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How Can a Manufacturing Company Use RPA?
Why Should a Manufacturing Company Implement RPA?
Potential Challenges of RPA Implementation

How Can a Manufacturing Company Use RPA?

RPA can be useful for automating a wide range of processes in manufacturing businesses including tasks performed by any company regardless of its specialization, such as invoicing, as well as operations that are more specific to the type of manufacturing industry.

When it comes to invoicing and accounting, RPA can be applied to a variety of processes, including invoice creation and verification, payment scheduling, collecting and processing information as well as updating the system.

A great example of RPA applications for tasks specifically related to manufacturing is inventory management. Companies can automate the process of tracking inventory to determine stock levels and issue purchase orders to manage supply levels with minimal human supervision. This can help businesses to optimize inventory levels and avoid downtime caused by insufficient supply.

RPA can also support order processing by automating order entries, validation, and confirmation.

Manufacturing companies can automate production line monitoring, such as tracking machine performance and notifying of potential or ongoing problems, which is very helpful for increasing production efficiency.

Quality control is another part of manufacturing companies’ workflows that can be automated. RPA can handle data collection and analysis, as well as report generation.

Read more about robotic process automation in manufacturing industry on: https://xplusglobal.com/resources/blog/robotic-process-automation-rpa-in-manufacturing-industry/

Why Should a Manufacturing Company Implement RPA?

Manufacturing companies that want to stay ahead of their competitors can effectively optimize their production, reduce costs, and increase profits by using RPA.

Automating repetitive, rule-based tasks saves significant resources and creates opportunities for employees to engage in tasks that can contribute to the development of their skills and expertise. This also eliminates human error and increases accuracy. Whether they are accounting processes or tasks related to production quality control, they can have a significant impact on the company’s performance.

Automation also speeds up processes and allows companies to do them outside of employees’ working hours if needed. While this can further increase business productivity, speed is especially important for some processes. This is true, for example, for handling tasks related to customer service and shipment.

Finally, the reduction in the need for manual labor makes companies more scalable, as they do not necessarily need to hire more employees to handle an increasing number of tasks that can be automated.

Potential Challenges of RPA Implementation

Despite the considerable benefits, companies may encounter certain issues when implementing RPA. The biggest problem is the upfront financial investment, which not all companies can afford. This depends on the RPA solution an organization is looking for. For instance, the Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP and CRM suite comes with tools for automation, while other solutions may require the implementation of separate solutions.

These expenses may include software costs as well as investments in employee training.

Although in many cases companies enjoy significant savings after deploying RPA software, smaller businesses may not receive ROI high enough to benefit from the implementation.

Another potential risk associated with RPA regards security. Automated execution of processes creates more opportunities to overlook vulnerabilities that can lead to data breaches or other types of losses. At the same time, depending on the exact nature of the information being processed, companies must ensure that their RPA systems comply with data security regulations. Enforcing these regulations, in turn, requires additional resources and can generate even higher costs of implementation.

RPA may also require changes in work routines. To successfully deploy automation, employees must adapt to the changes. While this requires the training mentioned above, there is still the possibility that some may not be ready to adapt to new workflows. This can slow down the adaptation of the system and can disrupt some of the business operations.

The Most Common Problems Related to Automated Testing

Newsdesk

11 April 2023

The Most Common Problems Related to Automated Testing

More and more companies are deciding to move to automated testing because it is an effective way to reduce the cost generated by manual labor, speed up software adoption, and reduce the likelihood of human error. Although automated testing itself does not require as much effort as manual testing, there are certain challenges that many companies face, especially during the implementation process.

Table of Contents

Selection of the Right Tool
High Upfront Investment Cost
Unrealistic Expectations
Ineffective Strategy

Selection of the Right Tool

In order to automate testing, companies need to decide which tool they want to use for this task. The range of options is quite large, which makes it challenging to make the right decision. In addition to the financial factor, which will be discussed in the next point, companies should also carefully consider the desired features.

To reduce human involvement to a minimum, no-code solutions can be an optimal choice, as they do not require advanced technical knowledge to create and maintain test cases. Implementing such tools is also easier and faster than solutions distributed in the form of libraries that can be used for creating a custom testing tool.

At the same time, custom testing solutions allow companies to automate different types of tests, while most low-code and no-code software products are suitable only for functional testing. However, there are exceptions such as Executive Automats, which is also a powerful tool for performance testing.

