By highlighting areas in which international law (both customary and treaty-based) imposes unquestioned obligations on states and areas in which further study or drafting is necessary, Special Rapporteurs can play a role in articulating and extending legal pressures on governments. Links of London L Charm On 28 September 2007, the Human Rights Council agreed to take an extremely important step, by appointing a Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery.190 According to the UN press release:

In September 2007, the United Nations' Human Rights Council resolved to continue the efforts of the Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery. Links of London K Charm Recognizing that slavery is a pervasive and international problem, the Council has appointed a Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery as the most appropriate mechanism for continuing to address the issue. The work of the new Special Rapporteur has roots in the Slavery Convention of 1926 and the Slave Trade and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery of 1956. The Council commented that existing Rapporteurs and Commissions do not adequately address all slavery practices. Links of London J Charm

The Special Rapporteur will be appointed for three years. He or she will be responsible for examining the causes and consequences of contemporary forms of slavery, reporting on slavery practices, facilitating information exchange among governmental and nongovernmental groups, and promoting and recommending appropriate measures to address slavery and its causes. Links of London I Charm Collaborating with existing human rights mechanisms, such as the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, the new Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery will take into account the gender and age dimensions of slavery and focus on effective practices on national, regional, and international levels.