Presentation of Findings of the ODIHR and UN Women Policy Survey Report and Recommendations.

Many of you will have participated in the UN Women and ODIHR webinar “Presentation of Findings of the ODIHR and UN Women Policy Survey Report and Recommendations ‘Addressing Emerging Human Trafficking Trends and Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic” which took place on July 21^st. It was an excellent opportunity for discussion and knowledge exchange.

Please find a link to the recording of the webinar: https://unwomen.zoom.us/rec/share/18hzdoHi8zhJG7Ps7UD4W4gnB7zpT6a80yQY_PEImBtRkQkUMcjl2M1M4mRHggDt (password: n9#=mCmd).

On 30 July, on the occasion of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, the Policy Survey Report was published on 30^th July and you may find it here: https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/2/a/458434_1.pdf. The joint report will also be available in French, Russian and Spanish within weeks.

The report has been featured in a Fuller Project article and has also featured in a number of subsequent publications, including both the  TIME and Foreign Policy Magazine that referenced the report before its release.

STOP Trafficking Newsletter August 2020.

Anti-Trafficking Newsletter, August 2020. Vol. 18, No.8.

This month’s Newsletter offers a retrospective on the past two decades of the TIP Report (Trafficking in Person’s Report). From its initial report in July 2001, which covered 82 country narratives, right through to the most recent report which reports on  countries, it is clear there is a value in calling governments worldwide, to accountability and action against Human Trafficking. The Newsletter publishes the concerns raised by Polaris and ATEST (Alliance To End Slavery and Human Trafficking), calling for more investigation into labour trafficking and the need to hold businesses accountable for labour trafficking abuses.

Interspersed with the profiles of the 2020 TIP Heroes, we read about how some Peace Keepers and civilian personnel are complicit in human trafficking; the relationship between addition and human trafficking; an analysis of Tier placement plus country listings; Faith-based efforts to combat human trafficking; and what the TIP report says about reengineering healthcare for survivors of human trafficking.

Chillingly, the report includes reference to countries where governmental armed forces, police or other security forces or government supported armed groups that recruit or use child soldiers and the measures to be taken to reduce such governmental activities.

Finally, there is the story of Maria, a survivor of labour trafficking and her journey to this stage where Maria is now a survivor leader in her community.

Haven of Light July 2020 Modern Slavery Update

Concept Note CSO_letter_on_UNWomen_10_section_of_online_book__24_june_1_

UN ILO Labour Convention 182 on the worst forms of child labour receives universal ratification.

Formally known as Convention No. 182, the treaty, adopted two decades ago, achieved universal ratification on Tuesday, 4 August 2020, making it the most rapidly ratified Convention in the UN agency’s 101-year history.

Convention No. 182 calls for the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, which includes slavery, forced labour and trafficking.

It forbids the use of children under18 in armed conflict, prostitution, pornography, illicit activities such as drug trafficking, and in hazardous work.

“Universal ratification of Convention 182 is an historic first that means that all children now have legal protection against the worst forms of child labour,” said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder.

“It reflects a global commitment that the worst forms of child labour, such as slavery, sexual exploitation, the use of children in armed conflict or other illicit or hazardous work that compromises children’s health, morals or psychological wellbeing, have no place in our society.”

This universal ratification must surely be a source of hope and possibilities for combatting modern slavery, as the collaborative efforts by all 187 signatories to the Convention represent a powerful force for change and implementation.   

Millions of child workers

Ending child labour has been one of the main goals of the ILO, which was founded in 1919.

The UN agency estimates that 152 million children worldwide are affected, with 73 million in hazardous work.

Most child labour takes place in the agriculture sector, mainly due to poverty and parents’ difficulties in finding decent work.

Drop in child labour

The Convention was adopted by ILO member states meeting in Geneva in 1999.

It is one of the organization’s eight Fundamental Conventions, which cover issues such as the elimination of forced labour, the abolition of work-related discrimination and the rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining.

The Pacific island nation Tonga deposited its ratification instruments with the ILO on Tuesday, becoming the final country to do so.

The ILO said incidence of child labour and its worst forms dropped by almost 40 per cent between 2000 and 2016 as ratification rates increased and countries adopted laws and policies, including relating to minimum age to work.

Video reporting: https://twitter.com/i/status/1290633588027793409

Full report at: https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/08/1069492

For more information: https://lamachi.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=04cc9276f22f9a94daad4f964&id=6d8ba64797&e=7d5808bb24