A/HRC/50/33
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
25 April 2022
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Fiftieth session
13 June–8 July 2022
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Trafficking in persons in the agriculture sector: human
rights due diligence and sustainable development
Report of the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially
women and children, Siobhán Mullally
Summary
The present report of the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially
women and children, Siobhán Mullally, was prepared pursuant to Human Rights Council
resolution 44/4.
Characterized by high levels of informality, lack of oversight and protection,
trafficking in persons remains a serious concern within the agricultural sector, affecting both
adults and children. Temporary, seasonal and migrant workers are provided with limited
protection and remain at risk of exploitation. Discrimination on grounds of race, ethnicity,
migration status, gender and disability create conditions within which trafficking occurs with
impunity. Restrictive migration policies persist, despite demand for agricultural workers. The
coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic saw the designation of agricultural workers as
“essential”, yet this did not lead to improved worker protections or expanded safe migration
pathways. Child labour remains prevalent within the agriculture sector, with continuing
significant risks of trafficking affecting both boys and girls. The growth of agribusiness and
the power of corporations, combined with the rapid pace of climate change, have further
exacerbated risks of trafficking in persons. Agriculture, and specifically intensive
agriculture, is contributing negatively to climate change, reflecting the wider nexus between
trafficking in persons, environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity and the climate crisis.
Land inequality, particularly affecting women and girls, remains a key driver of exploitation,
including trafficking for forced labour. Linked to legacies of colonialism, conflict, patriarchal
family and State structures, and racial discrimination, land inequality is exacerbated by the
growth of large-scale industrial farming models and limited enforcement of international
human rights law and labour standards. The present report examines the continuing
prevalence of trafficking in persons in the agricultural sector, in particular, for purposes of
forced labour. In the report, the Special Rapporteur highlights the importance of mandatory
human rights and environment due diligence measures to combat trafficking in persons
within the agriculture sector to achieve the goals of sustainable development.
GE.22-06097(E)