High Upfront Investment Cost

Free test libraries such as Selenium seem to be the most obvious choice for many enterprises, but such tools generate other expenses that should be considered. Despite the lack of licensing fees, such tools involve a high upfront investment required for setting up and maintaining an infrastructure, which cannot be done without professional developers.

Creating and maintaining tests for Selenium-based solutions also needs expert assistance. While this itself is associated with high cost, working with Selenium also requires more time than working with low-code or no-code solutions, which in turn increases expenses even more.

While no-code solutions such as Executive Automats require an upfront investment, they can provide a higher ROI in the long run due to reduced requirements for supervision from professional testers and simplified implementation.

Companies should evaluate the scope of testing, budget, and level of technical preparation before making a final decision.

Unrealistic Expectations

While test automation offers significant benefits to organizations that rely on third-party software, such as ERP and CRM suites, it is not a magic solution that can meet all testing requirements of a company.

Some unrealistic expectations are related to the problems mentioned earlier in this article. One of these is the belief that automated testing provides complete test coverage. In many cases, much of the work can indeed be automated, but for particularly complex test scenarios, as well as certain types of tests that require a human, automation is not helpful. User experience testing is one of them.

There is also a common myth about automation freeing companies from the need to maintain tests. Test automation does not mean that tests do not need to be updated when the tested software changes. Enterprises that use ERP software such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management should consider this fact since this system undergoes frequent modifications.

In addition, many companies would like to switch to automated testing because they believe that it can detect any bug. Even though automation increases the level of accuracy, it still does not guarantee that no errors will occur. Some problems may remain undetected and require manual testing for further investigation.

Ineffective Strategy

Choosing an inadequate strategy for test automation is particularly common among organizations with unrealistic expectations. At the same time, it is a challenging task for any business.

Again, it is necessary to set clear expectations for the test automation project in order to choose the right approach to automated testing. For instance, some companies looking for ways to automate testing of their ERP and CRM systems may be seeking cost reduction, while others are looking for a solution to minimize the testing time required to roll out updated software. Furthermore, there are organizations that want to automate testing to increase the quality of their software and reduce downtime or other costly consequences of compromised performance.

Benefits Of Using A Multi-Cloud Strategy

Newsdesk

11 April 2023

Benefits Of Using A Multi-Cloud Strategy

A multi-cloud strategy means a company has intentionally used different public cloud solutions to store its data. Amazon Web Services, Google Workplace, and Microsoft are some of the most popular public cloud vendors that companies can choose from when using this strategy. Companies do this because of the various benefits they stand to enjoy. These benefits of a multi-cloud strategy include the following:

Table of Contents

1. Security
2. Boosting Performance
3. Compliance
4. Flexible and Scalable
5. Customized Strategy
6. Eliminate The Risk Of Lock-Ins With A Single Vendor
Final Thoughts

1. Security

This strategy enables companies to enjoy security when storing data. They can transfer some workloads to public (Infrastructure as a Service) Iaas providers with security benefits. They also have the choice to transfer files between cloud platforms while waiting for services to resume after a phishing or brute force DDoS attack by hackers.

The vendors also provide data backup and recovery services in case of data loss due to natural disasters, power outages, and malfunctioning disks. Additionally, it helps to reduce factors that affect performance, such as packet loss, jitter, and latency which usually happen when a company moves between server and network to another. This way, the multi-cloud approach makes your business more resilient.

Working with cloud services – illustrative photo. Image credit: Sigmund via Unsplash, free license

2. Boosting Performance

When choosing a cloud services provider, a company considers whether the Iaas can fulfill performance needs, affordability, and location. With this strategy, companies can have a fast infrastructure that maximizes application performance and lowers the cost of merging cloud services with their current IT network. When companies spread networks to various cloud providers, companies can create networks that improve user experience and response time.

3. Compliance

Most countries have strict governance and data privacy rules, including GDPR and CCPA, which mandate clients’ data be kept in specific locations. With this strategy, companies can meet this requirement without the hassle of creating and operating their in-house data centers.

4. Flexible and Scalable

As a business grows, its amount of data also increases significantly. Therefore, organizations that want to store and analyze their data can use several cloud providers. This allows businesses to increase or reduce their storage needs when the need arises.

5. Customized Strategy

A company that uses multiple cloud services can choose the provider that best suits its needs. The advantage of doing this is that an organization is not forced to adjust its functions to comply with a provider’s specifications. The business has the freedom to use different providers that are most compatible with every aspect of the company and its needs.

