Office of the HighCommissioner of
Human Rights(OHCHR)
Background Guide Topic:

Abolishing Modern Slavery

Director’s Note
Dear Delegates,
Welcome to the 2023 Japan Metropolitan Model United Nations conference! My name is Risako
Tomita, and I will be serving as your Intermediate I committee director. I am currently in my firstyear of senior high school in Senzoku Gakuen, and this is my second year chairing this annual
conference.
Since a fraction of my childhood was spent in the capital of the United States, I was
exposed to American history and its deeply rooted problems of slavery. My social studies classes
about black slavery and the heroes who combated the inequality were very meaningful, and wasan experience that only a limited number of Japanese students have been able to have. To thisday, this topic continues to interest me, and has also led me to become interested in human rights.
Upon choosing this topic, I knew that the violation of human rights is a problem nations
combat together, which means that a heated, passionate debate would be somewhat unlikely tooccur. However, regardless of the solutions that are in the works, the problem of modern slavery
still continues to affect people of all nationalities and ages. This means there are more effective
solutions that the United Nations has not passed in resolutions.
I, as the Director, am expecting delegates to fully engage in this conference, and passinnovative resolutions that will help the world take a step closer to abolishing modern slavery.
We are all looking forward to seeing you at JMMUN, and hopefully getting to know eachother in addition to the conference! If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us,
and we will reply as soon as possible!
Sincerely,
Risako Tomita
Director of Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights
Senzoku Gakuen Model United Nations
Japan Metropolitan Model United Nations

1

Introduction of theCommittee
The Office of the High Commissioner of
Human Rights was established in 1993, by
the UN General Assembly through its
resolution 48/141. It focuses on the
promotion and protection of the full range ofhuman rights set out in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights.
Both the Office and the High Commissioner
have a role to promote and protect all humanrights, support the empowerment of people,
assist governments, and inject a humanrights perspective into all UN programs.1
The mission of the OHCHR is “to work forthe protection of all human rights for all
people; to help empower people to realize
their rights; and to assist those responsible
for upholding such rights in ensuring thatthey are implemented.”2

Key Terms
Human Trafficking
The term human trafficking is an umbrellaterm similar to the term modern slavery. It
refers to “the recruitment, transportation,transfer, harboring, and receipt of persons byforce or deception for the purpose of1

Brief history of UN human rights. OHCHR. (n.d.).
Retrieved December 24, 2022, fromhttps://www.ohchr.org/en/about-us/brief-history-un-h
uman-rights
2
Mission statement. OHCHR. (n.d.). Retrieved
December 14, 2022, fromhttps://www.ohchr.org/en/about-us/mission-statement

exploitation.”3 Some examples of humantrafficking are: trafficking for forced labor,
for criminal activities, sexual exploitation,
removal of organs, and people smuggling.4
Child Soldier
A child soldier is any person, 18 years ofage or younger, who is or has been recruitedor used by an armed group in any capacity.
Child soldier is any person below or at theage of 18, who has been recruited or isserving in any kind of armed conflict. These
children are forced to go through various
human rights violations such as being
prevented from receiving education as well
as being threatened to sexual violence andother forms of abuse. This is an occurring
problem mainly in regions of the middle
east, including countries with an ongoing
civil war.5
Forced Labor
Forced labor is work that is performed
involuntarily and under the menace of any
penalty. It refers to situations in which
persons are coerced to work through the useof violence or intimidation, or by more
3

OHCHR and trafficking in persons. OHCHR.
(2021, March 11). Retrieved December 24, 2022,
from https://www.ohchr.org/en/trafficking-in-persons
4Types of human trafficking. INTERPOL. (n.d.).
Retrieved December 24, 2022, fromhttps://www.interpol.int/Crimes/Human-trafficking/T
ypes-of-human-trafficking
5Children recruited by Armed Forces or armed
groups. UNICEF. (2022, December 10). Retrieved
December 24, 2022, fromhttps://www.unicef.org/protection/children-recruitedby-armed-forces2

subtle means, such as manipulated debt,
retention of identity papers, or threats ofdenunciation to immigration authorities.6
Cases of forced labor are likely to occur
when a person is tricked into working withlittle to no pay, in order to pay off their debt
in which they do not have any control over.7
This form of forced labor is thought to be
the most common.

