Background

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Ms. Siobhán Mullally, will conduct an official country visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 15 to 25 July 2025. The findings of her visit will be presented in a public report to the United Nations Human Rights Council in June 2026.

Objectives

In her report, the Special Rapporteur will offer concrete recommendations to support the Government’s efforts in implementing a human rights-based response to trafficking in persons, especially women and children, and to strengthen prevention, protection and accountability efforts.

Reponses to the list of issues below would be greatly appreciated. Other relevant information, not listed below, may also be included in your submissions.

Key questions and types of input/comments sought

• Current trends in forms and manifestations of trafficking in persons, including all forms of trafficking, regardless of their national or transnational nature, and for all types of exploitation, including but not limited to: sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, domestic servitude, forced begging, forced labour, slavery or similar practices, forced criminality, organ harvesting, forced surrogacy; child and forced marriage;
• Child trafficking: Prevention of child trafficking and protection of child victims and measures to ensure the protection of young people at risk of trafficking, including unaccompanied and separated migrant, refugee and stateless children, and internally displaced children;
• Children and armed conflict:Recruitment of children by armed groups as a form of trafficking, for all purposes of exploitation, including forced criminality, and information on the application of the non-punishment principle, prevention and protection measures;
• Labour exploitation: Measures to prevent trafficking in persons for purposes of labour exploitation, protection of victims and accountability, including in domestic work;
• Sexual exploitation: Trafficking in persons for purposes of sexual exploitation (prevention, protection and accountability measures), and trafficking as a form of sexual violence in conflict, including measures of prevention, protection and accountability;
• Trafficking in persons for forced criminality and implementation of the non-punishment principle;
• Legislative, policy and institutional framework, including the legal framework criminalizing trafficking in persons in accordance with the definition set by the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons (Trafficking in Persons Protocol), and international human rights law, and to ensure assistance and protection to victims;
• National strategies and mechanisms of cooperation to tackle trafficking in persons and provide assistance to victims;
• Early support, including early identification and assistance to trafficked persons, with special emphasis on the unconditional nature of such support to the victims’ participation in the criminal proceedings;
• Rule of law, administration of justice and independence of judges and lawyers;
• Access to justice and legal aid;
• Access to effective remedies, redress and in particular compensation to victims and other measures aiming at the social inclusion of survivors;
• Accountability: Investigation,prosecution and punishment of crimes of trafficking in persons, protection of victims’ rights in criminal proceedings, including the non-punishment principle of victims of trafficking in persons for offences committed in the course, or as a consequence, of being trafficked;
• Peacebuilding, prevention of trafficking in persons, accountability and transitional justice;
• Trafficking in persons in the context of migration and mixed movements;
• Internally displaced persons and refugees : Prevention of trafficking and protection of victims or persons at risk of trafficking, including in particular among internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees;
• Statelessness and trafficking in persons: Prevention of statelessness and protection of stateless persons at risk of trafficking;
• Trafficking in persons among minorities and Indigenous Peoples;
• Women, peace and security: Integration of prevention, protection and accountability for trafficking in persons into women, peace and security measures and action plans;
• Role of peacekeeping mission policies and prevention mechanisms on trafficking in persons, especially women and girls;
• Business and human rights: Cooperation with the private sector and businesses in countering trafficking for labour exploitation, including in supply chains;
• Role of civil society: Cooperation and partnerships, with civil society, trade unions, and human rights defenders, child rights organisations, including migrant and refugee organisations;
• Rights of LGBT persons and persons of diverse gender identities and trafficking in persons;
• Rights of persons with disabilities: Prevention of trafficking of persons with disabilities, and measures to ensure disability inclusion in anti-trafficking and protection;
• Climate change: Responses to natural disasters, climate change and displacement, which contribute to heightened risks of trafficking;
• International cooperation in prevention of trafficking, protection of victims, and in investigation and prosecution of trafficking in persons; as well as opportunities to strengthen international and regional cooperation to combat trafficking;
• Efforts to implement the Universal Periodic Review recommendations as well as recommendations by UN treaty bodies in this area and follow up

How inputs will be used?

All submissions will be kept confidential.

For more information on the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children and the activities of the mandate, please click here.