carried out in 2011 suggested that 547,000 individuals in Nepal were in forced and bonded labour. A large proportion of bonded labourers were reported to be involved in traditional forms of agricultural bonded labour, such as haruwa-charuwa, haliya or kamaiya. The majority of kamaiya labourers were released following the declaration in 2000 that abolished the system and the enactment of the Bonded Labour (Prohibition) Act, 2058 (2002). However, traces of the kamaiya system still remain, particularly where government action aimed at identification, release and rehabilitation has not reached those affected. In 2008 the Government abolished the haliya system and cancelled the debts of haliya bonded labourers, but in the absence of a comprehensive rehabilitation programme some reportedly remain trapped in debt bondage. A study conducted by ILO between 2008 and 2010 addressing forced labour of adults and children in agriculture, with a particular focus on the haruwa-charuwa system in central and eastern Tarai and the haliya system in the far western hills, found that haruwa-charuwa and haliya households accounted for 72 per cent of adults in forced labour. The ILO study also estimated that 33.5 per cent of the 89,545 working children aged from 5 to 17 were in forced labour, 62 per cent of whom were male and 38 per cent of whom were female. The vast majority of bonded labourers in Nepal are reported to be Dalits, persons of "low" caste, indigenous peoples or members of religious minorities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- In Latin America, debt bondage mainly affects marginalized communities, including those impacted by poverty, indigenous peoples, those living in rural areas and persons of African descent. Victims of debt bondage are often recruited to work within their own locality or transported to areas where there are new commercial developments. They work in a range of industries, including production of charcoal and pig iron, timber processing and agriculture. Debt bondage has been reported in countries such as the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Guatemala and Peru, where there are high proportions of indigenous peoples.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- Most of the bonded labour documented in these countries is of short duration and thus resembles the "neo-bondage" described above. Workers are usually bonded for a season; only in a few cases do they remain bonded for a longer period. The recruitment of workers is generally carried out through labour contractors or intermediaries who give workers advances and promise them decent remuneration and favourable labour conditions. Furthermore, the initial debts incurred by workers through the advances provided at the time of recruitment often continue to increase due to unexplained wage deductions or to credit used at stores run by employers to buy subsistence goods that are frequently sold at inflated prices. In some cases, the geographical isolation of labour sites and the fact that employers prevent any exchanges between workers and outside traders leaves workers with no alternatives. Children and women reportedly help their male family members in the performance of tasks or provide free domestic services to the landlord.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- In Peru, debt bondage is reported to occur in the illegal logging and timber extraction industries, with mestizos (individuals of mixed colonial and indigenous descent) and indigenous peoples in the Peruvian Amazon commonly victimized. Two forms of forced labour in logging activities have been identified in the Amazon. The first involves indigenous workers being contracted to perform activities in their own communities, whereas the second sees indigenous and mestizo workers being hired to work in logging camps owned by timber bosses. Enforcement of the arrangements between workers and employers is in some cases ensured through threats and abuse, including physical violence.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Environment
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- In the Plurinational State of Bolivia, bonded labour has been reported among the indigenous Guaranis in the Chaco region and among indigenous workers and mestizos on sugar plantations, and in relation to the production of Brazil nuts in the northern Amazon. The indigenous Guaranis in the Chaco region are mainly involved in farming and ranching, in activities such as the production of corn, beans, cassava, plantain and fruits, and fishing and hunting. It is estimated that a large number of indigenous Guarani families in the Bolivian Chaco are subjected to debt bondage and forced labour and are thus referred to as "captive communities". Furthermore, every year during the sugar harvest, tens of thousands of indigenous workers and their families, recruited by intermediaries or contractors through the enganche recruitment system, migrate to Santa Cruz and Tarija.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Environment
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- In Paraguay, debt bondage has reportedly been observed among members of various indigenous ethnic groups on traditional low-technology cattle farms located in remote areas of the Chaco region. Casual workers are hired for changa work - short-term work clearing fields or bringing in the harvest, and receive very low pay or no pay for their work after employers have deducted amounts from their wages corresponding to the items purchased on credit at the estate shop. Permanent workers are employed as playeros (ranch hands) to perform a variety of tasks, such as cutting wood or milking the cows, and in some cases due to the debts they have contracted are directly or indirectly held against their will. ILO estimated in 2005 that a total of 8,000 indigenous workers could be victims of debt bondage in Paraguay.