UNITED NATIONS A General Assembly Distr. GENERAL A/HRC/9/20 28 July 2008 Original: ENGLISH HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Ninth session Agenda item 3 PROMOTION AND PROTECTION OF ALL HUMAN RIGHTS, CIVIL, POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS, INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO DEVELOPMENT Report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences, Gulnara Shahinian∗ ∗ The present report was submitted after the deadline owing to the brief period between the appointment of the Special Rapporteur and the deadline for submission of her first report. GE.08-14785 (E) 070808