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	Reflections on the global food crisis by International Food Policy Research Institute   19 Nov 2010   How Did It Happen? How Has It Hurt? And How Can We Prevent the Next One?   The dramatic surge in food prices from 2005 to 2008 seriously threatened the world''s poor, who struggle to buy food even under normal circumstances, and led to protests and riots in the developing world. The crisis eventually receded, but such surges could recur unless steps are taken to prevent them. Using up-to-date information, the authors of Re¬flections on the Global Food Crisis identify the key causes of the food price surge, its consequences for global poverty, and the challenges involved in preventing another crisis.   Breaking from many earlier interpretations, these authors conclude that the crisis was not primarily fostered by increased demand for meat products in rising economies such as China and India, or by declines in agricultural yields or food stocks, or by futures market speculation.   Instead, they attribute the rising food prices to a combination of rising energy prices; growing demand for biofuels; the U.S. dollar depreciation; and various trade shocks related to export restrictions, panic purchases, and unfavorable weather. As part of their analysis, the authors also provide the first comprehensive review of both the macroeconomic and microeconomic consequences of the crisis, as well as a detailed comparison of the current crisis with the food price crisis of 1974.   To prevent another crisis, the authors conclude that the global food system should be reformed through several key steps: make trade in agricultural commodities more free yet more secure; address long-term threats to agricultural productivity, such as climate change and resource degradation; scale up social protection in potentially food-insecure countries; and encourage agricultural production in at least some of the countries now heavily dependent on food imports.   Reflections on the Global Food Crisis is a valuable resource for policymakers, development specialists, and others concerned with the world''s poorest people. Visit the related web page
	Slavery remains invisible in households around the world by Gulnara Shahinian UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary forms of Slavery   Nov 2010   “Domestic workers who are subject to abuse, whether physical, emotional or sexual in nature, are effectively being treated as slaves,” warned the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary forms of Slavery, Gulnara Shahinian, on the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery.   “This form of slavery takes place in households all across the world, and although the victims remain largely invisible to the larger public, domestic servitude constitutes a global human rights concern,” Ms. Shahinian said, stressing that every region in the world is affected.   “I have seen women who lived as enslaved servants since they were born. I have talked to children who were given away to ‘foster families’ who then ruthlessly exploited them as domestic slaves, instead of caring for and educating them.   I have met with migrant domestic workers, whose dream of earning money abroad to feed their families turned into a nightmare of exploitation and humiliation,” the Special Rapporteur said.   Paid domestic work, in which workers’ human rights are respected and protected, provides a valuable contribution to society. Domestic workers often provide families with the opportunity for the parents to balance their professional and personal responsibilities. However, the human rights independent expert highlighted that millions of vulnerable people face a different reality.   In her latest report, Ms. Shahinian outlined the many different forms and shapes of domestic servitude and noted that the majority of victims are girls and women. “Domestic servitude or slavery is a situation when a vulnerable individual is forced, by physical and/or moral coercion, to work without any real financial reward, is deprived of his or her liberty, and is in a situation which is contrary to human dignity.”   Children are particularly vulnerable to domestic servitude, especially if they live with their employers and/or migrate on their own to find domestic work. In many cases, they work in hazardous circumstances that amount to the worst forms of child labour outlawed by international conventions.   “No child under 18 years should have to live with their domestic employer or work abroad as a domestic worker,” the Special Rapporteur said. “It should also be prohibited to employ children who are younger than 15 or still completing their mandatory education if this interferes with their schooling.”   In recent years, the migration of women for domestic work has rapidly grown and become one of the key factors in the ongoing feminization of migration. An entire industry of migrant domestic work has evolved, driven by a surging demand for domestic work in richer countries, stark global income inequalities and transnational recruitment agencies.   “Migrant domestic workers are vulnerable to subjugation to servitude, because they often have a precarious migration status and face numerous prejudices,” said Ms. Shahinian.   “States should focus on reducing the invisibility of the domestic worker by including provisions that strongly regulate the use of child domestic workers, provide domestic workers with the options as to whether or not they should live with their employer and regulate all aspects of recruitment, placement and work, including for migrant domestic work,” she stressed.   “Victims of servitude should be treated as victims of a crime and not be considered as having violated immigration and/or labour laws. These victims should also have access to and receive all necessary protection and assistance,” the Special Rapporteur said. “All perpetrators of the crime of domestic servitude must be prosecuted. Diplomats found to be perpetrators of such a crime should have their immunities lifted and be prosecuted.”   On the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, Ms. Shahinian also urged States to engage in the development of the International Labour Organization Convention on Decent Work for Domestic Workers and make sure that the Convention will be based on the major human rights treaties. Visit the related web page
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