Table of Contents

WELCOME LETTER FROM THE CHAIRS......................................................................................2

HISTORY..................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
COMPETENCIES OF THE COMMITTEE.............................................................................................................................. 4
CONCRETE EXAMPLES.......................................................................................................................................................... 4
FINANCING OF THE INSTITUTION...................................................................................................................................... 4

TOPICS......................................................................................................................................................5

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM........................................................................................................................................... 5

HISTORY OF THE TOPIC........................................................................................................................................................ 6
ORIGINS....................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS...................................................................................................................................................... 7
THE FRAMEWORK OF THE TOPIC...................................................................................................................................... 8
CURRENT STATE................................................................................................................................................................... 10

GENERAL INFORMATION NEEDED TO UNDERSTAND THE TOPIC.....................................11

COMMITTEE EXPECTATIONS............................................................................................................................................ 13
COUNTRY PROFILES............................................................................................................................................................ 14
CONCLUDING REMARKS.................................................................................................................................................... 15
EXTERNAL LINKS ON MODERN SLAVERY................................................................................................................... 16
RESOLUTIONS GOALS......................................................................................................................................................... 16

REFERENCE LIST................................................................................................................................17
Welcome Letter from the Secretariat
Distinguished Delegates,

On behalf of the entire EuroMUN Secretariat I would like to welcome you to the Human Rights
Council. Our conference is held around the motto ‘FORWARD through System Change’. In
recent times several crises have exposed substantial problems and inequalities in our national,
international, social and economic systems. At EuroMUN 2021 we aim to give you the space to
debate such pressing challenges constructively. You will get the chance to look back into the
history of your topic and rethink it within the frame of your committee to come up with new and
innovative approach. We hope that your time at EuroMUN 2021 will be a stimulating experience
for you, both academically and socially.
We wish you success, fruitful debates and an overall good time within your committee session
and the conference as a whole.

On behalf of the EuroMUN Secretariat,

EuroMUN 2021 Secretary-General & Conference Manager

Julian Schneider

1
Welcome Letter from the Chairs
Honorable Delegates,
It is our pleasure to welcome you to this year's European Model United Nations conference! In
May you will be among many different students with different backgrounds, who you will
fiercely debate in committees, and hopefully build lasting friendships. Nonetheless, Model
United Nations conferences hold much more than constructing resolutions and simply debating.
In our Human Rights committee, you will hear many different perspectives and viewpoints that
will hopefully further your own knowledge, but also make you ask further questions. You will
quickly come to understand that decisions regarding international politics and policies are not
ones that are made easily. To reach a consensus, you must work together and settle on a vision
together. We cannot wait to see you all challenge yourselves, think further, and most
importantly, build bridges.

‘‘Always remember to give yourselves a chance!’’

It is important to work hard to be prepared on an academic level but what is essential is

the simple act of trying. Because once you try, you’ll see how wonderful it is to participate
actively in the debate. You have a voice that can impact and change the world. Do not worry
about anything, you’re in a safe and respectful environment, no one will judge you. We as chairs
will make sure you are heard and respected and have the chance to express your position within
the debate sessions.
Be well prepared, you cannot never do too much research. By studying the topic you’ll be
able to understand and create, together with your fellow colleagues, a strong resolution.
Remember that you do not represent your own position but the one of the country you are
representing, this means that you have to be well aware of what your country has done up to now
about the issue we will be discussing, possible alliances and contrasts with other countries will
heat the debate as it would happen in real life!
This study guide was created to give you a better insight on the topic we will be
discussing throughout the entire conference. As mentioned previously, we would like to
emphasize that it is essential to research your country’s stance. This also means to take into
consideration countries that might stop you from achieving the goal your country wishes to
achieve. By studying these dynamics, you will be armed with enough facts and information to
support your arguments and maybe even convince a majority of the committee to vote for or
against a particular resolution.
 As the Human Rights Council, our primary goal as a committee is to resolve the issues
caused by modern slavery to a certain extent. It is incredibly inspiring to know that your
innovative solutions may one day create a difference for people on an international scale.

Yours truly,

Irena Shaleva, Vuslat Asku, and Pravesha Ramsundersingh

Introduction to the Institution: The Human Rights

Council

History
The Human Rights Council (HRC) was founded in 2006 by the United Nations General
Assembly. It was established as an inter-governmental body within the United Nations (UN)
responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe. It
is made up of 47 States which help to protect and promote human rights across members of the
UN. The Human Rights Council (HRC) was founded to replace the UN Commission of Human
Rights UNCHR which was strongly criticized for allowing countries with low human rights
environments to be members of the UN. The HRC works closely with the Office of the High
Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) and works with the UN special procedures. Its first
session took place from 19 to 30 June 2006. One year later, the Council adopted its "Institution-
building package" to guide its work and set up its procedures and mechanisms.

Meeting at its main office in Geneva, Switzerland, the HRC investigates possible
breaches of human rights in the UN member states. The HRC defends issues threatening freedom
of association and assembly, freedom of belief and religion, freedom of expression, women’s
rights, LGBT rights, and rights of racial and ethnic minorities. The General Assembly of the
United Nations elects the 47 seats in the HRC for three-year terms. No elected member for a seat
may remain for more than two consecutive terms in the HRC. It holds three sessions during the
year, taking place in March, June, and September.
Competencies of the committee
National Governments have the primary responsibility to protect human rights, however, the
High Commissioner for Human Rights and her Office (Office of the High Commissioner for
Human Rights – OHCHR) provide assistance to governments so they can implement the
international human rights standards they have committed to. This assistance includes expertise
and technical training in the areas of administration of justice, legislative reform, and electoral
processes. The HRC uses its mechanisms available to make a universal assessment of human
rights breaches (‘Universal Periodic Review’ (UPR)) across the UN member states. The UPR
serves as a mechanism to assess the compliance of all member states’ commitment towards the
protection of human rights. The UPR consists of several steps under a four-year cycle, mainly
the gathering of information to elaborate reports and a summary of stakeholders which is then
passed onto the OHCHR. The outcome from the report is then passed onto member states in the
form of advisory.

Concrete Examples
For example, through its ‘advisory committee’, it provides guidance with the help of experts and
advisors in the field on the most thematic issues. The advisory committee consists of 18 experts
from the five UN regional groups (Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Western
Europe, and others). Individuals and organizations may use the ‘complaint procedure’ to bring
forward specific issues that allegedly threaten human rights across member states. A mechanism
that was established by the former commission and adopted by the HRC is the ‘special
procedures’ used to monitor, advise, and publicly report on specific human rights violations
within a specific country or region in the UN.

Financing of the Institution

According to the ‘‘Funding and Budget’’ report (OHCHR, 2019): two-thirds of the UN Human
Rights Council’s income comes from voluntary contributions from the Member States and other
donors. The remainder is covered by the UN regular budget. The UN regular budget, approved
by the General Assembly, is funded by “assessed contributions” from each Member State. These
are calculated considering a formula that takes into account the size and strength of their
respective national economies. The 2020 regular budget is the first annual budget adapted in
accordance with the UN management reform agenda.
The UN’s regular budget is supposed to finance all activities mandated by the General
Assembly and its subsidiary organs, including the Human Rights Council. Human rights are
Charter responsibilities, recognized as one of the three pillars of the UN system, the other two
being development, and peace and security. The Secretary-General’s “Human Rights Up Front”
program and Call for Action for Human Rights clearly underscored the centrality of human
rights to the work of the entire UN Secretariat.
Human rights receive only 3.7 percent of the total UN regular budget (OHCHR, 2019).
Total extrabudgetary resources needed for 2020 amounted to US$375.5 million. These are the
funds the Office would require, in addition to the regular budget allocation, if it were to address
all requests for assistance received and needs identified. Contributions need to be as flexible as
possible and preferably provided in multi-year agreements to help increase the predictability and
sustainability of our work. Early payment is also critical as it helps to mitigate cash flow
constraints during the year.

