On September 11, Mr. Bikash Dhungana, Program Manager of Good Shepherd International Foundation (GSIF) Nepal, delivered an oral statement (by video) during the 63rd Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) under Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery and trafficking in persons. The preparation and delivery of this oral statement is part of CCIG’s project “Fighting human trafficking and exploitation of women and girls in Nepal through the UN Human Rights Council and Universal Periodic Review.”
The NGO coalition that delivered the statement included Congregation of our lady of Charity of Good Shepherd (OLCGS), Good Shepherd International Foundation(GSIF), Good Shepherd International Foundation Nepal, Opportunity Village Nepal (OVN), Istituto Internazionale Maria Ausiliatrice delle Salesiane di Don Bosco (IIMA), and International Volunteerism Organization for Women, Education and Development (VIDES International). The statement was prepared with the technical support from the CCIG.
As a component of the technical support provided, on August 27, the CCIG held an online meeting to present to local partners in Nepal the HRC agenda and the modalities to draft this specific type of statements. After the meeting, continuous guidance was offered to the local partners for the drafting process and delivery of their statement in accordance with HRC guidelines.
Prior to this, the CCIG had hosted an online human rights training of trainers in Nepal on the HRC, Universal Periodic Review (UPR), and Special Procedures. Thanks to the knowledge and insights acquired during the online training, the local partners have been empowered to voice their concerns about the most urgent human rights issues affecting children in their country by utilizing the advocacy opportunities offered by the HRC session. More information available here.
In their statement, the NGO coalition highlighted the intersection of exploitation and trafficking with environmental and climate change concerns. The organizations brought attention to the recent flash flood that displaced over 1,080 people in Nepal, leading to increased displacement, raising the risk of gender-based violence, trafficking, and family separation for women, girls, and children. The NGO coalition also gave recommendations to Member States to address intersectionality between gender, age, displacement, and poverty as increased trafficking risks, prioritize prevention by confronting climate-change displacement, livelihood loss, poverty and inequality, and integrate anti-trafficking measures regarding disaster response, climate, health, and migration policies.
Accordingly, in her Report to the HRC, the Special Rapporteur, Katarina Schwarz, highlighted the current threats against women and children in the context of slavery and trafficking. Schwarz outlined that “climate change and environmental degradation are simultaneously drivers and by-products of slavery and trafficking. “Climate change has a multiplier effect on multidimensional conditions of poverty, which constitutes a central predictor of slavery and trafficking, pushing people towards exploitation.”
CCIG is very pleased to see local testimonies brought to the UN floor, in particular at the 63rd session of the HRC. We are very excited to launch the additional project activities that include the local dissemination of the HRC study on youth and mental health and the organization of participatory workshops with adolescent girls in Nepal.
The video and text of the oral statement are available to view on the CCIG website.
Read the Report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery and trafficking in persons at the HRC 63 here.