Encyclopedia > International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition
2004 was declared the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition by the United Nations General Assembly.
The United Nations International Years, beginning with the World Refugee Year in 1959/1960, are designated in order to focus world attention on important issues. The proclamation of an international year to commemorate the struggle against slavery and its abolition marked the bicentenary of the proclamation of the first black state, Haiti, as well as the reunion of the peoples of Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean and Europe.
Among the initiatives that marked the commemorative year was a virtual exhibition, Lest We Forget: The Triumph over Slavery, created by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and New York Public Library.
Another effort that was launched during the year was a research and information programme, Forgotten Slaves. The programme was implemented by the French Marine Archaeology Group (GRAN) with the support of UNESCO. It was inspired by the wreck of the slave ship l’Utile off the shores of the Tromelin Island in the Indian Ocean in 1761 and was intended to be part of an information campaign to raise awareness of both the history of slavery and modern forms of slavery.
External links
International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition: UNESCO Home Page (http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=13974&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html)
Lest We Forget: The Triumph over Slavery (http://www.one9ine.com/dev/lest/build2/english/site/flash.html)
Forgotten Slaves home page (in French) (http://www.archeonavale.org/Tromelin/)
The United Nations InternationalYears, beginning with the World Refugee Year in 1959/1960, are designated in order to focus world attention on important issues.
The proclamation of an internationalyear to commemorate the struggleagainstslavery and itsabolition marked the bicentenary of the proclamation of the first fl state, Haiti, as well as the reunion of the peoples of Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean and Europe.
Among the initiatives that marked the commemorativeyear was a virtual exhibition, Lest We Forget: The Triumph over Slavery, created by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and New York Public Library.
Slavery today takes many forms: entire families are forced to work as bonded labourers in South Asia, men are used as forced labour in American agriculture and women are trafficked into Europe's sex industry.
This UN year provides a valuable opportunity both to commemorate the long struggle for abolition and to recognise that slavery continues to exist throughout the world.
It is vital governments develop and implement laws againstslavery and ensure those who continue to use slaves are prosecuted.
Feeds |
Contact