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Contemporary forms of slavery "egregious violations of human rights:" UN chief

02 December 2011 19:37 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Friday said that millions of people are still subject to contemporary forms of slavery, calling the crimes "egregious violations of human rights", APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"Despite the considerable efforts of governments, civil society and the international community, we still live in a world blighted by slavery and slavery-like practices," Ban said in his message for the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, which is observed annually on Dec. 2.

Ban said that millions of people are being "subjected to an existence that is almost unfathomable in its degradation and inhumanity."

With debt bondage, serfdom and forced labour, trafficking in persons and trafficking for the purpose of organ removal, sexual exploitation, and the forced recruitment of children for use in armed conflict, among many forms, Ban said these "all are crimes and egregious violations of human rights."

"To eradicate contemporary forms of slavery, we need new strategies and measures that can unite all actors," Ban said. " While governments bear the primary responsibility, the private sector has an integral role to play."

Ban said that with the UN Voluntary Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery marking 20 years of helping victims to regain their independence, lives and dignity, it also needs a minimum of 1.5 million U.S. dollars to fulfill its mandate.

But less than a third of this amount has been secured to date, he said.

"On this International Day, I appeal to all governments, business enterprises, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other partners to demonstrate their commitment to fighting slavery by making a financial contribution to the Fund, and by working closely together to end this scourge," Ban said.

The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery recalls the date of the adoption, by the UN General Assembly, of the United Nations Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others on Dec. 2, 1949.