Voluntary contributions, or extrabudgetary resources, characterized, in 2019, around 62.9

% of the UN Human Rights’ overall budget. Nonetheless, in order to accomplish all requests for
assistance and needs identified, the Office requires greater financial support from Member States
and other donors, including the private sector

Topics

Statement of the problem

Modern day slavery is a predominant issue in our day and age, even if it is more hidden
nowadays. People all around the globe are being exploited for personal and commercial gain.
Just because we do not actively see the issue does not mean it is not there and present. Have you
ever ordered from an online store that has such cheap prices? Why do you think you can get
bundles of products for such low costs? These workers that make these material products for us
are being entrapped to making clothes, picking our crops, working in factories, serving our food,
and even the Annie’s and cleaners people have under their own roof, many are either being paid
in such low amounts, and some are not receiving compensation for any work that they do.

We need to see the harsher drawbacks and recognize them instead of casting it aside
since it is easier to ignore the issue. From an outsider's perspective, it may look like these
workers have a normal job, when in reality they are being controlled by threats and violence, but
it does not stop there. These workers are forced into inescapable debt that builds up over the
years, some even get their passports taken away and threatened with deportation. These people
did not ask for this life, most are facing these harsh standards to simply put food on the table and
provide for their families.
These hard working people that have fallen into such an oppressive trap are simply trying to
escape poverty and improve not only their lives, but supporting their families back home.

It is estimated that over 40 million people worldwide are subject to modern day slavery.
What puts even more emphasis on the issue is that 1 out of 4 of these trapped workers are
children, roughly 71% consisting of young girls and women, and over 10,000 being identified as
victims by authorities in the UK. Modern day slavery comes in many different forms. Human
trafficking is one of the forms it comes in. It is done through threats of violence recruit or harbor
people in order to exploit them for purposes such as forced prostitution, labor, criminality,
marriage or organ removal. The most commonly known form takes place as forced labor, this is
any work or services people are forced to do against their will under threat of punishment.
Another widespread and ongoing issue is debt bondage/bonded labor, people trapped in poverty
borrow money and are forced to work to pay off the debt, losing control over both their
employment conditions and the debt. Even in our day and age descent–based slavery exists,
people are treated as property, and their “slave” status was passed down the maternal line.

Another form that needs immediate attention is slavery of children, when a child is
exploited for someone else’s gain. This can include child trafficking, child soldiers, child
marriage and child domestic slavery.

History of the topic

Origins
Modern day slavery, also referred to as contemporary slavery and neo slavery gains its name
from institutionalized slavery that has continuously made its presence knowns in our modern day
society. The estimated number of modern day slaves ranges up to 40 million. This estimated
amount is debated due to there not being a universally agreed definition of the subject. The
history of slavery itself spans of many different cultures, nationalities, and religions. Although
slavery was present from ancient times to presents day, due to social and economic changes,
slavery differs vastly in different time periods and places. Slavery mainly develops under
conditions of social stratification. Slavery can be dated back all the way to one of the first
civilizations, such as the early Mesopotamian civilization. Slavery was widespread, and it could
be seen in other ancient civilizations such as the Roman Empire. It started becoming less
common in Europe during the Early Middle Ages, even though it was known to be practiced in
certain areas.
 During the centuries-long warfare in the Mediterranean, both Christians and Muslims
captured one another as slaves. Islamic slavery was dominant in Western and Central Asia along
with Northern and Eastern Africa in the 7th all the way to the 20th century. It is also notable to
mention that The Dutch, French, Spanish, and a number of Western African kingdoms played a
role in the well-known Atlantic slave trade. Although it is a well-known fact that slavery is not
legal anywhere in the world anymore, excluding penal labor, human trafficking alongside other
forms of modern slavery still exists and is ever growing with our social and economic
environment constantly changing. Slavery in the 21st century generated roughly $150bn in
annual profits (ILO, 2013).

