International Day for the Abolition of Slavery is observed every year on 2 December. It is about raising awareness and reinforcing global efforts in combatting the torment of modern slavery. The day remind the people and government to abolish modern forms of slavery like trafficking, sexual exploitation, child labour, forced marriage, and forced recruitment of children into armed conflict.
Secretary-General António Guterres in his message urged conveyed to abolish modern slavery.
I call on Member States, civil society and the private sector to strengthen collective action to end the heinous practice of slavery. I urge all countries to intensify their efforts to identify and protect victims and survivors – including by contributing to the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery. Let us join forces to end the degradation and inhumanity of modern slavery once and for all.
Theme of International Day for the Abolition of Slavery 2021
The day remind the people and government to abolish modern forms of slavery like trafficking, sexual exploitation, child labour, forced marriage, and forced recruitment of children into armed conflict. The theme of International Day for the Abolition of Slavery 2021: “Ending Slavery’s Legacy of Racism: A Global Imperative for Justice”. The theme of International Day for the Abolition of Slavery 2020 was “Confronting Slavery’s Legacy of Racism Together”.
Quick facts about Modern Slavery
Here are some quick facts about modern form of slavery as of Dec 2021:
- An estimated 40.3 million people are in modern slavery, including 24.9 in forced labour and 15.4 million in forced marriage.
- There are 5.4 victims of modern slavery for every 1,000 people in the world.
- 1 in 4 victims of modern slavery are children.
- Out of the 24.9 million people trapped in forced labour, 16 million people are exploited in the private sector such as domestic work, construction or agriculture; 4.8 million people in forced sexual exploitation, and 4 million people in forced labour imposed by state authorities.
- Women and girls are disproportionately affected by forced labour, accounting for 99% of victims in the commercial sex industry, and 58% in other sectors.
History of International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
On International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, people focus on eradicating contemporary forms of slavery like human trafficking, sexual exploitation, child labour, forced marriage, and the forced recruitment of kids into armed conflict. In 1949, member states adopted the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and the Exploitation of Prostitution.
Although, since 1995, the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery has shone the spotlight on the atrocities of modern slavery and tried to inspire commitment to better humanity. 2 December wasn’t recognized as the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery until exactly a decade after a U.N Working Group on Slavery proposed it as the World Day for the Abolition of Slavery in 1985.
By resolution 57/195 of 18 December 2002, the Assembly declared 2004 the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition.