A/HRC/12/21 page 8 25. An NGO has sent a letter to the investigating officer asking that the girls be treated as victims in accordance with the ITP Act, alleging that the police have named these five girls along with the accused criminals with the intention of undermining the prosecution of the actual culprits in the case. This is allegedly due to the fact that prostitution in Varanasi is a business carried out with the blessings of the local police. The police are also said not to have been serious enough in the investigation. Reportedly, on 3 September 2008, the magistrate rejected the bail application filed by Mr. M. and Mrs. A., who are awaiting trial. Observations 26. The Special Rapporteur regrets that she has not received a reply from the Government of India to her letter of 21 January 2009, and invites the Government to provide her with information regarding the allegations set out in her letter. H. Public statements 27. In addition, the Special Rapporteur made various public statements during the year, separately and in cooperation with other mandate holders. For example on 2 December 2009, for the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, she issued a press release stating that despite significant progress in the fight against slavery, there was still a need to acknowledge the existence of traditional forms of slavery, increase our understanding of slavery in its modern forms, and develop innovative strategies to tackle slavery. On 21 March 2009, on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Special Rapporteur made a statement highlighting the link between discrimination and slavery, at a high-level panel organized by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. III. THE PRACTICE OF BONDED LABOUR 28. Although forced labour is a global problem affecting almost every country, today, forced and specifically bonded labour is not perceived as slavery or a slavery-like practice, and yet it is the most widely used method of enslaving people. Despite the fact that it is not well known, bonded labour is one of the most traditional and widespread forms of forced labour. 29 In order to understand the nature of bonded labour, it is important to look at the broader issue of forced labour before addressing the specificity of bonded labour. A. Forced labour 30 While slavery and slavery-like practices are complex phenomena and not always easy to define, a component of forced labour is almost always present.6 6 Anti-Slavery International, Poverty, Development and the Elimination of Slavery, discussion paper by Mike Kaye and Aidan Mcquade, October 2007.