6. Eliminate The Risk Of Lock-Ins With A Single Vendor

By using one vendor, you will become tied to them, and it will be hard to change your applications in the future when you desire to alter them. Even though one vendor is ideal for you at a specific time, it might not be suitable when you realize you need to scale your storage needs.

Additionally, you could lose an opportunity to grab some fantastic deals that arise in the future. When you choose a multi-cloud approach from the start, your developers can make apps that operate on different platforms. Therefore, you will be flexible and able to capitalize on the best capabilities and processes from various providers and still be able to deliver the quality you promised your customers.

Final Thoughts

Data is crucial for any business in this day and age. Organizations do their best to protect the data and ensure their IT systems run smoothly. Adopting the multi-cloud strategy is an excellent way to achieve these vital organizational goals.

Afghanistan: UN forced to make ‘appalling choice’ following ban on women nationals

11 April 2023

Afghanistan: UN forced to make ‘appalling choice’ following ban on women nationals

“UN national personnel – women and men – have been instructed not to report to UN offices, with only limited and calibrated exceptions made for critical tasks,” according to a statement issued on Tuesday by its office in Afghanistan.

The ban is the latest in a series of discriminatory measures that restrict Afghan women and girls from participating in most areas of public and daily life, implemented in the wake of the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021.

Table of Contents

‘An appalling choice’
Operational review underway

‘An appalling choice’

The UN underlined its “unequivocal condemnation” of the move, saying it contravenes international law, including the UN Charter, the Organization’s founding document.

“Through this ban, the Taliban de facto authorities seek to force the United Nations into having to make an appalling choice between staying and delivering in support of the Afghan people and standing by the norms and principles we are duty-bound to uphold,” the statement said.

“It should be clear that any negative consequences of this crisis for the Afghan people will be the responsibility of the de facto authorities.”

Operational review underway

The statement announced that the UN Special Representative for Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, who also heads its Mission in the country, UNAMA, has initiated an operational review period up to 5 May.

“During this period, the UN in Afghanistan will conduct the necessary consultations, make required operational adjustments, and accelerate contingency planning for all possible outcomes,” it said.

The UN said it will “maintain principled and constructive engagement with all possible levels of the Taliban de facto authorities, as mandated by the United Nations Security Council.”

The Organization will also work to continue lifesaving and time-critical humanitarian activities “during which we will assess the scope, parameters and consequences of the ban, and pause activities where impeded.”

In Mogadishu, UN chief urges ‘massive international support’ for Somalia

11 April 2023

In Mogadishu, UN chief urges ‘massive international support’ for Somalia

“I am also here to ring the alarm on the need of massive international support, because of the humanitarian difficulties the country is facing, massive humanitarian support in relation to the build-up of a security capacity of Somalia, and massive humanitarian support in stabilisation and development of the country,” Secretary-General António Guterres said in the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

“Although Somalis make virtually no contribution to climate change, the Somalis are among the greatest victims. Nearly five million people are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity. 

“And of course, rising prices make matters worse. So, I call on donors and I call on the international community to step up their support,” he added.

The UN chief made the comments at a joint press encounter with Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud at Villa Somalia, the federal government’s premises, soon after landing in Mogadishu. He last visited Somalia six years ago.

Later on Tuesday, accompanied by the Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Adam Abdelmoula, who also serves as his Deputy Special Representative for the country, the Secretary-General met some of the Somalis affected by the country’s humanitarian crisis during a visit to a camp for internally displaced people in Baidoa, the largest city in Somalia’s South West state.

He met with two different families there. 

The first had travelled 105 kilometres by foot and donkey cart, to seek refuge in Baidoa last year, after all of its livestock perished during the ongoing drought. The second family had done the same after its livestock died and travelled some 70 kilometres to seek aid.

Table of Contents

‘Mobilise much more support’
Millions need lifesaving aid
Support for state-building
Meeting civil society

‘Mobilise much more support’

“It is time for the international community to mobilise much more support, support for the Somalis to guarantee the security of their people and fight terrorism, support for the Somalis to solve the humanitarian drama that we can witness in a camp like this one.

“And support to the Somalis in creating the conditions to build the resilience of their population and to create a path of development for the people of Somalia,” Mr. Guterres said after the meetings.

“In the Holy Month of Ramadan,” he added, “we need to have generosity from the international community that is absolutely crucial to rescue these people that I’ve seen in this camp, and that live in such dramatic circumstances.”

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced in Somalia.

