Seventy-third session

Item 30 of the preliminary list

Advancement of women

Note by the Secretary-General

The Secretary-General has the honour to transmit to the General Assembly the report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences, Urmila Bhoola, in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 33/1.

REPORT OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON CONTEMPORARY FORMS OF SLAVERY, INCLUDING ITS CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES

INTRODUCTION

• 1. The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences, was established by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 6/14 of 28 September 2007 and subsequently extended by the Council in its resolutions 15/2 of 29 September 2010 and 24/3 of 26 September 2013. The current mandate holder, Urmila Bhoola, presented her first report to the General Assembly in 2017 (A/72/139), following the renewal of her mandate in September 2016 at the thirty-third session of the Human Rights Council. In that report, the Special Rapporteur discussed the Sustainable Development Goals and slavery eradication efforts, addressing, inter alia, how the continued prevalence of contemporary forms of slavery can in many ways be seen as a symptom of the weaknesses in the efforts to achieve sustainable development, and explored the systemic socioeconomic trends that have contributed to that continued widespread prevalence.

• 2. In the present report, the Special Rapporteur provides a study of the gender dimension of contemporary forms of slavery and its causes and consequences, with a particular focus on structural discrimination against women and girls as both a cause and a consequence of various manifestations of slavery (including institutions and practices similar to slavery) around the world.

• 3. The Special Rapporteur begins by outlining the provisions in international law and policies that contain guarantees of gender equality and non-discrimination in relation to the prevention and eradication of contemporary forms of slavery. The gendered causes of the phenomena are discussed and the forms of discrimination against women and girls that create and perpetuate manifestations of slavery, including forced labour, bonded labour and domestic servitude, are highlighted. The specific gendered impact of slavery that occurs in a number of economic sectors, namely, agriculture, garment work, electronics manufacturing accommodation and food services, and domestic and care work, are then outlined. The Special Rapporteur concludes by presenting recommendations to Member States and other stakeholders, including businesses, for eradicating contemporary forms of slavery.

• 4. In line with Human Rights Council resolution 33/1 and in order to inform her report, the Special Rapporteur convened an expert consultation on the gender dimensions of contemporary forms of slavery in the format of a round table. The event took place at the premises of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland, in April 2018. The Special Rapporteur is sincerely thankful to the participants for the very enriching discussions held and briefing papers submitted during the event, which have contributed to her understanding of the phenomenon and are to a great extent reflected in the present report.