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- In Brazil, the highest incidence of what is commonly referred to as "slave labour", which includes the practice of debt bondage, is found in industries associated with the production of commodities such as live cattle, soybean, cotton, sugar and coffee. Other products identified with slave labour include vegetable charcoal and ethanol. Some of the regions reported to have a high incidence of slave labour include the states of Pará, Mato Grosso, Maranhão, Tocantins and Bahia, which also have been identified as states with a high incidence of violence and deforestation for cattle ranching. Labour intermediaries known as gatos usually recruit workers by offering them advance payments and free transport to the work site. Once they have arrived, the labourers, most of whom are males aged between 18 and 34, become indebted, as a result of items they buy on credit at the canteens run by the employer, and the charges for working tools, accommodation and transport.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- Debt bondage in the context of labour migration and trafficking is a trend that can be seen across a number of countries and sectors. Migrant workers often become trapped in situations of bondage by borrowing money at exorbitant interest rates to pay recruitment fees or by taking an advance payment from intermediaries to secure work in the country of destination. Once migrants arrive in the country of destination they are often forced to work in harsh conditions to pay back debt they have accrued. Furthermore, workers are commonly subjected to threats and physical abuse, and in some cases face severe restrictions to their freedom of movement. The vast majority of people trafficked to countries in North America, Europe and the Middle East and to other developed countries are migrant workers who are trafficked into a variety of jobs including domestic work, agricultural work, prostitution and factory work and are often controlled through debt bondage and other mechanisms.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- In the Middle East, migrant workers represent a significant portion of the labour force in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, particularly in the private sector. The individual sponsorship system, known as the kafalah system, which ties the employment and residency of a worker to a specific employer, is considered to be an arrangement that creates dependency of the worker on the employer and encourages abuses, including debt bondage. The fees charged by recruitment agencies for travel arrangements, labour contracts and other services trap migrant workers into bondage in their home countries. Consequently, migrant workers are often indebted upon arrival in the country of destination. Furthermore, practices such as the confiscation of passports, the non-payment, underpayment or delayed payment of wages, and contract substitution are considered to contribute to debt bondage. Those who are most susceptible to debt bondage in these countries are Asians who work as migrant labourers and domestic servants.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- Exploitation of migrant workers via debt bondage has also reportedly been seen in South-East Asia. In Thailand, migrant workers, primarily from neighbouring countries including Cambodia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Myanmar, are reported to have been subjected to deceptive recruitment practices that can lead to cases of debt bondage. Workers are often lured to work on fishing boats free of charge and once they start working are charged for the costs of recruitment and the travel expenses, with high interest rates.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- A number of different countries have taken measures, including the development of legislation, policies and programmes, to eradicate and prevent debt bondage and related forms of servitude. Examples of these are discussed below, and additional material is included in the annex.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- In South Asia, several countries have provisions in their national constitutions from which further enacted legislation on debt bondage flows directly. For example, article 23 of the Constitution of India prohibits trafficking in human beings, begar (debt bondage) and other similar forms of forced labour, as an enforceable right. Article 11 of the Constitution of Pakistan prohibits slavery and forced labour. Article 29 of the Constitution of Nepal prohibits debt bondage and other forms of forced labour and specifies that an employer contravening the prohibition must pay compensation. In Brazil, article 243 of the Constitution provides for the expropriation of rural or urban property in which the use of slave labour has been identified and its consignment to agrarian reform and social housing.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- In South Asia, specific legislation on debt bondage and other relevant legislation to combat debt bondage has been enacted in India, Nepal and Pakistan. In India, the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 abolishes the bonded labour system and discharges every bonded labourer from any obligation to render labour related to debts. The Act also prohibits the giving of advances to bonded labourers, obliges local governments to rehabilitate freed bonded labourers and imposes a penalty on perpetrators of up to 3 years' imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs. 2,000. The Act mandates the establishment of vigilance committees at the district and subdivisional level, with a duty to provide for the "economic and social rehabilitation" of bonded labourers. In addition, the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 prohibits the participation of children under 14 years of age in certain kinds of hazardous employment and regulates the conditions of work in other kinds of employment. Section 374 of the Indian Penal Code punishes compelling any person to labour against the will of that person, and section 370 prohibits trafficking in persons for the purpose of exploitation, which includes "physical exploitation or any form of sexual exploitation, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude, or the forced removal of organs". The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 prohibits forced or bonded labour of a member of a scheduled caste or tribe.