The United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery allocates project grants (for a maximum of 15 000 USD), for programmes of humanitarian, legal and financial assistance to individuals whose human rights have been severely violated as a result of contemporary forms of slavery. Contemporary forms of slavery include chattel slavery, serfdom, forced labour, debt bondage, the worst forms of child labour, forced and early marriage and the sale of wives, trafficking of persons and human organs, sexualslavery, sale of children and children in armed conflicts, etc.

Projects undertaken with the Fund’s grants include medical, psychological, education and housing assistance aid for women and girls who are victims of forced marriages, vocational training to victims of human trafficking for sexual and economic exploitation; support to rehabilitation centers for sexually and physically abused street children and projects to identify and release bonded labourers in the agriculture, carpet and construction industries. Other projects have provided victims with the means to generate sustainable sources of income, such as sewing machines, hairdressing equipment, or farming tools.

The application form in English is available on the following weblink: http://www2.ohchr.org/SPdocs/Slavery/AppSH-EN2012.doc

Application forms duly completed and all supporting documents should be submitted in their electronic format by email:slaveryfund@ohchr.org by 31 May 2011. Exceptionally, and upon justification, you may submit those documents by post.

If you need more information on the Fund, you can consult OHCHR website: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Slavery/Pages/SlaveryFundMain.aspx. You can also contact us by email at: slaveryfund@ohchr.org

You are more than welcome to disseminate this message to organisations working on contemporary forms of slavery.