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The appointment of a United Nations Special Rapporteur on Contemporary
Forms of Slavery on 28 September marks an historic step forward
in the fight against all forms of slavery.
The appointment is a clear acknowledgement of the urgent need for
international action to tackle slavery which affects at least 12
million men, women and children worldwide. People in slavery are forced
to work through coercion, deception or the threat or use of violence.
They are denied freedom, dehumanised, treated as property or bought
and sold. Even though slavery is illegal under international law,
no region is free from this abuse and slavery is found in every
region and most countries.
"The fact that the United Nations has empowered a Special
Rapporteur to investigate all slavery practices around the world
and make recommendations to governments on action they should take
to eradicate these practices, marks an important first. Anti-Slavery
International commends the United Nations for putting greater priority
on combating slavery and the United Kingdom Government for tabling
this resolution.
"It is now vital that all governments around the world respond
to this initiative by extending an open invitation to the UN Special
Rapporteur to visit their countries and by providing the Rapporteur
with their full co-operation as they carry out their mandate. Governments
should also ratify and fully implement all international standards
against slavery as a matter of priority," Aidan McQuade
Director of Anti-Slavery International said.
Over 42,900 people worldwide have supported Anti-Slavery International's
call for stronger international mechanisms to identify and resolve
instances of slavery by signing the Fight
for Freedom Declaration.
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