Current Situation
Throughout 2016 and 2021, the number ofmodern slavery has accelerated, especiallysince the outbreak of COVID-19. The
estimated number of individuals living inmodern slavery is 50 million as of 2021, 3.3
million being children. Compared to 2016
estimates, the number rose ten million more.
52% of all forced labor and a quarter of allforced marriages occur in upper-middle or
high-income countries. Over 22 million areforced into marriage, two thirds being

females. This number has also increased 6.6
million compared to 2016 data.
Services, manufacturing, construction,
agriculture, and domestic work are the fivesectors that accounted for 90% of modern
slavery. While women are more likely to be
put in domestic work while men are likely tobe put in construction, there is adisproportionate number of women andchildren forced into labor. Additionally,
migrants are three times more likely to livein forced labor compared to non-migrants.8

Case Studies
Subtopic I: Child Exploitation
Child labour refers to all kinds of labour
which jeopardise a child’s physical, mental,
educational or social development, unlike
child work, which refers to children
part-taking in economic activities that do notpose a threat to their health. It is estimatedthat around 168 million children are affectedby exploitation.96What is forced labour, modern slavery and humantrafficking (Forced Labour, Modern Slavery andhuman trafficking). International Labour
Organization. (n.d.). Retrieved December 24, 2022,
fromhttps://www.ilo.org/global/topics/forced-labour/definition/lang--en/index.htm
7Unseen UK: Types of modern slavery. Unseen.
(2022, March 16). Retrieved December 24, 2022,
fromhttps://www.unseenuk.org/about-modern-slavery/types-of-modern-slavery/

8

Modern slavery is increasing – 1 in every 150
people are victims. World Economic Forum. (n.d.).
Retrieved December 14, 2022, fromhttps://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/09/global-mo
dern-slavery-trafficking/9Child exploitation. Terre des Hommes. (2017,
December 18). Retrieved December 24, 2022, fromhttps://www.terredeshommes.org/causes/child-exploit
ation/

3

Child Soldiers in Afghanistan
The utilization of children in warfares acrossAfghanistan is not an uncommon subject as
an estimate of roughly 33,000 children havebeen killed or mutilated in the last twenty
years due to the conflict within the country.10
In 2021, Taliban entered Kabul andforcefully took over Afghanistan, which
simultaneously led to the exile of the
U.S.-backed former Afghan government.
During the exile and times before that, theTaliban manipulated children in order tocarry out military plans. These children wererecruited by the anti-government force
through deception or threats, and thepromised prizes were never handed to thechildren.
The boys were propagandized from theyoungest age being six years old, and wereeducated the use of firearms by the age ofthirteen.11 From then, they were used in thefrontlines of the war in order to carry out
numerous military attacks. An example is10This is our opportunity to end the Taliban's use ofchild soldiers. Human Rights Watch. (2021,
September 20). Retrieved December 24, 2022, fromhttps://www.hrw.org/news/2021/09/20/our-opportunit
y-end-talibans-use-child-soldiers
11Child soldiers in armed conflict. IISS. (n.d.).
Retrieved December 24, 2022, fromhttps://www.iiss.org/publications/armed-conflict-surv
ey/2018/armed-conflict-survey-2018/acs2018-03-essa
y-3

suicide bombers.12 Suicide bombing is aneffective war tactic, since it not only leaves
a horrific impression on the receiver, butalso means that the bomber cannot be
captured or interrogated.
However, the Taliban cannot be the only
figure at fault for exploiting children. Boththe Taliban and the U.S.-backed Afghan
government have been relying on madrasas,
which are Islamic religious schools, in order
to train children into soldiers and use themat the frontlines.13 The former Afghan
government has also been torturing children
due to the suspicion of the children being
involved in armed groups, which opposes
the international laws that state there is a
responsibility to provide said children withrehabilitation assistance. This treatment ofadolescents most likely sparked theresentment anti-government forces haveagainst the U.S.-backed former Afghan
government.