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- Also in India, the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Rehabilitation of Bonded Labourers, introduced in 1978, establishes that the cost of rehabilitation grants is to be assumed on an equal basis by the central Government and the states, and provides Rs. 20,000 in compensation per labourer.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- In Nepal, the Bonded Labour (Prohibition) Act, 2058 (2002) abolished bonded labour in the country. The 2002 Act makes null and void all the debts contracted by persons in debt bondage and requires the establishment of freed bonded labourer rehabilitation and monitoring committees in a number of districts. The 2002 Act provides for penalties and fines for perpetrators. In 2010, the Ministry of Land Reform and Management presented a haliya system (prohibition) bill, setting out the rights of freed haliya, and establishing a rehabilitation fund, a case litigation and appeal process, and provision for punishment. However, the bill has not yet passed into law. In May 2011, the Government issued the "Freed haliya rehabilitation and monitoring guidelines", which mandated district-level task forces to update the information on freed haliya and to distribute identification cards to them within six months of their being identified.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- In Pakistan, the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1992 abolished bonded labour throughout the country. The Act prohibits any loan or advance under the bonded labour system, or compelling a person to render any form of forced labour. It also extinguishes all obligations to repay any bonded debt and provides for 2 to 5 years' imprisonment for perpetrators and/or the imposition of a fine of PRs. 50,000. The law mandates provincial governments to set up district vigilance committees, for implementation of the law and the rehabilitation of bonded labourers. The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Rules, 1995 established the responsibility of various implementing agencies and mandated the setting up of a fund for the rehabilitation of freed bonded labourers. In 2001, the Government developed the National Policy and Plan of Action for the Abolition of Bonded Labour, in which the Government committed itself to eradicating bonded labour and developing the rehabilitation fund.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- In Mauritania, Act No. 2015-031 of 10 September 2015 criminalizes slavery and punishes slavery-like practices including debt bondage. The Act provides for the possibility of third parties (those who have benefited from legal personality for at least five years) taking legal action and being a party in the proceedings (section 23).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- In Germany, subjecting a person under the age of 21 to debt bondage is penalized under the Criminal Code (section 233 (1)) with a term of imprisonment of between 6 months and 10 years. In Australia, the offence of debt bondage is penalized by 4 years' imprisonment, under section 271.8 of the Criminal Code. Furthermore, the Government of Australia has adopted the National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking and Slavery 2015-2019, which includes actions to combat debt bondage. Other measures include the setting up in 2015 of Task Force Cadena to tackle serious incidents of illegal work, visa fraud and worker exploitation, with a focus on industries such as food production and agriculture, and the establishment of the Ministerial Working Group Protecting Vulnerable Visa Holders to consider policy options to protect vulnerable foreign workers in Australia.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- Poverty is a key driver of debt bondage across the world. Bonded labourers are frequently reported to live in situations of poverty that are sustained through generations. They often do not own any assets and lack access to land, education, health care and/or decent work opportunities. The majority are trapped in debt bondage because the only source of credit they can obtain is from their employer or recruiter. Life events have been identified as triggering the need for the loans that can lead to debt bondage; these may include illness or accident, marriage, and death in the family. Loans are also commonly needed for subsistence, and for investments such as home improvements.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- People in debt bondage tend to have experienced a low level of access to education, which frequently results in illiteracy and innumeracy. This leads to a lack of alternative employment options and makes them vulnerable to exploitation from their employers. Illiteracy and innumeracy allow employers or recruiters to manipulate loans, interest rates and wages. Poor remuneration in previous employment is considered to be a major cause of debt bondage, as workers are forced to take loans or advances to cover basic subsistence needs.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Education
