University of Connecticut
UNESCO Chair & Institute of Comparative Human Rights
15th Annual International Human Rights Conference
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Human Trafficking, Forced Labor, and Exploitation
No human rights abuse has proved more durable and disturbing than human trafficking. From the era of transatlantic slavery to the present day, the crime of transporting, exploiting, and abusing men, women, and children has been committed in all corners of the globe, and has affected the lives and communities of countless millions of human beings. While the most vulnerable are those individuals living in poverty with limited educational or economic opportunities, trafficking victims come from all regions of the world and all sectors of society. In 2014, the International Labor Organization estimates that, at any given moment, over 20 million people are in conditions of forced labor, generating some US$150.2 billion per year--a level of economic output greater than many countries in the world.
Given the scale of the problem, solutions require coordination at the local, national, and global levels, as well as cooperation between advocates, policy makers, law enforcement, and experts. While the problem has hardly been ignored, more needs to be done to ensure that efforts are effective not only in liberating victims and prosecuting perpetrators, but also in providing protection and rehabilitation for survivors over the long term, devising sustainable, locally-based prevention strategies, and in strengthening equitable economic opportunities and legitimate business practices worldwide.
Recognizing that trafficking exists at the nexus of other human rights issues, including sexual violence and exploitation, the rights of migrants, children’s rights, and workplace and labor rights, the UNESCO Chair and Institute of Comparative Human Rights will convene a wide range of international and national activists, officials, survivors, and scholars to discuss the impact of trafficking around the world as well as the opportunities and challenges in combatting these crimes. This conference will present an opportunity for students, faculty and the community to come together to learn how they can act in partnership with others to combat this grave crime.
To register, please go to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Fk4GKjRVkJIgC80Cqp7Xly_RzQ-1pinOhTSRDKkVYdU/viewform?c=0&w=1. If you would like to bring a group of students, please contact unescochairintern@uconn.edu
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
8:15 a.m. General Registration – Student Union Theatre Lobby
9:00 a.m. Welcome and Introductory Remarks
9:10 a.m. Conference Overview by Prof. Amii Omara-Otunnu, UNESCO Chair-holder and Executive Director
9:20 a.m. Introduction of Keynote Speaker by Daniel Weiner, Vice Provost for Global Affairs
9:25 a.m. Keynote Address by Dr. Aidan McQuade, Director Anti-Slavery International, UK
10:15 a.m. General Plenary Session: Moderated by Carolyn Treiss, Executive Director, Permanent Commission on the Status of Women
- Ms. Holly Austin Smith, Author and Survivor, USA
- Ms. Jean Enriquez, Executive Director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, Asia Pacific
- Dr. Iyabo Obasanjo, Distinguished Fellow at the African Presidential Center of Boston University, Nigeria
11:30 a.m. Break
11:45 a.m. Expert Plenary Session: Moderated by Prof. Bandana Purkayastha(Student Union 304B/C)
- Ms. Erin Siegal McIntyre and Ms. Florence George Graves, Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism, Brandeis University
- Dr. Marie Segrave, Advocate and Researcher, Australia
- Dr. Siddharth Kara, Author and Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, USA
11:45 a.m. Workshop and Lunch for High School Students, Student Union Ballroom
- Lawyers Without Borders Workshop
- High School Students depart campus at 1 p.m.
1:00 p.m. Break
2 p.m. International Plenary Session: Moderated by Farhan Yousaf, Fulbright Scholar and Assistant Professor of Sociology at Punjab University, Pakistan (Student Union 304B/C)
- Ms. Irina Alkhovka, Chair, La Strada International (LSI), Europe
- Ms. Jennifer Gentile Long, JD, Director, AEquitas: The Prosecutors’ Resource on Violence Against Women, USA
- Dr. Jacob Mofokeng, Department of Safety and Security Management, South Africa
3:30 p.m. Break
3:45 p.m. Closing Keynote Address by Dr. Kamala Kempadoo, Professor of Social Science, York University, Canada
4:30 Conference Ends
Conference is co-sponsored by:
Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, Office of Global Affairs, Human Rights Institute, Residential Life, Sociology, Student Health Services, UConn’s Women’s Center
For more information, please contact the UNESCO Chair & Institute of Comparative Human Rights at 860.486.0647, or via email at unescochairintern@uconn.edu. You may also visit our website at unescochair.uconn.edu.
For more information, contact: UNESCO Chair & Institute of Comparative Human Rights at 860-486-0647