12

Public Broadcasting Service. (2022, August 22).
Why Afghanistan's children are used as spies andsuicide bombers. PBS. Retrieved December 24, 2022,
fromhttps://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/why-afgh
anistans-children-are-used-as-spies-and-suicide-bombers/
13
Afghanistan's security challenges under the
Taliban. Crisis Group. (2022, December 12).
Retrieved December 24, 2022, fromhttps://www.crisisgroup.org/asia/south-asia/afghanist
an/afghanistans-security-challenges-under-taliban4

So far, The Taliban have denied theallegations of using children in dangerous
operations, stating that they follow theircode of conduct which reads “boys without
beards” are not permitted in military centers,
but the U.N.'s verified cases of the Taliban’sutilization of children have proved
otherwise. On the other hand, the Taliban
have shown sensitivity regarding theaccusations of child recruitment. An
example of this is the release of fourteenboys by the Taliban’s Commission for thePrevention of Civilian Casualties andComplaints from their ranks due tocommunity complaints.14
Media portrayal can be somewhat biased,
and it is important to note both sides of the
Taliban and the U.S.-backed Afghan
government in order to solve this problem.
Mica Mines in India
Mica is a substance used to make objects
glittery, often in makeup and paint. Major
makeup companies such as L’Oréal andEstée Lauder use this substance in theirproducts.15
14

Committee against torture considers report of
Afghanistan. OHCHR. (2017, April 26). Retrieved
December 24, 2022, fromhttps://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2017/04/com
mittee-against-torture-considers-report-afghanistan
15
The Guardian. (2016, July 28). Beauty companies
and the struggle to source child labour-free mica. The
Guardian. Retrieved August 1, 2022, from

The problem with this substance is the lackof transparency in the process of mining
mica.

16

Pooja Bhurla, 11 years-old at the time of the picture
taken, mining mica

In the Jharkhand and Bihar regions in India,
the percentage of people living under thepoverty line is high (36.9% and 33.7%
respectively), which leads to heavier
reliance on children to make money for theirfamilies. Moreover, the governance there is
weak, meaning regulations and laws
regarding labor can be easily exploited
The problem has been brought up to
cosmetic suppliers more than a decade ago,
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/20
16/jul/28/cosmetics-companies-mica-child-labour-be
auty-industry-india16
Lebsack, L. (n.d.). The makeup industry's darkest
secret is hiding in your makeup bag. Mica Mining
Exposes Child Labor In The Makeup Industry.
Retrieved December 24, 2022, fromhttps://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/05/229746/m
ica-in-makeup-mining-child-labor-india-controversy

5and Jharkhand and Bihar remain responsible
for approximately 25% of the world’s
production of mica in general.

International treaties and cooperation isneeded in order to reach a fundamental
solution.

Today, an estimated 20,000 children mine
mica and around 90% of the mining isillegal, and though child labour is notdirectly connected to modern slavery,
working in these illegal mines puts young
girls in a vulnerable position as they could
be sexually exploited.17

Child Marriage in Niger
Niger, with a high poverty rate of 42.9%,
carries the problem of the highest childmarriage rates in the world.19 There are twomain reasons for this situation: the lack of
education and traditional beliefs.

There are numerous attempts at solving thisproblem. Lush is an example of a company
that removed naturally occuring mica fromtheir products to cut ties with child labor.18
However, the complexity of solving thisproblem lies in the fact that merely
boycotting the product is ineffective. The
decrease in the demand of mica leads to thedownfall in prices, which means families
living under the poverty line will be unable
to afford living expenses since they can nolonger make a profit off of mining.