Latest developments
Forced labor is an essential condition of modern-day slavery. The denomination ‘forced labor'
refers to work or services that a person is forced to do against their will or under the threat of
punishment (OpenLearn, 2013). Forced labor primarily disobeys national labor laws and
international labor standards set out by the International Labor Organization (ILO). Nonetheless,
it is considered to be a human rights violation.
The motive behind forced labor is the low cost of manufacturing the final product. This
happens to be a very profitable method of accomplishing the maximal profit by considerable
businesses on an international level. The ethical dimension of this practice is highly
unacceptable.
State liability for human rights violations focused on forced labor in the cotton industry is
reasonably unequivocal when the state is precisely involved in forcing people to work in the
cotton fields. Where states are directly involved in the committing of forms of forced labor, the
state is without any doubt responsible for the infraction of human rights and violations of
international labor standards, set out in the ILO conventions, through slavery, servitude, and
forced labor.
When enterprises are accountable for forced labor without involving the state, the
concern is more intricate. While the process of employing forced labor is deeply unethical,
businesses are not parties to human rights treaties and they are not bound to human rights
obligations (OpenLearn, 2013). With that being said, a state may be held in violation of human
rights if it can be proved that a government has neglected to administer the consequences of
businesses on human rights or backs down when it’s needed to assure access to justice for
victims of human rights abuses involving business.
In the twenty-first century, modern slavery advances in different sorts. Acts of modern
slavery are perpetrated mainly by private actors. This has significant implications for addressing
modern slavery from a human rights perspective. Individuals cannot be directly liable for human
rights violations, accordingly, the responsibility of the state for acts of modern slavery is
diminished to two circumstances:
1. The state is complicit in committing acts of slavery and forced labor of servitude
2. When the state fails to fulfill its positive obligations under human rights law.

Businesses source or manufacture their products using forced labor. This is especially
used by the largest and most popular high-street brands. These issues are particularly notorious
in fabric and garment manufacture in India, the cotton trade in Uzbekistan, and the cocoa trade in
West Africa. Enterprises open factories in states where they operate using exploitative or forced
labor in the production of merchandise. The workers are subjected to extenuating long hours,
inhumane conditions, and miserable or nonexistent payment. It is not uncommon to employ
children to carry out certain tasks, particularly in the cheap production of clothes.
Enterprises open factories in states where they operate using exploitative or forced labor
in the production of merchandise. The workers are subjected to extenuating long hours,
inhumane conditions, and miserable or nonexistent payment. It is not uncommon to employ
children to carry out certain tasks, particularly in the cheap production of clothes.
In certain situations, forced labor can be even perpetuated by the state itself. In this case,
forced labor is used to obtain the product and then enters into business relations with companies,
which source this particular product from that state (OpenLearn, 2013). For example, the
Government of Uzbekistan has been proven to use Uzbek children and adults to carry through
forced labor in cotton fields.
Uzbekistan is in the top ten of the world’s producers of cotton, with 850,000 tons
exported every year. Estimated that the annual profits amounts to 1 billion dollars.

The framework of the topic

‘‘Slavery is considered a serious violation of international law. The prohibition of slavery exists
in customary international law but also has a jus cogens status, making it the highest norm of
international law. Slavery is prohibited in various international treaties, particularly the
Convention to Suppress the Slave Trade and Slavery 1926 (the Slavery Convention 1926).’’
The Slavery Convention was adopted by the League of Nations in 1926 and came into force a
year later, obliging states ‘to prevent and suppress the slave trade’, and recognized a need ‘to
prevent forced labor from developing into conditions analogous to slavery’.

Art 4 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 (UDHR)

‘‘No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in
all their forms.’’

Art.8 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 1966( ICCPR )

1. No one shall be held in slavery; slavery and the slave-trade in all their forms shall be
prohibited.
2. No one shall be held in servitude.
3. No one shall be required to perform forced or compulsory labor.

