At October 31 expert of our Association, Prof. Borys Babin took active online participation at the Side event of the UN General Assembly 80th session on the role of financial sector actors in preventing and addressing contemporary forms of slavery, convened by the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery Prof. Tomoya Obokata, the Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking Initiative of UN Development Program, and the Mission of Liechtenstein to the UN.
During the event Prof. Tomoya Obokata presented his thematic report A/80/182 for the UN General Assembly on the role of financial sector actors in preventing and addressing contemporary forms of slavery and our Association sent earlier submission for its preparation. In our submission we described the ongoing illegal trafficking of children by Russia, from and via Russia-occupied territories of Ukraine, such as the Crimea.
ARC’s submission stressed also that the financial sector’s reaction on those illegal activities as Russia-committed mass children trafficking, must be in compliance with sanction mechanisms, established by Ukraine, European Union, U.S., U.K. and other states.
At the event Prof. Borys Babin confessed the importance of Report A/80/182, but stressed again on the UN officials’ duty to additionally research issues of forced labour, child labour and related practices in conditions of interstate conflicts.
The relevant role and challenges, connected with the actors in the financial sector, have specific features for the conflict situations, like Russian aggression in Ukraine, ARC expert added. Prof. Babin pointed that such challenges include sanctions policy and relevant research into funding terrorism and international crimes, connected with children deportation, tortures, and other illegal exploitation.
