02 December: International Day of the Abolition of Slavery 2023

Every year on December 2, the world observes the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. It is a day set aside to honor and remember the horrifying past of slavery as well as the lingering effects of its legacy. On December 2, 1986, the United Nations General Assembly established the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. The UN General Assembly's adoption of "The Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic - in Persons and the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others" on December 2, 1949, is the day's origin. This day is a somber reminder of the ongoing fight against slavery and its form of modern world. On this day, governments, organizations, and people unite to oppose the abhorrent practice of slavery in all of its forms throughout the world. The day also serves as a reminder of the dreadful history of social injustice, racism, and slavery. This day is devoted to ending modern forms of slavery, including forced marriage, child labor of the worst kind, sexual exploitation, human trafficking, and the enlistment of minors in the armed forces

2023 Theme & Purpose

The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery 2023 theme is ‘Fighting Slavery’s Legacy of Racism through Transformative Education’ and it emphasises the continuing effects of the transatlantic slave trade’s legacy of racism. Such biases and prejudices have continued to contribute to harmful perceptions and assumptions that continue to affect people, particularly of African descent worldwide. The theme for this year is using education to put an end to slavery in all its forms.

A New Form of Slavery in Today World: Modern Slavery

In the past, slavery was a structured system in which people were bought, sold, and treated like property while frequently going through unspeakable suffering. This practice has been around for thousands of years, spanning many different cultures and civilizations. But modern slavery has evolved to include forced labor, human trafficking, and the exploitation of minors in a variety of sectors of the economy. These days, it is a covert crime that affects millions of people worldwide and cuts across age, nationality, and boundaries.

According to UN some major forms of Modern Slavery-

Forced labor

Modern forms of forced labor have emerged in addition to more traditional ones, like debt bondage and bonded labor. These include migrant workers, who have been trafficked for employment in the food and apparel industry, construction, agriculture, construction, and forced prostitution, among other sectors of the global economy..

Trafficking

A person is considered to be trafficked if they are recruited, transported, transferred, harbored, or received with the use of force or other forms of coercion with the intent to exploit them, as defined by the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons–Especially Women and Children. The following are examples of forms of exploitation: forced labor or services; prostitution of others or other sexual exploitation; slavery or practices closely related to slavery; and organ harvesting. It makes no difference whether the victim of human trafficking agrees to be exploited or not. Even in cases when there is no physical force involved, trafficking in children is illegal.

Child labor

Around the world, 10% of children are employed. Nowadays, the vast majority of child labor is done for financial gain. That is in violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that children have the right to be free from economic exploitation and to be shielded from work that could endanger their health or interfere with their education or negatively impact their physical, mental, spiritual, moral, or social development.