
The UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery published two new reports. The first, on homelessness as a cause and consequence of contemporary forms of slavery, will be presented to the next Human Rights Council session in September. In the report, the Special Rapporteur, Prof Tomoya Obokata, outlines the profiles of people most at risk of homelessness, the challenges of protecting people experiencing homelessness from exploitation, as well as existing good practices and a number of recommendations to reduce homelessness and the risks of exploitation among people experiencing homelessness.
The Special Rapporteur also published his report to the UN General Assembly, which focuses on the use of technology to facilitate or prevent contemporary forms of slavery. This report illustrates how websites, the dark web, chat rooms, social media platforms and smartphone applications are used to facilitate these practices globally. It also explores the potential of, among others, Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain technology in preventing them, as well as key challenges such as the digital divides, data protection and the need for stronger human rights due diligence among tech companies.