Slavery: UN human rights expert launches mission to Ecuador

GENEVA (21 January 2010) – The UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, including its causes and consequences, Ms. Gulnara Shahinian, will visit Ecuador from 25 January to 1 February 2010. During her mission, the UN human rights expert will focus her attention on specific groups subjected to possible exploitation amounting to contemporary forms of slavery.

“This represents a unique opportunity to assess the impact of the Ecuadorian National Plan for the Prevention and Progressive Eradication of Child Labor and actions taken to eliminate it in various sectors of economy, as well as to assess the impact of other plans and programmes aimed at combating child corruption ,domestic labour of girls and women and other forms of exploitation on the elimination of contemporary forms of slavery,” said Ms. Shahinian, who will visit Ecuador at the invitation of the Government.

The Special Rapporteur’s mission will take her to Quito and a number of cities in the provinces of El Oro, Esmeraldas e Imbabura to identify good practices and to hold discussions with representatives of the Government, UN agencies, the national human rights institution, non-governmental organizations, community members and others involved in the eradication of slavery in all its forms. Ms. Shahinian will present the visit's findings at the Human Rights Council in 2010.

A press conference will be held in Quito at the conclusion of the Special Rapporteur's visit, on Monday 1 February from 14:30 to 16:00, the UN Building, Amazonas Av. 1889 and la Granja.

Ms. Gulnara Shahinian was appointed as the first Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, its causes and consequences in May 2008. She is a lawyer with extensive experience as an expert consultant for various UN, EU, Council of Europe, OSCE and government bodies on children's rights, gender, migration and human trafficking. Ms Shahinian is also a former trustee of the UN Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary forms of Slavery.