United
Nations
UN Commission on the Status of Women appoints a special rapporteur to focus on trafficking
The UN Commission on the Status of Women has appointed a Special Rapporteur who will focus on the human rights aspect of trafficked persons.
The commission chose Sigma Huda, the current Secretary General of the Bangladesh Society for the Enforcement of Human Rights, for this new
position.i Ms Huda has fought against trafficking and sexual exploitation, particularly of women and girls, from Bangladesh to India. A longtime advocate for ending violence against women, she has previously worked with the Bangladeshi Women Lawyers Association, the Institute on Law and Development and the Bangladesh Society for the Enforcement of Human Rights. In recognition of her work against trafficking, Ms. Huda was appointed to the National Council for Women in Development by the Bangladeshi Prime Minister. She is also past President of the Centre for the Training and Rehabilitation of Destitute Women, an organization for the protection of pregnant abandoned
women.ii
In a speech made to the UN General Assembly on October 29, 2004, Ms. Huda stated that two principles will guide her in the efforts to combat trafficking: first, that the human rights of trafficked persons will be at the center of all efforts to combat trafficking and protect, assist and provide redress to those affected by trafficking; and secondly, that anti-trafficking measures should not adversely affect the human rights and dignity of the persons concerned. She hopes to "broaden the debate on this issue of trafficking from a human rights perspective and to look at trafficking into various sites, including forced labor and slavery-like practices, also locating trafficking in the larger context of migration and development."
Ms. Huda will report annually to the Commission on Human Rights on how adequately countries addressed the issue of demand as stipulated in the
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons Especially Women and Children. She plans to provide other reports on specific issues or themes that she views as being particularly relevant to trafficking. Ms. Huda will also receive information on cases of human rights violations in the context of trafficking concerning individual or groups and will request that governments cooperate in ensuring the protection of the human rights of trafficked persons. Furthermore, she will carry out country visits, upon the invitation of governments, to study trafficking in those countries, learn about measures and steps taken to prevent and combat trafficking, and ensure an adequate protection of the human rights of those affected by
trafficking.iii
United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, 2005
Background
The primary responsibilities and functions of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) are to provide informational insight and recommendations on the status of women's rights in political, economic, civil, social and educational fields. The original objective of the Commission was to lobby for the equalization of men and women's rights and was elaborated upon in 1987. Following the 1995
Fourth World Conference on
Women, the General Assembly authorized the Commission to include a regularly scheduled review of the Critical Areas of Concern in the
Platform for Action and to extend its role in
maintaining a gender perspective in United Nation Activities.
In 2000, an all-encompassing review and appraisal of improvement was made in the implementation of the Platform for Action and was undertaken by the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly entitled "Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century." The Assembly then adopted a
Political Declaration and
Further Actions and Initiatives to Implement the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (the Outcome Document). The Commission's present and future work, as determined by its
multi-year program of work is closely linked to both the Platform for Action and the Outcome
Document.iv
Overview
The 49th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women was held in New York from February 28- March 11, 2005. In the
Political Declaration adopted by the
United Nations General Assembly at its twenty-third special session in June 2000, Member States agreed to meet in 2005, 10 years after the birth of the
Beijing Declaration and Platform for
Action, to discuss the progress, execution and implementation at the national level and to assess further the need for new, urgent or different plans of action within the framework of the Platform of Action and the outcome of the special session.
The Commission focused on two thematic issues as outlined in its
multi-year program of work:
1. Review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of the special session of the General Assembly entitled "Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century"; and
2. Current challenges and forward looking strategies for the advancement and empowerment of women and
girls.v
Resolutions of the 49th Commission on the Status of Women concerning the Reduction of Demand for Trafficked Women and Girls
The outcome documents (declaration & resolutions in all languages) of the 49th session of the Commission on the Status of Women will be posted once the final report of the Commission has been released.
Currently the Declaration (in English only) is available.
Please go to the link listed below for all official documents related to the March 2005 Commission on the Status of Women.
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/csw49/documents.html
Commission on the status of women adopts US trafficking resolution
On March 14th, Ambassador John R. Miller, Director of the U.S. Department of the State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, wrote a letter to his 'Friends in the Fight to End Modern-Day Slavery' offering his sincere thanks to those who strongly supported the U.S. resolution on human trafficking at the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). Ambassador Miller went on to add that with the help that was given, the resolution to Eliminate Demand for Trafficked Women and Girls for All Forms of Exploitation attracted 50 nations as co-sponsors and was adopted by consensus.
The U.S. presented this resolution at the CSW as part of President Bush's effort to build international partnerships to combat human trafficking --and in response to his call for increased focus on the demand side of the crime. This was the first resolution of a U.N. body to focus on eliminating demand for human trafficking, with the goal of protecting women and girls by drying up the "market" for victims, particularly for commercial sexual exploitation. With this resolution, the CSW also acknowledged the important link between commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking in women and girls.
Additionally, the resolution sets an important foundation for future efforts in the international forum to address the demand that fuels the growth of human trafficking, particularly for commercial sexual exploitation. With the recent
U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime Report that found 75 percent of all trafficking is for sexual exploitation, it is now made even more apparent that this enormous demand factor cannot be ignored. vi
Other Links
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/index.html
UN link to the women's rights page
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw
Commission on the Status of Women
i UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking Speech to UN General Assembly, Third Committee - October 29, 2004
http://www.wunrn.com
ii New United Nations Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Women, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW)
http://www.wunrn.com
iii UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking Speech to UN General Assembly, Third Committee - October 29, 2004-WUNRN
http://www.wunrn.com
iv
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/
- United Nations Webpage, Division for the Advancement of Women; Commission on the Status of Women
v
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/Review/
english/background.htm - Review and Appraisal of the Beijing Declaration, the Platform for Action and the Outcome Document of the Twenty-Third Special Session of the General Assembly
vi Commission on the Status of Women adopts U.S. human trafficking resolution letter written by U.N. Secretary of State Ambassador John Miller, Director of the U.S. Department of the State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