Art 6 of International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 1966 (ICESCR)

The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right to work, which includes the right
to everyone to the opportunity to gain his living by work which he freely chooses or accepts, and
will take appropriate steps to safeguard this right.

Art 7 of International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 1966 (ICESCR)

The State Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right to everyone to the enjoyment of just
and favorable conditions of work which ensure, in particular:

1. Remuneration which provides all workers, as a minimum, with:

i. Fair wages and equal remuneration for work of equal value without
distinction of any kind, in particular women being guaranteed conditions
of work not inferior to those enjoyed by men, with equal pay for equal
work;
ii. A decent living for themselves and their families in accordance with the
provisions of the present Covenant;
2. Safe and healthy working conditions;
3. Equal opportunity for everyone to be promoted in his employment to an appropriate
higher level, subject to no considerations other than those of seniority and competence;
4. Rest, leisure, and reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay,
as well as remuneration for public holidays.

The International Labor Organization(ILO) was created in the outcome of World War I, as
part of the Treaty of Versailles (1919). It was believed at the time that universal and lasting peace
could
be accomplished only if it was based on social justice. The creation of the ILO focuses on this
belief. After the establishment of the UN, the ILO became a UN specialized agency in 1946. The
ILO’s work targets labor concerns, such as setting the minimum age of workers, establishing
standards for working conditions, including safety and health at work, providing social
protection for workers, and fighting discrimination in the workplace.

The ILO has embraced considerable conventions (all open for signature and ratification by state
parties) forwarding forced and exploitative labor:

International Labor Organization Forced Labor Convention 1930 (No 29)

1. In June 2014, the ILO adopted a new legally binding Protocol to the Forced Labor
Convention 1930, which was created to reinforce global efforts to eliminate forced labor.
The Protocol strengthens the international legal framework by creating new obligations to
prevent forced labor, to protect victims, and to provide access to remedies, such as
compensation for material and physical harm.
2. International Labor Organization Abolition of Forced Labor Convention 1957
3. International Labor Organization Worst Forms of Child Labor Convention 1999

Current State
According to Global Estimates of Modern Slavery by Walk Free Foundation and ILO in 2016
the study analyses various forms of forced labor, differentiating between forced labor imposed
by private actors ( employers in private businesses) and the one imposed by states. In 2016 out of
the
24.9 million victims of forced labor, 16 million were in the private economy, another 4.8 million
were in forced sexual exploitation, and 4.1 million were in forced labor imposed by state
authorities (ILO, 2016).
There were an approximated 4.1 million people in state-imposed forced labor on average
in 2016. They embodied citizens enlisted by their state authorities to participate in agriculture or
construction work for aims of economic development, young military recruits forced to operate
work that was not of military nature, those forced to perform communal services that were not
decided upon at the community level and do not benefit them, or prisoners forced to work
against their will outside the exceptions established by the ILO supervisory bodies.
 The ILO and its partners have been collaborating with the media to reinforce the
production of quality reporting on forced labor and fair recruitment issues, creating or enhancing
networks of specialized journalists, as well as building partnerships with those institutions who
have the ability and mandate to take forward media training and outreach(ILO, 2016).
The IPEC+ Flagship Program brings together two outstanding ILO technical cooperation
programs – the International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC) and the Special
Action Program to Combat Forced Labor (SAP/FL) – to create a major new force in the fight
against child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking. It acknowledges that these unbearable
forms of work deny workers their basic human rights at work and that, while their overrun
concerns
4.5 million children trapped in contemporary forms of slavery, they share root causes of poor
governance, discrimination and social exclusion, family and community poverty and lack of
access to decent work and to the rights of freedom of association and collective bargaining.
The goal of the IPEC+ Flagship Program – in line with target 8.7 of the 2030 Sustainable
Development Agenda, is to administer ILO leadership in global efforts to remove all forms of
child labor by 2025 and all sorts of contemporary slavery and human trafficking by 2030. It also
focuses to establish that all people are protected from – and can protect themselves against –
these gross human rights violations.
IPEC+ Flagship Program works with the ILO’s constituents (governments, employers’ and
workers’ organizations), and with enterprises and small producers’ organizations, NGOs, and
civil society organizations, to advocate the elimination of child labor and forced labor and the
realization of all fundamental rights at work, with a focus on:

1. The rural and informal economies;

2. Enterprises and global supply chains;
3. Countries in crisis and fragile situations.

General information needed to understand the topic

Slavery is prevalent in all stages of the supply chain, it starts from picking raw materials such as
cocoa and cotton, to the manufacturing of these goods and garments, all the way to the shipping
and delivery process. The unfortunate reality is that children are forced to mine cobalt, which is
used for mobile phones. Women are forced to produce our coffee, you probably have some at
home and you do not even know it. Almost 20% of the world’s global cotton production is linked
to China’s forced labor meaning almost every high-street garment company could be implicated
(U.S. Department of State,2020).
 The agricultural industry is one of the most troubling industries where forced labor takes
a dominant stance. Many assume that undocumented immigrants are the only ones targeted, but
even legal residents and citizens can be targeted. When one desperately needs work , it isn’t
uncommon for them to take any open opportunities coming their way. Perpetrators of this
industry take great advantage of that and start abusing people as young as 5-years-old. What
really sheds light to the situation, and reasons it is still ongoing is due to the fact that this
industry simply feeds the economy, because no matter who you are and where you are from, you
need to eat, and there needs to be someone harvesting that food for you. Victims of this industry
harvest crops, raise and feed animals, and pack plants, orchards and nurseries. They’re willing to
do the work no one else will do just to sustain themselves and their families, companies know
this, that is why it is easier to take advantage of these hard working people.

It does not just end there, another industry involved in labor trafficking is domestic work.
Organizations like, International Justice Mission (IJM) and A21, have seen cases like this around
the world, ranging from the U.S. to South Asia. It is unfortunately common for the victims to be
abused in the homes of family members or someone they considered a close friend, who then
force them to perform numerous household jobs like cleaning, cooking, child and elderly-care,
gardening, or other forms of labor where they work anywhere from 10 to 16 hours per day with
little to no pay (ILO, 2013).

The most commonly known issue in regards to industries takes form in the
manufacturing, or garment business. Laborers can work 10 to 12 hours per day, seven days a
week, receiving no break and minimal, and even in some cases, no monetary gain. These
industries typically put on a facade when hiring these workers, giving workers false information
regarding working conditions, benefits, and wages. Many that try to escape this cycle are
threatened with deportation, violence, or harm to their families (Corporate Knights,2020). The
manufacturing industry is also driven by competitive workers because of low-profit margins. At
low costs, employers are able to demand cheap labor to work, which gives coercion an open
door.

To put this issue into perspective we can take a look at global brands that have not paid
their Bangladeshi contractors during the covid-19 pandemic. It is good to put this situation to
light since it happened recently, and shows just how much these workers are getting exploited on
a day to day basis. Among these brands are the well-known Gap, Mother care, JCPenney,
Primark, and Kohl’s. Although these brands were contacted, Gap and Kohl's did not respond.
JCPenney, which has filed for bankruptcy, said it hopes to make some vendor payments.

In a statement emailed to NPR, Primark CEO Paul Marchant says “his company is paying
an additional $450 million for orders that were in production through mid-April, and has set up a
wages fund to make sure workers in Bangladesh get paid. A spokesperson for Mother care, Ailsa
Prestige, wrote in an email to NPR that the company is working very closely with its
manufacturing partners," but didn't respond when asked for specifics. It is worth mentioning
other well-known brands such as H&M, Adidas and Nike , which have agreed to pay for back
orders totaling some
$7.5 billion. As factories reopen, they're fulfilling those orders (Corporate Knights, 2020).

