Statement by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour on the first ever International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

25 March 2008

Regretfully, two centuries after the official abolition of slavery, contemporary forms of slavery and slavery-like practices still persist, and hundreds of thousands of human beings are still being treated as commodities in a variety of ways.

Every country in the world contains women and children who have been tricked or coerced into prostitution, and are then kept through a system of fear or indebtedness as virtual slaves. Particularly vulnerable are those who have been trafficked across borders, physically abused, sold and resold, deprived of passports and other documents and snared in a terrible existence from which it can be very hard to escape.

The horrendous transatlantic slave trade formally ended 201 years ago, with the 1807 Abolition of the Slave Trade Act passed by the British Parliament, yet hundreds of thousands of people are trapped in economic bondage in their own countries, or imported from others, as indentured or forced labourers, working long hours in sub-human conditions, with little hope of a better future.

There can be no economic, cultural or historical excuse for slavery continuing – in any form – in the 21st century. That said, as part of the struggle against these barbaric practices, we also need to tackle various factors that help perpetuate contemporary forms of slavery, including poverty, illiteracy, discrimination, impunity, corruption, social exclusion and gender discrimination.

The World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, held in Durban, South Africa in 2001 declared slavery and the slave trade to be a crime against humanity. Unfortunately, by our casual disregard for forced prostitution and forced labour on our own doorsteps, we have yet to show that we really comprehend the scale and gravity of a crime that is still being committed every day, and on every continent. As we remember the victims of slavery in past centuries, we should spare more than a thought for the victims of slavery today and tomorrow. We can and should do something about it.

I call on all governments to adopt and strengthen measures to ensure that no man, woman, or child will ever again, under any circumstances, be bought or sold.


_____________
The International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade will take place on 25 March every year, in accordance with General Assembly Resolution 62/122 of 17 December 2007.