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- Bonded labourers commonly belong to minority groups vulnerable to discrimination, such as certain racial groups, women, indigenous people, people of "low" caste and migrant workers. The discrimination suffered by these groups frequently prevents them from accessing education, health care, clean water and credit. Furthermore, demands from bonded labourers for fair treatment, or their resistance to exploitation, often cause them to face social sanctions and boycotts that further restrict their possibility of overcoming discrimination or of leaving the situation of bondage. The discrimination faced by bonded labourers comes in some cases not only from society at large but also from other members of the same minority groups.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- Gender inequalities and discrimination make women vulnerable to bondage, as they are often excluded from the labour market and consequently are involved in unskilled and poorly paid jobs. Furthermore, discrimination against children belonging to minority groups is a factor that limits their full access to education and thus increases their vulnerability to exploitation. Many bonded labourers, including women and children, face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, which significantly increases their vulnerability to debt bondage and at the same time limits their opportunities for escaping such abuse.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- Precarious labour migration has been identified as a driver of debt bondage. Migrant workers are also often vulnerable to exploitation because of barriers they face in accessing the protections provided to nationals of the country to which they have migrated and because of generalized social hostility towards foreigners. The choices made by migrants about securing employment abroad are often based on misinformation and false promises concerning conditions of employment in destination countries. A lack of financial literacy can lead to a poor understanding of the loans taken out to pay fees, and a lack of alternatives in their home countries can incentivize migrants to take out loans on which extortionate rates of interest are charged. Furthermore, a lack of effective regulation of the recruitment sector, unethical practices by unscrupulous recruiters, late payment or the withholding of payment by employers, and exorbitant charges for services can worsen situations of debt bondage.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 44a
- Paragraph text
- [Despite the efforts of various countries to eradicate and prevent debt bondage, there are still challenges in implementing adequate measures in this regard, including:] The lack of adequate enforcement of legislation on debt bondage and on workers' rights, and of other relevant legislation for the eradication of debt bondage, and in some countries the non-existence of specific legislation on debt bondage;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 44b
- Paragraph text
- [Despite the efforts of various countries to eradicate and prevent debt bondage, there are still challenges in implementing adequate measures in this regard, including:] The lack of implementation or absence of legal measures that could prevent reprisals against victims of debt bondage when the criminal law is being used to punish perpetrators (e.g. a summary procedure in cases of debt bondage), particularly when victims and perpetrators are part of the same community;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 44c
- Paragraph text
- [Despite the efforts of various countries to eradicate and prevent debt bondage, there are still challenges in implementing adequate measures in this regard, including:] The lack of regulatory frameworks and oversight in respect of recruitment agencies or brokers that impose excessive recruitment fees or provide advances to migrant workers leaving them indebted;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 44d
- Paragraph text
- [Despite the efforts of various countries to eradicate and prevent debt bondage, there are still challenges in implementing adequate measures in this regard, including:] The limited access to justice and to effective remedies, which is often linked to the discrimination that bonded labourers suffer. Members of minority groups frequently continue to encounter discrimination, harassment and violence when seeking to access the justice system;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 44e
- Paragraph text
- [Despite the efforts of various countries to eradicate and prevent debt bondage, there are still challenges in implementing adequate measures in this regard, including:] The ineffectiveness or non-existence of adequate mechanisms to identify bonded labourers, including the lack of ongoing identification programmes conducted in the formal and informal sectors and the lack of particular methods for identifying bonded labourers. Other challenges in this regard include the insufficient resources allocated for the purposes of identification; the non-proactive attitude by officials to seeking out and finding cases of debt bondage; the lack of data, which could be obtained through surveys to identify the number of persons in debt bondage and the sectors where it is the most prevalent; and the failure by the authorities to recognize new forms of debt bondage, such as seasonal debt bondage;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 44f
- Paragraph text
- [Despite the efforts of various countries to eradicate and prevent debt bondage, there are still challenges in implementing adequate measures in this regard, including:] Deficiencies in providing protection and assistance to promote the recovery and reintegration of bonded labourers, particularly as regards ensuring that bonded labourers get an alternative means of earning a living under decent working conditions that will prevent them from relapsing into bondage. Furthermore, challenges remain regarding their access to recovery and reintegration programmes, particularly due to the fact that persons in debt bondage often do not have legal documents and due to the lack of adequate measures to ensure that such documents are obtained promptly;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 44g
- Paragraph text
- [Despite the efforts of various countries to eradicate and prevent debt bondage, there are still challenges in implementing adequate measures in this regard, including:] The absence of measures to specifically target the factors that cause or facilitate debt bondage, such as poverty, illiteracy, lack of access to decent work, social exclusion and discrimination. Also, the absence of measures to address cultural and economic pressures in some countries (e.g. in relation to marriage) and to ensure access to education, health and social security;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 44h
- Paragraph text
