A/HRC/10/16
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57.
In addition, article 10, paragraph 3, of ICESCR states that:
“Special measures of protection and assistance should be taken on behalf of all children
and young persons without any discrimination for reasons of parentage or other conditions.
Children and young persons should be protected from economic and social exploitation.
Their employment in work harmful to their morals or health or dangerous to life or likely
to hamper their normal development should be punishable by law. States should also set
age limits below which the paid employment of child labour should be prohibited and
punishable by law.”
58. The Special Rapporteur will promote and advocate addressing the root causes of
trafficking within the context of MDGs, which have set targets inter alia on poverty, gender
equality and women empowerment, which are intrinsically linked to the factors increasing
vulnerability of people to trafficking.
D. Global action plan to combat trafficking in persons
59. The General Assembly of the African Union, at its session held in Cairo in July 2008,
called for a global action plan for combating human trafficking in all its facets. The Special
Rapporteur welcomes this call. She is of the view that the idea is timely and contains a goal for
which the mandate will work earnestly in order to achieve it as a collective effort in concert with
all Member States and other stakeholders. A global action plan with quantifiable and time-bound
targets has become imperative to galvanize the political and economic will to achieve the
fundamental objectives and purpose of human rights promotion and protection, especially within
the framework of the Palermo Protocol and the OHCHR Guidelines.
60. General Assembly resolution A/61/144 of 19 December 2006 noted that the need for
global efforts, including international cooperation and technical assistance programmes, to
eradicate trafficking in persons demands the strong political commitment, shared responsibility
and active cooperation of all Governments of countries of origin, transit and destination.
61. Unarguably, the global plan of action will be a vehicle to realize these objectives. The
Special Rapporteur is ready and willing to devote her energy in pursuit of such a global agenda
to end trafficking in human beings.
E. Learning and sharing good/best practice around the world
62. One of the ways the Special Rapporteur proposes to work is to reach out, listen, learn and
share good practice around the world. She will be proactive in her work as she monitors and
documents situations of trafficking globally. While some countries have done reasonably good
work in combating human trafficking, others lag behind. In some cases, they are constrained by a
lack of innovative ideas and examples of what has worked against trafficking rather than by the
lack of available resources.
63. Collectively we can learn and share strategies aimed at prevention in different sectors:
education, advocacy, public enlightenment and awareness, and economic empowerment that
mainstream gender and integrate a rights-based approach in both source and destination
countries.
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