A/HRC/15/27 Govender, activist, former member of parliament and Commissioner on the South African Human Rights Commission. 36. In her presentation, Ms. Rasekh focused on the health consequences of trafficking, particularly for girls and women. Such consequences were particularly severe in a conflict situation such as that being experienced in Afghanistan. She identified the main factors affecting trafficking in Afghanistan as displacement, poverty, drugs and corruption as well as an absence of good governance and rule of law. The speaker recalled an instance of bidding taking place on a 3-year-old boy, although usually it was little girls who were sold into forced marriage or to stop family feuds. In 2008, 40 boys who had been trafficked as camel jockeys had been brought back from Saudi Arabia, but some had since returned there because their parents were too poor to care for them. In her capacity as a member of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the speaker noted that trafficking was a growing issue of concern for the Committee and now regularly addressed in its dialogues with the 186 States Parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, particularly in connection with legislation and protection. 37. Ms. Green referred to her own background, in particular seeing her abused mother trapped because she was financially dependent. She emphasized the problems of financial dependence and lack of employment opportunities that could contribute to trafficking and prevent victims from escaping exploitative situations. The widespread problem of domestic violence was also noted as increasing the vulnerability of women and children in particular. The speaker outlined the efforts of her organization to address those underlying vulnerabilities. Working in shelters she noticed how often women returned to their abusers or to the shelters, because there were no job opportunities for them. With her background in human resources management, she wanted to create chances for those victims by offering them a comprehensive service, including job placement, legal services, housing, training and access to health care. Second Chance Employment Services, which had 400 volunteers, was based on the premise that everyone had skills. It pre-screened applicants to ensure they were able to commit to full-time employment. Over 600 women had been placed so far, many of them in well-paying jobs with health benefits. She recounted the story of one woman who had been trafficked through many countries since she was 11 years old and who was eventually provided with the assistance and support she required through the help of the speaker’s employment agency. 38. Ms. Govender noted that the Principles and Guidelines highlighted the importance of addressing demand and the factors that made people more vulnerable to trafficking. According to the panellist, while South Africa was often held up as a model of good practice in many areas, little had been done, thus far, to address the problem of trafficking. The factors underlying trafficking were clearly not being addressed. International trade agreements, for instance, cost many women their jobs and forced them into insecure or even dangerous employment situations. Government spending appeared to favour military hardware and sporting events, such as the World Cup, over initiatives that would provide jobs and reduce the vulnerabilities that could lead to trafficking. The speaker noted that, for example, the jobs which were created to support the World Cup were often not given to the people of her country, and that the building contracts were concentrated in the hands of only a few developers. 39. The three panel presentations were followed by a plenary discussion focusing on the issue of prevention. Interventions were made by representatives of eight States (Slovakia, South Africa, Turkey, the Republic of Moldova, Brazil, Indonesia, Egypt and Viet Nam), as well as from representatives of INTERPOL, the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines, the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, UN.GIFT, Equality Now/European Women’s Lobby, Fundación Mujeres en Igualdad 11