Millions need lifesaving aid

Currently, nearly half of Somalia’s population – 8.25 million people – need lifesaving humanitarian and protection assistance due to climate shocks, which include five consecutive years of poor rainy seasons, and protracted conflict, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Of those, some 3.8 million are internally displaced, and nearly five million people are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity. Around 1.8 million children are severely malnourished, and eight million people lack access to adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene. Two-thirds of all people in drought-affected areas have no access to essential healthcare.

The 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan to meet Somalia’s needs requires $2.6 billion to assist 7.6 million people – but its funding stands at around 15 per cent, so far.

At the earlier joint media encounter in Mogadishu, the UN chief called on the international community to “urgently fund” the Plan.

“Somali people deserve the solidarity of the international community, and deserve it to prevent malnutrition and displacement, to save lives, to avert famine,” he said. 

Secretary-General António Guterres (left) meets Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Mogadishu, Somalia.

Support for state-building

Prior to the press encounter, the Secretary-General met with the President and some member of his cabinet and advisors to discuss other matters, including wider state-building goals, along with his Deputy Special Representative for Somalia, Anita Kiki Gbeho, who also serves as the Officer-in-Charge on the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM).

“The President and I discussed the Government’s valuable efforts to tackle terrorism and advance peace and security for everyone, and we underlined the importance of an ever-stronger collaboration between the Federal Government and [Federal Member] States,” Mr. Guterres said.

 “Federal and [Federal Member] State authorities can count on our support for further advanced state-building,” he continued, “and we are particularly encouraged by the recent agreement that was established in relation to the different matters of power sharing.” 

The UN chief also called on the international community to step up support beyond the humanitarian sphere, to help Somalis “be able to launch a new process of stabilisation and development in the country and to build up its capacities to fight Al-Shabaab with even more efficiency than in the recent past.” 

Over recent months, Somalia’s security forces, reinforced by local militias, have conducted military operations against Al-Shabaab in the Federal Member States of Hirshabelle and Galmudug, and operations are expected to gradually move into other areas of Somalia.

Meeting civil society

Also on Tuesday, the UN chief met with representatives of Somali civil society organisations working in areas such as women’s affairs and empowerment, climate change, persons with disabilities, youth and marginalized groups to hear first-hand about their work and how the world body can support them.

Later that evening with members of the Federal Government and representatives of the international community, he attended an iftar, the meal prepared for sunset to break the daily fasting observed by Muslims during Ramadan.

The UN chief began his tradition of paying solidarity visits – which include him fasting too – during Ramadan while he was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, before taking up the UN’s top job in 2017. He has previously said that joining Muslims fasting during Ramadan has, over the years, showed to him “the true face of Islam.”

At his press encounter in Mogadishu today, he noted that Somalia embodies Ramadan’s “timeless message of renewal and hope.”

“In these challenging times, I want to commend your energy and resilience and reiterate the United Nations’ unwavering support,” Mr. Guterres said. “We stand in solidarity with the Somali people and the Somali Government – for peace, for security and for sustainable development.”

Türkiye: Protecting cultural heritage after the earthquakes

11 April 2023

Türkiye: Protecting cultural heritage after the earthquakes

It marks the start of a wider effort to support the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in protecting damaged artifacts, ahead of full restoration.

The deliveries took place two months after major earthquakes caused the deaths of at least 50,000 people, displaced more than 3.3 million, and caused an estimated $103.6 billion in damage.

“These containers are just the beginning,” said UNDP Resident Representative Louisa Vinton. “UNDP is currently seeking funding to support a broader effort to rebuild thousands of damaged cultural heritage monuments, in all their splendid diversity.

“This is not just about physical objects, as crucial as they are to historical memory; it is also a contribution to reviving the region’s unique identity and human spirit.”

Table of Contents

Devastation in Antakya
Providing support to safeguard heritage

Devastation in Antakya

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism lists over 8,000 historic structures across the eleven provinces, which have suffered the most due to the deadly quakes.

More than 60 percent of all the structures that heritage experts were able to inspect suffered some level of damage, according to the Türkiye Earthquakes Recovery and Reconstruction Assessment (TERRA) conducted by the Government with support from the UN, the European Union (EU), and the World Bank.

“With so much of Antakya still in ruins, we need to protect and restore what we can of the enduring symbols of our city,” said Turkish actor and UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Mert Firat. Firat’s family comes from the ancient coastal city of Antakya, and, as a founder of the Needs Map civic organization, he has been active in earthquake response from the first day.

