A/HRC/27/53 focused on, inter alia, new slavery and forced labour and considered institutional and jurisdictional action at the international level, human trafficking as an instrumental crime leading to other forms of exploitation, with particular attention to sexual slavery through the prostitution and non-consensual sexual exploitation of minors. Finally, the conference addressed victim assistance and protection. Country visits 14. From 22 to 29 November 2013, the previous Special Rapporteur conducted an official mission to Ghana, where she visited various fishing communities in the Lake Volta region, a rehabilitation centre, outdoor markets as well as other areas in Accra. She pointed out that the Government of Ghana had taken the important step of recognizing the existence of slavery and had adopted a legislative framework and put in place a number of institutional mechanisms and programmes to address the problem. However, she noted that further progress on eradicating the various forms of modern-day slavery and exploitation that existed in Ghana could only be achieved by addressing the root causes that sustained those practices, including poverty, regional disparities and the lack of access to livelihoods, education and health care. Despite the adoption of the National Plan of Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, which aims to eradicate such practices by 2015, the Special Rapporteur remains particularly concerned about widespread child labour in Ghana. 15. From 24 to 27 February 2014, the previous Special Rapporteur undertook a followup mission to Mauritania to assess new developments since her first visit to the country in 2009 and the initiatives taken by the Government in response to her recommendations (see A/HRC/15/20/Add.2). She noted that her follow-up mission was a continuation of the frank and fruitful human rights dialogue that had been initiated in 2009. Reflecting on and acknowledging the very good progress made so far, the Special Rapporteur said that she would report on the commitment of the Government of Mauritania to the eradication of all forms of slavery and slavery-like practices. She applauded the Government for the adoption of a road map on the implementation of her recommendations resulting from her mission and said that the road map would determine the way forward in addressing the remaining challenges, as the cohesive cooperation of all stakeholders was required in order to work towards its full implementation. The report on the follow-up mission to Mauritania will be issued as document A/HRC/24/53/Add.1. 16. From 25 to 27 March 2014, the previous Special Rapporteur conducted a follow-up mission to Kazakhstan to assess new developments since her first visit to the country in 2012 and to discuss the measures adopted and their impact on ending slavery and slaverylike practices, such as forced labour and bonded labour, in Kazakhstan. The Special Rapporteur noted that the follow-up mission provided her with an opportunity to support the Government in its fight against slavery. She commended the Government for the swift action taken in response to some of her recommendations and its continuous cooperation, emphasizing that it was essential to urgently put in place enforcement and monitoring mechanisms to ensure the full implementation of the new laws and policies for eliminating all forms of slavery in the country. The report on the follow-up mission to Kazakhstan will be issued as document A/HRC/24/53/Add.2. III. Priorities of the Special Rapporteur for the period 2014–2017 17. In accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 24/3, the newly appointed Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences, will examine and report on all contemporary forms of slavery and slaverylike practices, in particular those defined in the Slavery Convention of 1926 and the 5