17

Rybarczyk, K. (2021, July 14). Home.
stopchildlabor. Retrieved August 1, 2022, fromhttps://stopchildlabor.org/ending-child-labor-in-micamines-in-india-and-madagascar/
18
Lush. (n.d.). FAQ on Lush and Mica. Lush.
Retrieved August 1, 2022, fromhttps://www.lush.com/jp/en/a/faq-lush-and-mica

Children being forced to marry young is aconsequence of the lack of education forgirls. Young girls in Niger do not attend
school due to their financial instability, or
choose to drop out because of the dangerous
learning environments. This lack of
education for girls leads to lessindependence. A study shows that 81% of
women aged 20-24 with no education and
63% with only primary education were
married or in union at age 18, compared toonly 17% of women with secondary
education or higher. This creates a situation
where they are unable to live independent
lives, and the family ultimately chooses tomarry their daughters away as their strategy
for economic survival.

19

Poverty in Niger: 5 things you need to know.
Concern Worldwide. (2022, July 14). Retrieved
December 24, 2022, fromhttps://www.concernusa.org/story/poverty-in-niger/

6

The second reason children marry at a
young age is the traditional beliefs rooted in
Niger communities.
In Niger, it is traditionally believed that awoman’s life purpose is to become ahousewife and bear children. This leads
families to prioritize the education of theirsons over that of their daughters.
Additionally, marrying at a young age is amethod used by families in order to prevent
pre-marriage pregnancies, as pre-marriage
pregnancies are considered shameful for thefamily.20
At the same time, child marriage can havedamage on young girls. The lack of
education means the lack of knowledge
about the risks of early pregnancies.
Nigerian girls are especially at high risk due
to malnutrition, with the maternal mortality
rates making up 35% of all adolescentdeaths between the ages of 15 and 19.
Child marriages also have negative mental
effects on the forcibly married girls. The
girls are expected to take on the social
responsibilities of being an adult andfulfilling their husband’s sexual demands

when they are still at an age that requires
parental guidance. These circumstances leadthem to express emotional distress anddepression.
Numerous authorities have worked in orderto solve this problem. An example is the
Niger Government. The Niger Government
has created a national action plan called“Towards the End of Child Marriage in
Niger”, which set up a monthly discussion
about what the community needs to do inorder to advocate for better treatment ofboth young boys and girls These discussions
have been effective in preventing childmarriages.21
However, COVID-19 pandemic hindered
Nigerians from moving freely and it resulted
in the absence of income and education,
both of which are causes of child marriages.
It is said that 10 million children will beaffected through the next decade because ofthis pandemic. This means that past actions
might not have as much influence onfamilies, and there is a need for new
solutions that also take the pandemic into
consideration.22
21

20

Niger - girls not brides. (n.d.). Retrieved December
24, 2022, fromhttps://www.girlsnotbrides.org/learning-resources/chi
ld-marriage-atlas/regions-and-countries/niger/

De Alba, K. (2022, March 4). Consequences ofchild marriage in Niger&nbsp;. The Borgen Project.
Retrieved July 30, 2022, fromhttps://borgenproject.org/child-marriage-in-niger/
22
Andriamasinoro, L. F. (2021, April 29). Covid-19:
A threat to progress against child marriage in Niger.

7

Subtopic II: Forced Labor
The issue regarding forced labor has existed
for more than 100 years. The International
Labor Organization (ILO) estimated that
24.9 million people around the globe were inforced labor as of 2016. Traffickers whomake use of workers for forced labor do notdiscriminate. Forced labor can come in any
form and people from any age, any sex, andany religion can be the subject of labor
trafficking.
The Sir Mo Farah Case
Sir Mo Farah, an Olympic gold medalist
who represented the UK, revealed that he
was in fact trafficked into the UK fromDjibouti as a child. His father, Abdi, waskilled when he was just four due to the civil
violence in Somaliland, Somalia, his
hometown. Sir Mo was sent to Djibouti byhis mother since the war would negatively
affect him. When Sir Mo was nine, he wastaken onto a plane by a stranger and illegallytaken to the UK. His name was changed toMohamed Farah from Hussein Abdi Kahin,
his birth name.
At first, Sir Mo stated that it “excited” himsince he had never been on a plane.
Related UNICEF sites. Retrieved July 30, 2022, fromhttps://www.unicef.org/niger/stories/covid-19-threatprogress-against-child-marriage-niger

