OVERVIEW

The United Nations proclaimed and adopted in 1948 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is declared that:

“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights

  • No one shall be held in servitude or slavery.
  • No one shall be subjected to cruel or to torture, degrading or inhuman treatment or punishment.

Violations of human rights are both a cause and a consequence of trafficking in persons. Accordingly, it is essential to place the protection of all human rights at the center of any measures taken to prevent and end trafficking. Anti-trafficking measures should not adversely affect the human rights and dignity of persons and, in particular, the rights of those who have been trafficked, migrants, internally displaced persons, refugees and asylum seekers.

(Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking - recommendation, 2014)

Specifically, women and children are affected, as the UN High Commissioner Kyung-Wha Kang for Human Rights stated, “human trafficking violates the most fundamental of rights we all hold dear: the right to life, to equality, dignity, and security; the right to health; the right to freedom of movement, freedom from violence and abuse, the right to be recognized as a person before the law."

(Trafficking in Women and Girls: Meeting the Challenge Together Conference - speech, ECOSOC Chamber United Nations, New York 5 March 2007)

IMPORTANCE


Conducting a UPR on human trafficking in the U.S and specially in California is important since:


  • According to the Polaris project the U.S ranks third in a list of countries with the most human trafficking victims. However, it ranks first among 
  • traffickers, in other words, those who commit human trafficking. (Figure 1)
  • 2020 is an important year for human rights since it is the 20th anniversary of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA).
  • It is critical to address properly human trafficking in California since according to the human trafficking hot line data we ranked first in human trafficking cases reported by state. (Figure 2)
  • This issue is getting more momentum mobilizing younger generations to end human trafficking. Youth Observer to the United Nations Michael Scott Peters is increasing awareness on human trafficking using social media. (Figure 3)
 

Social media is a powerful platform to end human trafficking.

In May 2020, the United States will undergo a “Universal Periodic Review” (UPR) of its domestic human rights record at the UN Human Rights Council.

Figure 3 UPR.png

The U.S. State Department has just launched a new process for U.S. civil society to engage on the upcoming U.S. UPR. This includes a planned consultation meeting with the State Department in DC, a newly updated UPR-specific webpage, as well as an e-mail address for UPR submissions to the U.S. government.

With these developments in mind, UNA-USA will be actively working to ensure that all of our UPR recommendations are addressed.

Be sure to stay tuned for the latest updates on the 2020 UPR process!