Report on Human Trafficking in the Commonwealth

Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative launch landmark report on Human Trafficking, Modern Slavery, and Child Exploitation in the Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) is publishing the first-ever report on SDG8.7 within the Commonwealth, a grouping of a third of the world’s population but where 55% of victims of slavery are estimated to reside.

The report will address Commonwealth Heads of Government, in advance of the Commonwealth Summit in London from 16th – 20th April. The Summit, hosted by Her Majesty the Queen at Buckingham Palace and Winsor Castle, will bring together 53 Heads of Government, business leaders, and civil society.

The report: Creating an Effective Coalition to Achieve makes eight recommendations that the Commonwealth should adopt to take global leadership in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 8.7. These include calling on member states to ratify international legal instruments, particularly the 2014 Protocol to ILO Convention 29, which to date only three Commonwealth members have ratified.

The report’s author David White, Director of CHRI’s London office, commented:

“Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings can be defining moments in Commonwealth history. 1971 is remembered for the Singapore Declaration, the 1991 for the Harare Declaration, 1995 for the Millbrook Commonwealth Action Plan.

It is to be seen whether this 2018 Summit will go down in history for taking action against forced labour, modern slavery, human trafficking, child labour, and the use of child soldiers, but the CHOGM’s theme is ‘[t]owards a common future,’ and what better legacy could this Summit leave than serious and lasting Commonwealth action on SDG 8.7?”

CHRI is an independent, non-governmental, non-profit organisation. For 30 years, CHRI has worked for the practical realisation of human rights across the Commonwealth. It is accredited to the Commonwealth Secretariat, has special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council, and observer status at the Commonwealth Forum of National Human Rights Institutions.

The launch is being held at the National Liberal Club, London at 17;30 on Friday 16th April. Among those speaking at the sold out event are Urmila Bhoola, UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary forms of Slavery and Kailash Satyarthi, 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

A copy of the report can be downloaded here.

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