However, in the UK, he was forced to work
as a domestic servant. Once the woman who
took Sir Mo into the UK disposed of his
relative’s contacts, he was only given food if
he completed the housework and childcare,and he was kept quiet from disclosing any
information regarding his situation. When he
finally started to attend school regularly, his
outstanding talent and passion for running“saved him”.
Though Sir Mo earned his UK citizenshipillegally, Home Office officials stated thatthey would not be taking his nationality
away, since he was a child and was notcomplicit in the fraud. Additionally, thewoman who brought Sir Mo into the UK did
not respond to BBC’s request for aninterview, but relatives defended the woman,stating that bringing in children from
Somaliland to provide a better life for themis common, and doing household chores
from a young age is part of European
culture.
This situation highlights the lack ofsupervision of children being brought in,and the statement the woman’s relatives
made hint at the possibility of children beingbrought in for the sole purpose of
exploitation.23
23

Nagesh, A. (2022, July 16). Sir Mo Farah reveals
he was trafficked to the UK as a child. BBC News.

8

The Xinjiang Case
Xinjiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur
Autonomous Region (XUAR), is the largest
administrative-territorial region of China.24
There are about 12 million Uyghurs, most ofwhom are Muslims.
The Chinese government has been accusedof violating human rights through theirtreatment of Uyghurs. An estimated one
million Uyghurs in addition to individuals
from Muslim groups and other religious
minorities have been reeducated25 in XUAR
because of government concerns about
potential unrest.26 However, the United
Nations and numerous countries have statedthat in addition to the Chinese government
forcing Uyghurs into mass arbitrary
detention, torture, and disappearances, thedetainees also face forced labor.
Retrieved August 1, 2022, fromhttps://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62123886
24
Xinjiang (XUAR) - uygur autonomous region ofChina. Advantour. (n.d.). Retrieved December 24,
2022, fromhttps://www.advantour.com/china/xinjiang.htm
25
BBC. (2022, May 24). Who are the Uyghurs andwhy is China being accused of genocide? BBC News.
Retrieved December 24, 2022, fromhttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-222780
37
26
Council on Foreign Relations. (n.d.). China's
repression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Council on
Foreign Relations. Retrieved December 24, 2022,
fromhttps://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/china-xinjiang-uyg
hurs-muslims-repression-genocide-human-rights

27

People of Uyghur working in cotton fields

An example of this is the poverty alleviation
program.28
In the XUAR, the local officials transfer the
Uyghurs to modern jobs instead of
traditional occupations, since said local
officials have the responsibility of deliveringcertain quotas of people out of poverty. In
order to achieve this, the authorities put
Uyghur workers into factories which are a

27

BBC. (2021, March 26). Xinjiang cotton: Western
Clothes Brands vanish as backlash grows. BBC
News. Retrieved December 24, 2022, fromhttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-565335
60
28
Addressing forced labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur
Autonomous Region: Toward a shared agenda.
Addressing Forced Labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur
Autonomous Region: Toward a Shared Agenda |Center for Strategic and International Studies. (2021,
July 27). Retrieved December 24, 2022, fromhttps://www.csis.org/analysis/addressing-forced-labor-xinjiang-uyghur-autonomous-region-toward-sharedagenda

