Report of the Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery of the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities.

1989/35. Report of the Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery of the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities

The Commission on Human Rights, Recalling the provisions of 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 Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others of 1949, Having noted the report of the Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery submitted to the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities at its fortieth session (E/CN.4/Sub.2/1988/32), Having considered Sub-Commission resolutions 1987/31 and 1987/32 of 4 September 1987 and 1988/31 of 1 September 1988, Recalling its resolutions 1982/20 of 10 March 1982 on the question of slavery and the slave trade in all their practices and manifestations and 1988/42 of 8 March 1988 on the report of the Sub-Commission's Working Group on Slavery, Recalling Economic and Social Council resolutions 1982/20 of 4 May 1982 and 1983/30 of 26 May 1983 on the suppression of the traffic in persons and of the exploitation of the prostitution of others, Recalling also Economic and Social Council resolution 1988/34 of 27 May 1988 on the Working Group on Slavery, Recalling further General Assembly resolutions 38/107 of 16 December 1983 and 40/103 of 13 December 1985 on the prevention of prostitution, Gravely concerned that slavery, the slave trade, slavery-like practices and even modern manifestations of this phenomenon still exist, representing some of the gravest violations of human rights,

1. Requests the Secretary-General to invite States parties to 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 Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others of 1949 to submit to the Sub-Commission regular reports on the situation in their countries, as provided for under the conventions and in Economic and Social Council decision 16 (LVI) of 17 May 1974, which contains the mandate of the Working Group;

2. Invites those eligible States which have not ratified the relevant conventions to consider doing so as soon as possible, or to explain in writing why they feel unable to do so, and invites them to consider providing information regarding their national legislation and practices in this field;

3. Invites intergovernmental organizations, relevant agencies of the United Nations, including the International Labour Organisation, the World Health Organization, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children's Fund and the United Nations University, the International Criminal Police Organization and non-governmental organizations concerned to continue to supply relevant information to the Working Group;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to undertake a study of the ways and means by which an effective mechanism may be established for the implementation of 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 Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others of 1949;

5. Commends the Sub-Commission and its Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery for the Working Group's report, which includes the programme of work for the period 1989-1991, concerning three main themes: prevention of the sale of children, of prostitution of children and of the use of children in pornography, eradication of the exploitation of child labour and of debt bondage; and prevention of traffic in persons and of the exploitation of the prostitution of others;

6. Requests the Secretary-General to assign a full-time professional staff member to serve the Working Group and undertake other activities relating to contemporary forms of slavery under the post which has been included in the budget of the Centre for Human Rights for questions relating to slavery and slavery-like practices;

7. Requests the Secretary-General to designate the Centre for Human Rights as the focal point for the co-ordination of activities in the United Nations for the suppression of contemporary forms of slavery;

8. Calls upon all relevant non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, including those interested in children's and women's rights, to attend the sessions of the Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery;

9. Recalls its request to the Secretary-General to report to the Economic and Social Council on the steps taken by Member States, United Nations organizations and other intergovernmental organizations to implement the recommendations in Council resolution 1983/30 of 26 May 1983 and requests the Secretary-General to report on the comments received to the Council at its first regular session of 1990;

10. Recommends that the results of the symposium to be held by the International Criminal Police Organization on traffic in persons, including the sale of children, as well as other information which that organization may have on the sale of children, be transmitted to the Secretary-General to facilitate the completion of his final report on this issue;

11. Requests interested specialized agencies and non-governmental organizations to gather information on the sale of children, including their observations on ways and means of preventing the occurrence of this phenomenon, and to send this information to the Secretary-General to facilitate the completion of his final report on this issue;

12. Requests the Secretary-General to submit his final report on the sale of children to the Working Group at its fourteenth session;

13. Urges Member States to enact legislation, where they have not yet done so, making it a crime to produce, distribute or possess pornographic material involving children;

14. Urges all Member States to consider taking appropriate action to protect children and promote their rights, including the possibility of establishing national bodies to achieve these objectives;

15. Invites all Member States to consider the possibility of taking appropriate action for the protection of migrant women against exploitation by prostitution and other slavery-like practices, including the possibility of establishing national bodies to achieve these objectives;

16. Requests Governments to pursue a policy of information, prevention and rehabilitation of women victims of the exploitation of prostitution and to take the appropriate economic and social measures deemed necessary to that effect;

17. Recommends the following draft resolution to the Economic and Social Council for adoption:

[For the text, see chap. I, sect. A, draft resolution II.]

51st meeting
6 March 1989
[Adopted without a vote. See chap. XIX.]