The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that "No one shall be held in slavery or servitude: slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms". Full adherence to the absolute values enshrined in the declaration is of paramount importance. The concept of slavery has broadened from the traditional concept of the slave trade and now includes practices such as bonded labour and child labour.
The Government is committed to the active promotion of full observance of universal human rights standards, including opposing and seeking the elimination of all contemporary forms of slavery. Contemporary forms of slavery include practices such as bonded labour, the sale of children, child prostitution, child pornography, the exploitation of child labour, the sexual mutilation of female children, the use of children in armed conflicts, debt bondage and trafficking in persons. We voice our concerns wherever possible in partnership with other like-minded countries, in international fora such as the UN General Assembly, the UN Commission on Human Rights, the Council of Europe and the OSCE. While the issue of bonded labour or child labour is not primarily a matter of the UN Security Council, we remain vigilant for opportunities to pursue the issue in the context of ongoing discussions on specific issues.
I welcome Trócaire's recent Lenten campaign which highlighted the issue of bonded labour and child labour.