9result of pairing programs.29 A pairing
program is a program where a mainland firmis paired with specific regions of the XUAR,
in order for the XUAR to provide theindustrial needs of their paired mainland
province. Companies involved in these
programs open up factories in the XUAR,
where they may be asked by the government
to accept transferring XUAR workers in thefactories in the XUAR or in mainland China.
Research suggests that the transferredworkers related to the poverty alleviation
program are forced into working and areseverely underpaid, which raises concerns
about forced labor at a significant scale.
Products exported to countries such as theUnited States are at risk of being connectedto these potential forced labor practices. Asof today, numerous countries have
responded to this allegation.
The UK has made a statement that theirorganizations, regardless of them being
public or private, are not complicit in nor
profiting from the violation of human rights
in XUAR. Additionally, they haverepeatedly called on China to end thepractices and follow their national laws andinternational obligations.
Germany, in 2020, has led 39 countries tourge China to respect the rights of the
Uyghur people, which was an unexpectedaction for Beijing.
Meanwhile, the United Nations have notopenly responded to the human rights crisis
in Uyghur due to the desertion of the Trumpadministration from the UN Human Rights
Council. China has taken advantage of the
US's absence and has secured a growing
number of top positions. This gives the
Chinese government the ability to drive its
agenda of non-interference with the Uyghurcase.30
A reminder that this case is an allegation,
and although numerous articles are written
about this case, the truth has yet to becomeannounced. This complicated case calls for
not only cooperation between nations andthe United Nations, but also a careful

30
29

U.S. Department of State. (2021, August 12).
Xinjiang Supply Chain Business Advisory - UnitedStates Department of State. U.S. Department of State.
Retrieved December 24, 2022, fromhttps://www.state.gov/xinjiang-supply-chain-business-advisory/

Gov.UK. (2021, January 12). UK government
announces business measures over Xinjiang humanrights abuses. GOV.UK. Retrieved August 1, 2022,
fromhttps://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-government-announces-business-measures-over-xinjiang-humanrights-abuses

10

investigation in order to make clear what ishappening.
Slavery in the United States
Guest workers with the H-2A visa in the
United States have been divulged to havebeen experiencing signs of labor trafficking.
The H-2A visa program enables U.S.
agricultural employers to bring people fromother countries to work on their farms.31 The
H-2A guest workers, who are primarily from
Mexico, are tied to one employer during
their time in the U.S. Under the program.
The workers’ employer manages theirhousing, transportation, food, andimmigration visas.32 34% of the H-2A visa
holders say they experienced restrictions on
their movement, such as being banned fromleaving the worksite or theemployer-provided housing.33

The H-2A program is so fraught withinstances of slavery, given that its structure
has barely changed from the previous
bracero program of the 1960s: a programthat the government official is taking partsin, called “legalized slavery.”34

Subtopic III: Sexual Exploitation
Sexual exploitation is defined as an actual orattempted abuse of someone’s position ofvulnerability, differential power or trust, toobtain sexual favors. Sexual exploitation
occurs when a person of power abuses themore vulnerable member of a community,
which differs to sexual harassment whichtakes the form of abuse between staff
members in a working environment.35
Actions which are put under the list of
sexual exploitation include exchange of34

31

H-2A temporary agricultural workers. USCIS.
(2022, November 9). Retrieved December 24, 2022,
fromhttps://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/h-2a-temporary-agricultural-workers
32
Slavery in the U.S. Food Empowerment Project.
(n.d.). Retrieved December 24, 2022, fromhttps://foodispower.org/human-labor-slavery/slaveryin-the-us/
33
Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Inc.. Namati.
(n.d.). Retrieved December 24, 2022, fromhttps://namati.org/network/organization/centro-de-los-derechos-del-migrante-inc/

H-2A Temporary Agricultural Program. UnitedStates Department of Labor. (n.d.). Retrieved
December 24, 2022, fromhttps://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign-labor/progr
ams/h-2a#:~:text=The%20H-2A%20temporary%20a
gricultural%20program%20allows%20agricultural%20employers,or%20services%20of%20a%20temporar
y%20or%20seasonal%20nature.
35
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
(n.d.). What is sexual exploitation, abuse andharassment? UNHCR. Retrieved December 24, 2022,
fromhttps://www.unhcr.org/what-is-sexual-exploitation-ab
use-and-harassment.html?adlt=strict&amp;toWww=1&amp;redig=A06B5223D5AD4790BD40E7EA2F61
C3DB

