Geneva / Lome — During her country visit, Bhoola will focus on issues such as forced labour, domestic servitude and child labour in different sectors. The Special Rapporteur also wishes to assess how the Government of Togo is preventing and addressing these harmful phenomena.

"The aim of the visit is to gather first-hand information about contemporary forms of slavery or issues related to it and to assess to what extent the Government of Togo is taking measures to achieve target 8.7 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals which requires taking "immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking (... )," the expert said.

The Special Rapporteur will meet with senior Government officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs; Human Rights; Justice; and Social Action, amongst others. Bhoola will visit Lomé and Sokodé and she will also meet with representatives of trade unions, civil society and international organizations.

The Special Rapporteur will hold a media conference on 31 May at the UNIC conference room, 468, Angle rue ATIME, Avenue de la Libération in Lomé, to share her preliminary observations and conclusions. It will start at 13:00, and access is strictly limited to the media.