UN expert: Contemporary forms of slavery exist in Sri Lanka

By KRISHAN FRANCIS
Associated Press

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — A U.N expert says contemporary forms of slavery exist in Sri Lanka, with vulnerable groups such as children, women, ethnic minorities and older people particularly affected. The U.N special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, Tomoyo Obokata, said at the end of a mission to Sri Lanka that he will submit a report to the U.N. Human Rights Council next year. He says about 1% of Sri Lankan children are involved in some type of child labor, most of it considered hazardous. He says child labor is particularly severe in areas populated by ethnic minority Tamils, such as in tea and rubber planation regions where children are forced to drop out of school and support their families.