- [Despite the efforts of various countries to eradicate and prevent debt bondage, there are still challenges in implementing adequate measures in this regard, including:] Corruption, which has reduced the effectiveness of the identification, release and recovery of bonded labourers in some countries where debt bondage is prevalent. In some cases, the authorities are influenced by pressure from employers who occupy powerful positions in the community or belong to social elites. In that context, when employers are prosecuted they may be charged with infringing more lenient laws rather than the laws on debt bondage.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- Debt bondage is a complex and multidimensional form of contemporary slavery that impacts on individuals across the world. In order to be effective in eradicating and preventing debt bondage, Governments must develop comprehensive and integrated programmes of action based upon international human rights standards, as well as on the views of those affected. Such approaches must be multifaceted and include legislative and policy measures that are effective in eradicating debt bondage and preventing such abuse, by decreasing individual vulnerability and further developing the legal and institutional framework. The vision of the Special Rapporteur for such an integrated, human rights-based approach is outlined below.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- The enactment of laws that prohibit debt bondage and adequately punish perpetrators is essential as a first step towards the eradication and prevention of this phenomenon. Such laws need to be actively enforced, along with those that are relevant to the prevention and eradication of debt bondage, including those related to regulation of recruitment agencies, the right to organize and the payment of wages. The necessary resources must be allocated to assure full implementation of the laws at all levels of government. Effective administrative institutional structures and processes must be in place to implement legislation on debt bondage. As part of such implementation efforts, enforcement officials and other State officials should be sensitized and trained in regard to relevant laws on debt bondage and the rights of victims.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- Alongside such legislation, Governments should take all possible steps to prevent and address discrimination, as a key preventative strategy against debt bondage. Anti-discrimination legislation should be in place, and programmes that reduce vulnerability to exploitation should be targeted to populations commonly affected by debt bondage. Within such efforts, specific attention should be paid to removing barriers to access to education among children from vulnerable groups. In addition, addressing gender inequalities in society at large will help to reduce the number of women in debt bondage. Ensuring that women are given the same opportunities as men and that they enjoy equal rights at work is a key step in preventing them from becoming trapped in situations of debt bondage.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- The labour inspection system must be resourced and trained in order to ensure effective monitoring of the compliance with laws on debt bondage, as well as with other relevant labour laws, for example those on forced labour, child labour, social security, wages, working conditions, health and safety, unionization, collective bargaining and equality. To that purpose, the labour inspection system should be provided with the necessary resources to monitor both the formal and informal sectors. Regulation of the labour market should also ensure that the rights to freedom of association and of peaceful assembly, as well as the right to collective bargaining, are universally upheld.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- Comprehensive national and/or regional surveys should be undertaken to identify those in bonded labour, and should include disaggregated information on those affected, by age, gender, nationality, caste or ethnic group, and to identify the industries in which debt bondage is prevalent. The existence of detailed data is a necessary step for the development of effective policies, systems and practices.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- There should be no time gap between identification of persons in debt bondage and their release on the one hand, and the start of the rehabilitation measures on the other. Effective rehabilitation and reintegration measures need to be in place to prevent relapse into debt bondage and need to be designed in consultation with released bonded labourers. Rehabilitation measures need to ensure a sustainable livelihood for freed bonded labourers, and access to rehabilitation needs to be provided. This requires the issuance of legal documents such as identity cards and birth certificates, which will also enable them to access social security and other government-run services. Children who are identified as being in debt bondage must be ensured access to education in order to support their full rehabilitation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- Interventions to support the empowerment of adults who are in debt bondage or who are vulnerable to debt bondage are necessary, both for the individuals concerned and for subsequent generations. Initiatives that ensure that bonded labourers have access to land, such as land reform in rural areas, and fairer leasing arrangements; full, free and productive employment and skill training; and affordable credit could promote the empowerment of bonded labourers and prevent debt bondage. Furthermore, the implementation of projects that facilitate access to regulated credit schemes, both for entrepreneurial purposes and for personal needs, could prevent workers from becoming trapped in debt bondage.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- In regard to migrant workers who are in debt bondage as a result of abusive recruitment practices, a comprehensive programme of initiatives needs to be implemented by States. This should include awareness-raising, training on safe migration, and capacity-building, for prospective migrants, officials from local and central government, and civil society organizations; the effective regulation of recruitment agencies and intermediaries; and regional and international cooperation on the issue.