The 23rd August each year offers the world community the
opportunity to commemorate the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its abolition. Apart from remembering those who suffered as slaves the day highlights the fact that millions still live as slaves in all but name. The UN’s cultural organisation, Unesco, chose the date to commemorate the 1791 San Domingo (Haiti) revolt, which marked the first decisive victory of slaves against their oppressors and led to the creation of the first black independent state.

Koichiro Matsuura, head of Unesco, states:

Although abolished and penalised in international instruments, [slavery] is still practised in new forms that today affect millions of men, women and children across the world

Human Traficking

The Anti-Slavery International Group describes human trafficking as the fastest growing from of modern-day slavery. The majority of trafficked people are women and girls, and experts believe that most of them are sent from Africa and Eastern Europe for the sex trade in Western Europe. Chattel slavery, involving a class of hereditary slaves, still exists in parts of Africa, and bonded labour remains common in South Asia.

According to the UN’s Children’s Fund, Unicef, human trafficking remains a problem in every African country.

Read this article for more information on the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

Tags: abolition, human traficking, rememberance of the slave trade, transatlantic slave trade

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011 at 12:21 am and is filed under Africa, days of significance, General, other interesting stuff, social practices, South Asia . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.