A/HRC/54/30 contributory health insurance or a medical payment exemption is available to persons experiencing homelessness in Costa Rica, Morocco and the Republic of Korea. 113 59. There are also positive examples of additional assistance and support provided by States, as well as non-State actors, globally. The provision of birth registration and identity documents for persons experiencing homelessness, including children and young people in street situations, is one such example. In States, including Cameroon, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Italy, Mexico, Namibia, Peru and Thailand, children in street situations can obtain retroactive or replacement birth registration documents.114 Civil society organizations have also been playing a role in helping both children and adults to obtain legal identity documents. 115 This is quite important, as it allows persons experiencing homelessness to acquire access to essential public services, education and decent work. 60. The financial inclusion of persons experiencing homelessness is another important area. In the European Union member States, people without addresses are entitled to open a bank account, by virtue of directive 2014/92/EU (Payment Accounts Directive), which can be used to receive salaries, pensions and other support.116 Some civil society and other nongovernmental actors have also been instrumental in working with financial institutions to secure bank accounts, lines of credit and other forms of financing, such as in Denmark, Lebanon and the United Kingdom. 117 Furthermore, digital inclusion or access to digital technology among persons experiencing homelessness has been facilitated through the provision of smartphones, tablets and other devices and of access to the Internet in Czechia, France and Romania, in partnership with civil society organizations and technology companies. 118 While acknowledging those and other important initiatives, the Special Rapporteur is of the view that stronger public-private partnerships are essential, and he calls upon stakeholders from all relevant sectors to promote closer communication and collaboration, so that persons experiencing homelessness can be reintegrated into society effectively without discrimination or stigma. This would make an important contribution to the prevention of contemporary forms of slavery affecting persons experiencing homelessness. IX. Conclusions 61. It is clear that homelessness can significantly increase the risk of contemporary forms of slavery. Persons experiencing homelessness, including children and young people in street situations, are recruited and exploited in a variety of economic sectors, not only by criminal actors, but also by family members, friends and employers. Sexual exploitation also remains a serious concern. Groups in particularly vulnerable situations, such as children and young people, women, minorities, indigenous peoples, migrants, displaced persons and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex people, are disproportionately affected by homelessness and contemporary forms of slavery. In addition, homelessness can be a consequence of contemporary forms of slavery, as victims escaping from abusive employers often find themselves without a home, which may lead to their revictimization. 113 114 115 116 117 118 GE.23-12640 International Labour Organization, “Extending social health protection: accelerating progress towards universal health coverage in Asia and the Pacific” (7 December 2021); and Koen Voorend and Daniel Alvarado, “Barriers to healthcare access for immigrants in Costa Rica and Uruguay”, Journal of International Migration and Integration, vol. 24, No. 2. See https://www.streetchildren.org/legal-atlas/map/. Toybox, “Annual report”. For an analysis of this directive, see European Commission, “Study on EU payment accounts market” (26 January 2021). European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless, “Homeless services”; and Habitat for Humanity, “Country profile: Lebanon”, available at https://www.habitat.org/wherewe-build/lebanon. European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless, “Digital inclusion for homeless people for homeless service providers: an analysis of benefits, challenges and solutions”, policy paper, (July 2021). 15