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- The practice of debt bondage is prevalent worldwide in numerous sectors of the economy and particularly affects people belonging to minority groups, including women, children, indigenous people, people of "low" caste and migrant workers. Poverty, the lack of economic alternatives, illiteracy and the discrimination that people from minority groups suffer leave them with no other option than to take a loan or advance from employers or recruiters to meet basic needs, in exchange for their work or the work of their families. People in debt bondage end up working for no wages or wages below the minimum in order to repay the debts contracted or advances received, even though the value of the work they carry out exceeds the amount of their debts. Furthermore, bonded labourers are often subjected to different forms of abuse, including long working hours, physical and psychological abuse, and violence. Debt bondage is prevalent in many countries, due to a failure by many Governments to implement effective legislation on debt bondage, including deficiencies in the areas of identification, release, rehabilitation, and the prosecution of offenders, and due to a lack of data on the prevalence of debt bondage, weak rule of law, social exclusion and discrimination.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- Under the due diligence standard, States have an obligation to exercise a measure of care in preventing and responding to the acts of private individuals. More specifically, they have a duty to protect people in debt bondage by means of adequate procedures to identify them, to provide short-term and long-term rehabilitation that prevents revictimizations, to enact legislation on debt bondage and to ensure that victims have access to justice and remedies. Furthermore, States have an obligation to prevent debt bondage through prevention of discrimination, regulation of wages, enforcement of labour law and regulation of recruitment practices, and by protecting persons in debt bondage against violations in the context of business activities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
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Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- A comprehensive, human rights-based approach to tackling debt bondage must have at its centre the compliance of States with their obligations under international law and the empowerment of freed bonded labourers and people vulnerable to debt bondage. Recommendations on the implementation of such an approach are detailed below.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Provide training and sensitize law enforcement and labour officials at the national and local levels on the identification of persons in debt bondage and on the implementation of legislation on debt bondage if it exists and other relevant labour laws to tackle debt bondage. States should ensure the enforcement of legislation on debt bondage and other relevant laws to tackle debt bondage, and should ensure that these apply to all workers and all sectors of the economy.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Undertake national and/or regional surveys to identify victims of debt bondage; these should include disaggregated information on those affected, by age, gender, nationality, caste and ethnic group, as well as information about the industries in which debt bondage is prevalent. Such surveys should cover remote areas and informal workplaces. Data collected from such surveys should be used as the basis for the development of effective legislation, policy and programmes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Ratify all relevant international instruments prohibiting slavery and slavery-like practices and other relevant international instruments pertaining to the eradication of debt bondage, including the Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29). States should align their national legislation with these international standards, in order to adequately criminalize debt bondage and provide adequate penalties for violations.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Ensure basic social security guarantees in order to reduce vulnerability to debt bondage.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Establish and/or update comprehensive national action plans for the eradication of contemporary forms of slavery including debt bondage. The national action plans should outline measures to prevent and eradicate debt bondage, and ensure the protection of persons released from debt bondage.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Invest in the capacity and knowledge of the labour inspectorate in order to detect and tackle cases of debt bondage. Ensure that the inspectorate covers all sectors impacted by debt bondage, including those within the informal sector.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Ensure that legislation is in place that regulates the payment of wages, and that such provisions are in alignment with obligations under the ILO Social Policy (Basic Aims and Standards) Convention, 1962 (No. 117).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] When children are identified as bonded labourers, ensure that they are able to reaccess education and that specific provisions are in place to support their reintegration.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] As outlined above, invest in the development of economic alternatives to reduce the push factors that drive individuals into migration that can lead to exploitative labour.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Origin and destination countries should work together to ensure the effective monitoring of the situation of migrant workers and that adequate protection systems are in place.