Providing support to safeguard heritage

In addition to the containers, UNDP will also be supplying handheld radios, drones, and tablets, which are needed to assess damage to artifacts, map damaged areas, take photographs for documentation and ensure the security of the artifacts while damage assessment studies continue.

UNDP has already supplied 25 containers to firefighters in Hatay, as a temporary replacement for the building in Antakya that housed the fire department and all its trucks; it collapsed completely during the earthquakes.

UNDP is also supplying waste management equipment, tools, and commodities to help manage earthquake debris in a way that protects public health and the environment; and establishing mobile day-care centres for the elderly and persons with disabilities.

It is also with women’s cooperatives to set up mobile kitchens supplied with local farm produce; and supporting efforts to scale up vocational training for earthquake survivors displaced to other regions.

Myanmar: UN condemns deadly military airstrike on crowd of civilians

11 April 2023

Myanmar: UN condemns deadly military airstrike on crowd of civilians

Military aircraft dropped bombs and fired on a crowd of people in Kanbulu Township, located in Sagaing Region, who had gathered that morning for the opening of a new town hall, according to media reports.

Table of Contents

Guterres condemns attack
End the violence
Rights chief ‘horrified’
Hope for accountability

Guterres condemns attack

UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the attack and called for those responsible to be held accountable, his Spokesperson said in a statement.

Mr. Guterres offered his deepest condolences to the families of the victims. He also called for the injured to be allowed urgent medical treatment and access to assistance.

“The Secretary-General condemns all forms of violence and reaffirms the primacy of protection of civilians, in accordance with international humanitarian law,” the statement said.

End the violence

Myanmar’s military seized power in February 2021 following disputed elections the previous November, detaining democratically elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and other top officials.

Thousands of people have been killed since the coup, and the UN continues to speak out against the ensuing repression, human rights violations and abuses.

The Secretary-General reiterated his appeal for the military to “end the campaign of violence against the Myanmar population throughout the country”, in line with a Security Council resolution adopted in December.

Resolution 2669 demands an immediate end to all forms of violence in Myanmar. It further calls for restraint, de-escalation of tensions and the release of all prisoners.

Rights chief ‘horrified’

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, also issued a statement, saying he was “horrified” by reports of the airstrikes.

“It appears schoolchildren performing dances, as well as other civilians, attending an opening ceremony at the hall in Pazi Gyi village, Kanbalu Township were among the victims. A helicopter gunship then reportedly fired on those fleeing the hall,” he said.

The UN rights chief noted that despite clear legal obligations for the military to protect civilians in the conduct of hostilities, “there has been blatant disregard for the related rules of international law.”

Hope for accountability

He called on all parties to take “all feasible precautions” to protect civilians from the effects of attacks, including by avoiding locating military objectives within or near densely populated areas.

“As I have previously noted, there are reasonable grounds to believe that the military and its affiliated militias are responsible for an extremely broad range of human rights violations and abuses since 1 February 2021, some of which may constitute crimes against humanity and war crimes,” Mr. Turk said.

“I firmly believe the international justice processes now underway will one day hold the military leadership accountable for such crimes,” he added.

New settlement opens for latest Somali refugees in Ethiopia

11 April 2023

New settlement opens for latest Somali refugees in Ethiopia

Mr. Guterres’s appeal came as the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, warned about the ongoing crisis faced by people displaced by violence from Somalia to Ethiopia.

Relocation for the most vulnerable has begun, said UNHCR, after an uptick in violence in northern Somalia’s Lascanood city pushed close to 100,000 people to flee to a remote area of Ethiopia’s Somali region in the past two months.

“Since clashes started in mid-February, thousands of people have arrived in the Somali region of Ethiopia seeking safety,” said UNHCR spokesperson Olga Sarrado. “As of last week, 91,000 people had been registered by the Ethiopian authorities.”

Ms. Sarrado added that although the pace of arrivals had slowed, refugees continue to show up, fleeing ongoing violence in Somalia.

Ethiopia currently hosts a total of nearly 990,000 refugees from neighbouring countries including South Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, and Sudan.

Table of Contents

Thousands of unaccompanied children
Relocating the most vulnerable
Better protection and services
A multi-faceted crisis
Support for Somalia

Thousands of unaccompanied children

According to UNHCR, most of the refugees arriving from Somalia are women, children and older people, including “more than 3,400 unaccompanied and separated children and adolescents”.

Ms. Sarrado said that these young refugees had told UNHCR “harrowing stories” of how they became separated from their families when clashes began and have since been unable to re-establish contact with their family members.

