RES/33/1 Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences

GE.16-17213(E)



Human Rights Council Thirty-third session

Agenda item 3

Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on 29 September 2016

33/1. Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery,

including its causes and consequences

The Human Rights Council,

Reaffirming the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that no one

shall be held in slavery or servitude and that slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited

in all their forms,

Recognizing the Slavery Convention of 1926, the Supplementary Convention on the

Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery of

1956, and the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29), of the International Labour

Organization, and other relevant international instruments that prohibit all forms of slavery

and call upon Governments to eradicate such practices,

Recalling that the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action strongly

condemned the fact that slavery and slavery-like practices still exist today in parts of the

world, and urged States to take immediate measures as a matter of priority to end such

practices, which constitute flagrant violations of human rights,

Reaffirming Human Rights Council resolutions 6/14 of 28 September 2007, 15/2 of

29 September 2010 and 24 / 3 of 26 September 2013,

Welcoming the adoption by the General Assembly of the 2030 Agenda for

Sustainable Development,1

Condemning contemporary forms of slavery, while acknowledging that it is a global

issue that affects all continents and most countries of the world, and calling upon States to

take appropriate measures as a matter of priority to end such practices,

Deeply concerned that the minimum estimate of the number of people subjected to

contemporary forms of slavery is that of 21 million victims of forced labour worldwide,

1 General Assembly resolution 70/1.

Recognizing that discrimination, social exclusion, gender inequality and poverty lie

at the heart of contemporary forms of slavery, and the particular vulnerability of migrant

workers,

Stressing the importance of criminalizing all forms of slavery through national

legislation,

Acknowledging the challenges to slavery eradication highlighted by the Special

Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences,

including the absence of legislation in some countries, deficiencies and loopholes in legal

frameworks, insufficiently dissuasive sanctions, a lack of will and/or resources for

implementing law and policy measures, the difficulty in locating and identifying victims

and the lack of effective rehabilitation measures,

Recognizing that broad international cooperation among States, and between States

and relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, is essential for

effectively countering contemporary forms of slavery,

Recalling Human Rights Council resolutions 5/1, on institution-building of the

Council, and 5/2, on the Code of Conduct for special procedure mandate holders of the

Council, of 18 June 2007, and stressing that the mandate holder shall discharge his/her

duties in accordance with those resolutions and the annexes thereto,

Convinced that the issue of contemporary forms of slavery continues to require the

attention of the Human Rights Council,

Bearing in mind the United Nations Voluntary Fund on Contemporary Forms of

Slavery and its importance for addressing the issues raised by the Special Rapporteur, in

particular the need for rehabilitation and assistance for victims of contemporary forms of

slavery,

1. Welcomes the work and takes note with appreciation of the thematic reports

of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and

consequences, including those on contemporary forms of slavery in supply chains and on

debt bondage;2

2. Also welcomes the cooperation of those States that have accepted requests for

visits by the Special Rapporteur and have responded to her requests for information;

3. Further welcomes the steps taken by States to address contemporary forms of

slavery through, inter alia, the adoption of new legislation, the revision of relevant policies

and the establishment of independent domestic mechanisms, and urges States to increase

their efforts further to combat contemporary forms of slavery;

4. Renews the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for a period of three years;

5. Decides that the Special Rapporteur shall continue to examine and report on

all contemporary forms of slavery and slavery-like practices, in particular those defined in

the Slavery Convention of 1926 and the Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of

Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery of 1956, and all

other issues covered previously by the Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery;

in the discharge of the mandate, the Special Rapporteur shall:

(a) Promote the effective application of relevant international norms and

standards on slavery;

2 A/HRC/30/35 and A/HRC/33/46.

(b) Request, receive and exchange information on contemporary forms of slavery

from Governments, treaty bodies, special procedures, specialized agencies,

intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and other relevant

sources, including on slavery practices and, as appropriate and in line with the current

practice, respond effectively to reliable information on alleged human rights violations with

a view to protecting the human rights of victims of slavery and preventing violations;

(c) Recommend action and measures applicable at the national, regional and

international levels to eliminate slavery practices wherever they occur, including remedies

that address the causes and consequences of contemporary forms of slavery, such as

poverty, discrimination and conflict, and the existence of demand factors and relevant

measures to strengthen international cooperation;

(d) Focus principally on aspects of contemporary forms of slavery that are not

covered by existing mandates of the Human Rights Council;

6. Requests the Special Rapporteur, in carrying out the mandate, to continue:

(a) To give careful consideration to specific issues within the scope of the

mandate and to include examples of effective practices and relevant recommendations;

(b) To take account of the gender and age dimensions of contemporary forms of

slavery;

7. Also requests the Special Rapporteur to participate in relevant international

dialogues and policy forums related to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for

Sustainable Development, particularly the implementation of Goal 8, and to advise States,

intergovernmental organizations, civil society and other stakeholders on the effective

respect, protection and fulfilment of human rights of those affected by contemporary forms

of slavery in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and to undertake thematic research on

the effective implementation of Goal 8, with a particular focus on target 8.7;3

8. Encourages the Special Rapporteur to compile and analyse examples of

national legislation relating to the prohibition of slavery and slavery-like practices in order

to assist States in their national efforts to combat contemporary forms of slavery;

9. Calls upon all Governments to cooperate with and assist the Special

Rapporteur in the performance of the tasks and duties mandated, to supply all necessary

information requested by the mandate holder, and to give serious consideration to

responding favourably to the Special Rapporteur’s requests to visit their countries so as to

enable the mandate holder to fulfil the mandate effectively;

10. Encourages the United Nations, including its specialized agencies, regional

intergovernmental organizations, Governments, independent experts, interested institutions

and non-governmental organizations to cooperate to the fullest extent possible with the

Special Rapporteur in the fulfilment of the mandate;

11. Encourages States to consider contributing to the United Nations Voluntary

Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery;

12. Encourages the Special Rapporteur to continue to cooperate fully and

effectively with all other relevant existing human rights mechanisms, and the United

Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, taking full account of

their contribution while avoiding duplication of their work;

3 Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human

trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including

recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms.

13. Requests the Special Rapporteur to submit reports on the implementation of

the mandate to the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly in accordance with

their annual programmes of work.

38th meeting

29 September 2016

[Adopted without a vote.]