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Put in place comprehensive programmes that allow identified bonded labourers to be able to access the support that they need to fulfil their right to rehabilitation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Develop a comprehensive system of regulation of recruitment practices in relation to migrant workers that includes the banning of recruitment fees and the issuing of licences to recruiters and other related intermediaries.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Within the design of such surveys, provisions should be included to provide immediate assistance to identified bonded labourers. The steps taken must ensure the safety of labourers and protect them from any threats or reprisals from employers.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Ensure that penal and administrative sanctions are applied to all those involved in perpetrating debt bondage and that all victims are able to access redress for harm suffered, including adequate compensation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Ensure effective regulation of private sector organizations in line with the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Invest in programmes that facilitate people's access to decent work opportunities, in order to ensure that they have economic alternatives to debt bondage.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Take all possible steps to establish effective rule of law, in particular by building the capacity of the judiciary to ensure that relevant laws are properly and consistently enforced.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] In the context of implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, continue and expand targeted poverty reduction programmes that reduce the vulnerability of the individual to debt bondage.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Integrate provisions designed to prevent stigma and prejudice against populations vulnerable to debt bondage, within all educational curricula.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Remove any forms of discrimination that negatively impact on the rights of certain groups, including girls, indigenous peoples and migrant children, to an education.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] In addition, ensure that the relevant legislative provisions declare null and void all debt contracted during any period during which a person was held in debt bondage.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Sensitize the competent authorities on the effective identification of victims of debt bondage, including by developing specific guidelines and procedures and implementing human rights-based training.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Ensure that robust anti-discrimination legislation is in place to protect groups that can become vulnerable to debt bondage because of multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Ensure that debt bondage is prohibited as a specific crime within national legal frameworks with adequate penalties for violations. Debt bondage should be included as a stand-alone violation that is treated separately from related phenomena such as forced labour or trafficking.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Take all necessary effective measures to ensure appropriate and effective remedies for victims of debt bondage, as established under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Train members of the judiciary on legal provisions relating to debt bondage and the rights of victims, in order to ensure the effective enforcement of legislation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Ensure full respect of the rights to freedom of association and of peaceful assembly, as well as the right to collective bargaining, to support decent work and the ability of bonded labourers to advocate for their rights.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Economic Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Victims of debt bondage should be ensured equal access to justice and access to effective remedies. States should ensure that persons in debt bondage who seek to access the judicial system do not encounter discriminatory attitudes and/or policies which impede access to their rights under law.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] As stated above, ensure that legislation is in place to protect from discrimination those who are vulnerable to bonded labour in order to prevent situations of exploitation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Ensure that bonded labourers are fully consulted about the development of assistance and rehabilitation programmes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] As part of such efforts, issue identity cards to former bonded labourers to ensure that they can access social security assistance and Government services.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Undertake public-awareness-raising campaigns to challenge stigma and prejudices towards groups vulnerable to debt bondage, and sensitize populations to the rights of such people.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Implement human rights-based training on the prevention and elimination of all forms of discrimination across State institutions.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Undertake multifaceted sensitization programmes targeted at bonded labourers and at risk populations to ensure that they are aware of their rights and of avenues of remedy for violations.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Ensure that those who have been subjected to debt bondage are able to access decent work opportunities to support their rehabilitation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Develop victim protection mechanisms to protect former bonded labourers in the context of judicial proceedings.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. B.
- Paragraph text
- [Recommendations to Member States:] Take all possible steps to ensure that all members of the population can fulfil their right to education.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph