Objectives of the report

The Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences, wishes to focus his next thematic report to the General Assembly on “the use of technology in facilitating and preventing contemporary forms of slavery”. For the purpose of the report, he aims to also assess the experiences of survivors/victims who have been recruited and exploited in conducts within his mandate, particularly forced labour, the worst form of child labour, and forced and early marriage, with the use of modern technology in addition to analysing information from multiple other stakeholders and sources.¹

Key questions and types of input sought

1. Is there evidence of modern technology (e.g., platforms including social media such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, websites, applications, artificial intelligence, the dark web) being used to recruit and subject people to contemporary forms of slavery in your country?  If so, please provide details in relation to:
   1. Specific technology being used
   2. Profiles of victims (age, sex, gender identity/sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, migration status, socio-economic status, race and any other status)
   3. Profiles of exploiters (e.g. criminal organisations, human traffickers, private businesses/employers, public authorities or others)
   4. Manifestations of exploitation (e.g. forced/child labour, debt bondage, domestic servitude, online/offline commercial sexual exploitation of adults, forced/child marriage and criminal exploitation)
2. Are there examples of positive measures (legislative, administrative, institutional and others) taken by your Government to prevent modern technology from being used to facilitate contemporary forms of slavery? If so, please provide details.
3. Are there examples of positive measures taken by technology companies to prevent their technologies and platforms from being used to facilitate contemporary forms of slavery?  If so, please provide details, which may include proactive identification and reporting of exploitative contents, activities and perpetrators, creation of robust monitoring and oversight mechanisms, closing down/removing technologies, platforms and contents used to recruit and exploit victims, awareness-raising and/or warning among users of technologies, and collaboration with public authorities and non-governmental stakeholders?
4. Are there examples of positive measures taken by technology companies to promote access to protection, justice and remedies for victims?  How do they cooperate with other relevant stakeholders in this regard? 
5. Are there examples of positive measures taken by civil society organisations and other non-governmental stakeholders in preventing modern technology from being used to facilitate contemporary forms of slavery? If so, please provide details.
6. What are remaining challenges in preventing modern technology from being used to facilitate contemporary forms of slavery?
7. What practical recommendations would you propose for Governments and technology companies to overcome these challenges?
8. Is there evidence of modern technology (e.g. applications, artificial intelligence and blockchain technology) being used to prevent contemporary forms of slavery? If so, please provide details.
9. What are the existing limitations and challenges in using such technologies, and what recommendations do you have to overcome them?

How and where to submit inputs

Input may be sent via e-mail by 14 April 2023

How inputs will be used

Submissions will be published on the website of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery (OHCHR | Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences), unless confidentiality is requested for particular submissions.