11

money, employment, goods, assistance orservices for sex, including sexual favors.36
The Case of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine
Maxwell
Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell wereaccused of running a network of underage
girls for sex for Epstein and others, andEpstein was arrested in 2019 on charges ofsex trafficking of minors.37
The unusual character of this case is that
Ghislaine Maxwell, a female acquaintanceof Epstein, was also involved in the abuse of
the minors. This case implies that not only
men are the offenders in sex trafficking
cases.
The Rotherham Child Exploitation
ScandalChild sexual exploitation in Rotherham,
South Yorkshire, UK, was occuring at
epidemic levels from as early as the 1980s
before being exposed in 2012. The victims
total more than 1,400 children, most of themwhite girls aged eleven to fifteen.38 In
36

WHO. (2019, March 12). Sexual exploitation andabuse pamphlet.
37
Jackson, P. (2022, June 28). Ghislaine Maxwell
sentenced to 20 years over sex trafficking. BBC
News. Retrieved December 24, 2022, fromhttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-619703
58
38
Somers, K. (2014, August 22).
independent-inquiry-into-child-sexual-exploitation-in

addition to the alarming number of children
who were exposed to sexual abuse, this formof sex trafficking is peculiar compared tousual cases.

39

A collage of newspaper articles regarding theRotherham scandal

Sex trafficking cases usually happen with
one to twenty perpetrators at most but in thiscase, the perpetrator was a village. As acitizen states, “gang rape was a usual part ofgrowing up in Rotherham.”40-rotherham. Rotherham; Rotherham Metropolitan
Borough Council.
39
United Nations. (n.d.). Action plans – office of thespecial representative of the secretary-general forchildren and armed conflict. United Nations.
Retrieved December 14, 2022, fromhttps://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/tools-for-acti
on/action-plans/
40
BBC. (2014, August 26). Rotherham child abusescandal: 1400 children exploited, report finds.
Retrieved December 24, 2022, fromhttps://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bbc.com/
news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-28939089&amp;sa12

The Michael Ng Case
Michael Ng, a Vancouver massage parlor
owner, forced sexual services to two
Chinese women between 2002 and 2004.41
He convinced them to travel to Canada byproviding false travel documents andpromising them waitressing jobs in his
restaurant. However, he instead forced themto provide sexual services to clients into his
massage parlor and swindled their money.42
Ng went so far as violently assaulting andthreatening to kill the women until thewomen escaped and sought help from the
Vancouver Police Department. He was thefirst person charged in Canada with a humantrafficking-specific offense under the
Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. 43=D&amp;source=docs&amp;ust=1671884735209630&amp;usg=AOvVaw1O4HhvETZuxqzdI1uuE7u8
41
CBC/Radio Canada. (2007, June 21). Vancouver
man cleared of human trafficking charge | CBC
News. CBCnews. Retrieved December 24, 2022,
fromhttps://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/va
ncouver-man-cleared-of-human-trafficking-charge-1.
66782042
Province of British Columbia. (2014). International
Sex Trafficking Cases. Province of British Columbia.
Retrieved December 24, 2022, fromhttps://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/justice/criminal-j
ustice/victims-of-crime/human-trafficking/human-traf
ficking-training/module-2/international-sex-trafficking
43
CBC/Radio Canada. (2008, April 24). Man guiltyof human smuggling sentenced to 15 months | CBC
News. CBCnews. Retrieved December 24, 2022,
fromThis case triggered Canada’s government
and Canadian citizens to raise awarenesstowards the significance of “deterrence anddenunciation of these crimes.” As a result,Micheal Ng received a sentence of 42months which is approximately three times
longer than the former sentence.44
This case of Michael Ng suggests thatpoverty leads to being unconsciously
involved in sex trafficking and otherpersecution of human rights. This case also
reveals how women who migrate to anothercountry to pursue a better life are easytargets of sex trafficking. This is especiallybecause they lack knowledge of the spoken
language and the laws of the country they
are relocating themselves to. The spread of
the internet also makes sex trafficking easier
to occur. Taking the anonymity of theinternet into advantage, criminals intending
to drag individuals into sex trafficking could
easily do so.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ma
n-guilty-of-human-smuggling-sentenced-to-15-months-1.730548
44
Criminal justice - province of British Columbia.
(n.d.). Retrieved December 24, 2022, fromhttps://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/justice/criminal-j
ustice13

