By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – President of the UN General Assembly Philemon Yang on Tuesday said that an estimated 50 million people currently live in modern slavery, while a third of human trafficking victims are now children.
He hailed the publication of the latest Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking report.
Mr. Yang urged Member States to “strengthen measures that combat modern slavery and trafficking in persons.”
“Modern slavery and human trafficking are violations of fundamental human rights,” Mr. Yang said.
He added that the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights was clear in prohibiting slavery and the slave trade in all their forms.”
Mr. Yang said that in order to put an end to these violations and it was important to tackle the root causes the make people vulnerable to being trafficked or enslaved in the first place.
The implementation of a UN Global Plan of Action, adopted by the General Assembly in 2010 to complement the UN Trafficking Protocol, is set to be reviewed by Member States later this year.
New goals to combat trafficking in persons will be set during the review.
Mr. Yang encouraged Member States to enact “policies that are trauma-informed and survivor centered and added that such policies should “promote inclusive growth and provide [survivors with] equal access to healthcare, education, skills training and job.”
He warned that there is an urgent need to eradicate modern slavery and human trafficking.
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