Relocating the most vulnerable

Now, a relocation of some of the refugees is underway, “with 1,036 of the most vulnerable people transferred from border areas to a new settlement over the past three days”, Ms. Sarrado said.

Transportation to a new site, located some 50 kilometres from the border in Mirqaan, Bokh district, is being organized by the Ethiopian authorities with UNHCR and partners.

Better protection and services

Ms. Sarrado said that “the Government of Ethiopia has generously allocated 400 hectares where refugees can settle and access existing services, such as health care, water and education”, adding that “UNHCR continues to engage with local authorities and leaders to assess gaps in basic services, so support benefits both refugees and Ethiopians as well”.

With needs on the rise, the establishment of the new site is designed to help provide newly arrived refugees who have been living in precarious conditions with shelter, core relief items, food and water.

Ms. Sarrado explained that “relocation is taking place because [refugees] were settling at the border with Somalia, they were sleeping outdoors, the areas where they were staying started to be overcrowded, leading to increased protection risks”.

A multi-faceted crisis

The fighting in Lascanood, which is the capital of the Sool region and part of the breakaway territory of Somaliland, has opposed Somaliland troops and a local clan claiming the town.

In a joint statement in February this year, the United Nations and an international coalition of partners condemned the violence and expressed concern about attacks against civilians, calling for “unhindered humanitarian access” to the remote area in order to “urgently address the needs of those displaced and impacted by the ongoing violence”.

In March, UNHCR and humanitarian partners launched a $116 million inter-agency emergency refugee response plan to respond to critical needs faced by refugees and host communities in the area.

Just last week, in its latest update on the crisis, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the situation has escalated “at a time when people in Sool Region are experiencing unprecedented water shortages due to severe drought and facing an elevated risk of disease outbreaks”.

Both Somalia and neighbouring Ethiopia have been hit hard by a historic five years of drought in the Horn of Africa.

Support for Somalia

Speaking in Mogadishu on Tuesday at a press encounter with the President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, UN chief Mr. Guterres said that “Somali people deserve the solidarity of the international community”.

He called for urgent funding for the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan for the country, currently only 15 per cent funded.

UK must protect unaccompanied children seeking asylum, urge UN experts

11 April 2023

UK must protect unaccompanied children seeking asylum, urge UN experts

“We are deeply concerned at reports that unaccompanied asylum-seeking children are going missing and are at high risk of being trafficked within the UK,” the three experts, or Special Rapporteurs, said in a statement.

Table of Contents

Local authority responsibility
Hundreds still unaccounted for

Local authority responsibility

They said that instead of being housed in hotels, children should be placed in the care of local authorities, where they can be properly looked after.

“The current policy of placing unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in hotels places them outside of the UK child protection system and is discriminatory,” they added, noting that failures and gaps in child protection heighten risks of trafficking.

They stressed the urgent need to trace the missing children, and to provide human rights-compliant reception conditions and protection, for unaccompanied children seeking asylum – without discrimination on grounds of nationality, migration status, race, ethnicity and gender.

“The UK Government appears to be failing to abide by its core obligations under international human rights law”, the experts said.

Hundreds still unaccounted for

They noted reports that 4,600 unaccompanied children have been housed in six hotels since June 2021, and that 440 of them had disappeared. Some 220 remained unaccounted for as of 23 January this year, the majority of whom were Albanian nationals.

“The practice has allegedly developed in a climate of increasing hostility towards victims of trafficking and contemporary forms of slavery, refugees, asylum seekers and migrants,” the Human Rights Council-appointed experts said.

Some Members of Parliament have reportedly been critical of victims of trafficking seeking protection under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act and the National Referral Mechanism, undermining the Government’s obligation to protect victims and prevent them from being potentially trafficked.

The experts added that they have been in contact with the UK Government regarding their serious concerns.

Special Rapporteurs and other independent experts are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. They monitor and report on specific country situations or thematic issues.

They are not UN staff and do not receive payment for their work.

From The Field: A rare safe space for the LGBTI+ community in El Salvador

7 April 2023

From The Field: A rare safe space for the LGBTI+ community in El Salvador

A visitor receives support at the Diké LGBTI+ community and health centre in El Salvador.

The centre, run by the Diké organization, provides a host of services to the LBGTI+ community, including sexual healthcare, psychological care, human rights education, advocacy activities and safe shelter for those who need it, including migrants and displaced persons.

It is supported by the Spotlight Initiative, a global partnership between the European Union and the United Nations to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.

Find out more about the centre, and read the stories of some of those who see it as a safe space, here.