Past Actions
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish
Trafficking in Persons
In 2000, the United Nations launched theProtocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish
Trafficking in Persons, which established a
victim-centered approach to trafficking. The
protocol established the first common
international definition of the phrase“trafficking in persons.” The protocol also
provides victims with support such asreceiving legal status in order for them to“remain in the country of the receiving
party.” It has since been signed by 177
countries.45
Action Plans for Child Soldiers
An action plan is a “written, signed
commitment” that is made between UN
nations and countries or parties that havecommitted violence against children. It
addresses the situation and the specific steps
that will hopefully lead to compliance. With
the most recent one being signed by Yemen,
there are a total of 18 Action Plans under
implementation.46

45

UNODC. (2009, March 6). Microsoft Word United Nations Convention against Transnational
Organized Crime 2005_2.doc.
46
United Nations. (n.d.). Action plans – office of thespecial representative of the secretary-general forchildren and armed conflict. United Nations.
Retrieved December 14, 2022, from

India’s bonded labor system act
In India, the government's centrally
sponsored scheme provides financial orin-kind grants to released bonded laborers
and their family members; over 285,000
people have benefited to date. Almost 5,000
prosecutions have been recorded so far
under the Bonded Labor System (Abolition)
Act of 1976.47

Tips from Chairs
Thoroughly research your country’s stanceand find clash points to debate on.
Despite campaigns and treaties, modern
slavery and human trafficking are still latentissues, meaning that there are more
problems to solve. Please actively
participate in moderated caucuses; and areminder that you must present ideas inmoderated caucus speeches if you want toinclude those ideas in draft resolutions.
Some topics delegates are advised toresearch their country’s stance on are: childmarriage, the Xinjiang case, and the Talibancase.

https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/tools-for-acti
on/action-plans/
47

U. S. Department of Labor. (2020, September 16).
2019 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor:
India.

14

Questions to Consider● Are there any cases of modern
slavery reported in your country? If
so, then what are some ways tocombat them?
● Does your country have a history ofslavery? If so, does it connect to any
modern slavery that happens today?
● Despite existing laws mandating
human trafficking, there are still agreat number of cases of modern
slavery. What kind of laws does yourcountry have, and how might they
clash with other countries’ stances?
● International commitments havebeen established, but the number ofmodern slavery cases continues toaccelerate, especially because of the
COVID-19 outbreak. How cancommitments be improved and adapt
to the current international situation?
● There are still human trafficking
cases, many of which go
unrecognized. How can the UN andcountries work together to bringthese secretive crimes to the surface?
● Human trafficking can occur
between multiple countries. How can

the UN nations work together tosolve this problem?
● Some countries might not be astransparent with their information asothers. What are the possible
situations in those countries, andhow would your country combat the
problem of non-transparent
governments and information?

Guidelines for Position
PapersPosition papers must clearly articulate thecurrent situation of your country, briefly
explain the past actions it has taken, andfurther denote possible solutions. Papers
may also include international resolutions
and strategies to combat the issue discussed
in your committee; however, the main focus
must be on your country. When developing
your position papers, please focus on
information that directly relates to the topic.
General information about your country,
such as its geographical location, major
cities, or major trade exports, should not be
included to lengthen your report. Rememberthat delegates and chairs do not have a lot oftime during the conference to read theposition papers. If you want to successfully

15

press the case of your country, you wantyour position papers to get to the point
quickly and persuasively.

Closing Remarks
Thank you for applying to JMMUN 2023.
We look forward to the conference, and wehope your experience at this conference will
benefit you as a delegate and as a student.

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