Committee expectations
As the Human Rights Council, our primary goal as a committee is to resolve the issues caused by
modern slavery to a certain extent. This council is unable to force any actions on a nation as this
is an immediate violation of a country’s sovereignty. The resolutions created must advise a
country to take on certain ideas.

Your solutions should be innovative, yet feasible and realistic. Funding should not be the
main concern, however, as stated before it should be realistic and take into account the financial
status of the average country. The most successful resolutions are the ones with creative ideas
that inspire others to take on such recommendations whilst remaining practical and achievable by
almost every country.

Modern slavery is a pressing issue, which involves the entire world. Due to globalization
and technology, every single country is able to import and export goods. This implies that every
country has an incredibly high chance of being involved with modern slavery within supply
chains. However, your country could very well be a protagonist or an antagonist. The term
protagonist, in this case, refers to countries that are striving for better treatment by industries so
that modern slavery can be eradicated. An antagonist, in this case, refers to countries who either
founded such industries that violate human rights or import many products from industries that
violate human rights. And, naturally, there are many countries that suffer from human rights
violations by industries but simultaneously import or profit off this business.

In order to spark a debate and call out certain countries for their malicious practices,
adequate research should be done on your designated nation, including the potential countries
you will be facing. As chairs, we would strongly recommend researching the countries you could
form an alliance or write a resolution with. This also means to take into consideration countries
that might stop you from achieving the goal your country wishes to achieve. By studying these
dynamics, you will be armed with enough facts and information to support your arguments and
maybe even convince a majority of the committee to vote for or against a particular resolution.
Country profiles
Bangladesh:

Within Bangladesh, there are countless human rights violations of workers in different industries.
As mentioned before, many people in Asia are caught in an endless cycle of poverty. In 2018,
21.8% of Bangladesh’s population was under the poverty line (Asian Development Bank, 2020).
This shows the level of desperation a large percent of the population faces and how industries
across the world have had no difficulty in exploiting them. Most of Bangladesh’s forced labor is
found in agriculture, clothing, and sex industry. Violations to the human rights of these workers
include sexual exploitation, withholding of wages, exposure to dangerous substances/chemicals,
and poor working conditions (Murray, 2019).

China:

With a rapidly developing economy, China has become one of the biggest importers worldwide.
This is mainly due to the fact that they export cheap products at a high pace due to the labor-
intensive manufacturing processes (Global Slavery Index, 2018). Modern slavery within China
usually occurs in the factories producing such goods. Human trafficking has become an urgent
matter as many people are kidnapped, drugged, and forced to work in factories. This issue
spreads further than Chinese citizens as Vietnamese, Cambodian and Burmese people are also
victims of human trafficking and forced labor in China (Global Slavery Index, 2018). Children
were reported to have been physically abused if they did not work long hours in certain factories
across China. ‘State-imposed’ forced labor is also reported to occur in detention facilities and
prisons (Global Slavery Index, 2018).

United States of America:

Regardless of the expectations that follow the ‘American Dream’, the USA still has an alarming
400,000 people in forced labor (Helmore, 2018). Many people claim that this is due to the fact
that there is still tolerance for modern slavery and there are still not enough measures to combat
this. Through large imports worldwide, the USA also heavily contributes to this issue as those
products are often created by forced labor. China is their largest source of imports at
approximately 122 billion USD (Helmore, 2018).

Brazil:
Brazil has faced great economic growth in certain areas. Most cases of forced labor occur within
the agricultural and sex industry. With regards to agriculture, coffee and cattle ranching were the
most labor-intensive industries, requiring more workers. The cattle industry, however, was faced
with a lot of negative attention worldwide (Global Slavery Index, 2018). This had displayed the
harsh living conditions workers had to live in with no adequate food supplies and access to clean
drinking water. Criminal groups within Brazil were also reported of trafficking people from
different countries, including Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka (Global Slavery Index, 2018).

