Unless governments act now, millions of the world’s
most vulnerable people could be pushed into contemporary forms of
slavery and other exploitation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a UN
independent human rights expert has said.
The warning comes from UN Special
Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, Tomoya Obokata,
who presented his first report to a virtual
session of the UN Human Rights
Council on Wednesday.
“Historical levels of underemployment or unemployment, loss of
livelihoods and uncertain economic perspectives are some of the
complex consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic which have
hit the most vulnerable hardest”, he told members.
“Combined with weak safety nets and a dismantling of labour
rights and social protection regulations in some countries, there
is an acute risk that the poorest will be pushed into bonded
labour, forced labour or other contemporary forms of slavery for
survival.”
No ‘quick fix’
Mr. Obokata said although States may view the dismantling of
labour rights as a “quick fix” for the increasing pressure on
business brought on by the ensuing global economic recession,
this will come at a “high price”.
He particularly called for accountability for businesses that
exploit vulnerable workers producing, processing and providing
medicine, medical equipment or Personal Protective Equipment
(PPE) during the pandemic.
“Labour rights must be upheld and social protection ensured
across all economic sectors,” he stressed. “States must ensure
that in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, no one is left
behind and pushed into slavery-like practices.”
Listen to local communities
Relatedly, governments are being called to spend more on
development, both at home and abroad, and to listen to
communities most in need.
The appeal was made by the UN independent human rights expert on
the right to development, Saad Alfarargi, who also presented his
annual report to the
Geneva-based Human Rights Council.
“To maximize the impact of limited resources available for
development, states and development finance institutions must put
communities and individuals at the centre of their
decision-making”, he said.
Mr. Alfarargi pointed out that development finance was already
lagging prior to the pandemic, which has added an additional
strain, particularly on the budgets of developing countries.
He urged authorities to increase assistance to developing
countries, to institute progressive tax systems as means to
bridge resource gaps, and to include communities in
decision-making that affects them.
“People who benefit from development have voices – and we need to
listen, to ensure that we target limited resources where they
will matter most,” he said.
Mr. Alfarargi said communities across the globe report that they
are not being involved as decision makers from the start of
discussions surrounding which development projects to finance. On
the contrary, he added, development banks, governments and
companies often propose projects without their input.
He called on decision-makers to create and budget for inclusive
consultation processes in line with the central promise of the
UN’s sustainable development agenda to leave no one behind.
