63rd Regular Session of the Human Rights Council Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery and trafficking in persons

Mr. President,

My Delegation takes note of the Special Rapporteur’s first report following the merger of the two mandates it now encompasses[1]. Slavery and trafficking are complex issues with many facets; both are driven by the commodification and exploitation of the human person. Regrettably, traditional forms of slavery have not yet been fully eradicated, and that new forms of exploitation and trafficking continue to emerge.[2] As such, they must be firmly condemned in all their forms.

New forms of slavery are fuelled by economic chains and digital infrastructures. Supply chains, therefore, must be more transparent to prevent hidden exploitation. Companies and investors must adopt clear criteria for ethical verification, placing worker protection, combating forced labour and assessing social impact of business models as their top priorities. Digital platforms must cooperate with authorities and civil society to prevent communication, payment and profiling tools from being used to recruit and control victims. When these efforts converge, the digital environment can be transformed into a space of protection, prevention and human dignity.[3]

As Pope Leo XIV observes, “criminal networks use online platforms, messaging systems, anonymous payment methods and profiling techniques in order to recruit, control and transport victims of trafficking – very often minors – reducing men and women to ‘data’ to be tracked and ‘packages’ to be moved around within the same digital circuits that support much of the global economy”.[4] Indeed, “the fight against new forms of slavery is a decisive test for the ethical discernment of AI and digital transformation.”[5]

Thank you, Mr. President.