The Republic of Congo:

The Republic of Congo is known for its vast resources such as gold and tin (Free The Slaves,
2018). The mining industry within the DRC is what drives both the economy and the internal
armed conflict. It has also led to forced labor as people are manipulated into working. People are
given false promises and forced to work in dangerous conditions. Many people, especially
women, are abducted for both sex slavery and the mining industry. There have been a few
projects set into motion to take this issue such as Free The Slaves, which was introduced in 2009
(Free The Slaves, 2018). This was set to combat modern slavery and ensure that there was a clear
reduction. However, modern slavery remains a pressing issues within the Republic of Congo.

Germany:

It was measured that in 2016, Germany had approximately 167,000 cases of people in modern
slavery (Global Slavery Index, 2018). The majority were forced into labor within sectors such as
agriculture and transport/logistics. This appeared to occur mostly amongst migrants coming from
Ukraine, Poland and Bulgaria (Global Slavery Index, 2018). However, similar to the USA, it also
heavily contributed to slavery on a global scale through its imports. Most of its imports originate
from China, Malaysia, Argentina, India and many more countries who are currently facing a
great issue with regards to forced labor (Global Slavery Index, 2018).

Concluding Remarks
In our modern society, the rapid development of transport and technology has allowed us to
order products from the comfort of our own home. Especially with a worldwide pandemic,
online shopping, and ‘fast fashion’ has had a detrimental effect on our society. Due to the
pressures of consumerism, companies have been ignoring the basic human rights of their workers
in order to profit significantly more. The mere acknowledgment of modern slavery is not
enough.
Measurements should be taken to ensure transparency within supply chains. Many people remain
unaware and blind to the horrid and selfish practices of certain corporations, which is why this is
an urgent matter to be discussed.

External Links on Modern Slavery

To further research modern slavery on a global scale, use the following external resources:

Global Slavery Index (2018). Modern Slavery: A Hidden Everyday Problem. The Minderoo
Foundation Pty Ltd. Retrieved from: https://www.globalslaveryindex.org/
Anti-Slavery International (2021). A World Free from Slavery. Retrieved from:
https://www.antislavery.org/

N.B. When researching your own country, make sure to read recent articles and statistics of
the United Nations or organizations monitoring modern slavery.

Resolutions Goals
The purpose of a resolution is to solve the issue at hand. A resolution may contain good ideas,
but if phrased incorrectly or if a clause lacks detail, there is a high chance it will not be passed by
the committee. The best resolutions have a comprehensive explanation following each main
point as this does not leave countries to too much interpretation and the possibility of twisting
words.

If your resolution does not contain enough information, other delegates may attempt to
add or fix certain areas. However, if there are too many improvements required to make it
adequate, delegates might vote against it as it is far too time-consuming. In certain cases, the
vagueness of a clause could be beneficial as that allows a country to determine its own actions
instead of forcing it to follow a particular order. We would strongly recommend discussing this
with your co- submitters and check that vagueness does not become a recurring pattern in the
resolution.

As mentioned previously under Committee Expectations, a solution must be realistic.

Some actions that can get you started include the creation of programs that address cycles of
vulnerability, encouraging the purchasing of secondhand goods, or simply discouraging people
to purchase items from companies abusing their worker’s rights.
 The alliance you make with countries to form a resolution is crucial. The resolution
should be written from a perspective that all submitters support. This means you must ensure that
your country agrees with each point in the resolution. Otherwise, your stance and trust in the
resolution are compromised. And, most importantly, remember you are not representing your
own position on the situation at hand.

Our final expectation is that it is an original resolution. The solutions offered in your
resolution should be innovative ideas based on your own research.

Reference List
Asian Development Bank (2020). Poverty Data: Bangladesh. Retrieved from:
https://www.adb.org/countries/bangladesh/poverty
Murray, F., Theminimulle, S., Ahmed, F., and Sadat, S. (2019). Study on Modern Slavery in
Bangladesh. DAI. Retrieved from:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5e56a40d86650c539fff3f20/DFID_Study_
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Global Slavery Index (2018). Country Studies 2018: China. Retrieved from:
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