Abolishing slavery, eradicating human trafficking
2 December 2008 - Today is the International Day of the Abolition of Slavery, commemorating the formal abolition of the slave trade by Britain some 200 years ago. Underlining this achievement at an International People's Lecture organized last week by the NGO Stop The Traffik, lawyer Cherie Booth QC, said: "There is no more basic human right than freedom from slavery. Indeed it can claim to be the very first human right recognizes by international law". However, the law is limited in stopping human trafficking, a form of modern day slavery, she acknowledged.
Human trafficking spares no country. UNODC reports that victims from 127 countries undergo exploitation in 135 nations. Experts estimate the total market value of illicit human trafficking at $32 billion.
Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of UNODC, called for a thoroughgoing change in mindsets: "Human trafficking starts in the head - by viewing women as objects. Whether its burkas or bikinis, the portrayal and treatment of women as either property or sex objects is an affront to human dignity and creates both the supply and demand of women and girls who are traded like commodities".
Trafficking, like poverty, discrimination and abuse of human rights, wears a women's face, said Ms Blair. "We need to improve access to education to increase their opportunities and limit their vulnerability to the false promises of the traffickers".
The essential role women play in figthing human trafficking is particularly emphasized by the Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT) through its Women Leader's Council. The Council is committed to the personal and professional development of women, providing opportunities and access to critical resources, strengthening the network of supportive and positive role models, and encouraging open discussion about the complex issues surrounding human trafficking.
Today, as in the past, inhumane labour practices pervade many industries. Stop The Traffik has documented that some 12,000 trafficked children work in the cocoa plantations of Côte d'Ivoire, the source of nearly half the world's chocolate. Since 2001, this global grass-roots movement has been pressing chocolate companies for " traffik-free" guarantees. The world is still waiting.
Mr. Costa however sounded a note of hope for trafficking victims: "Human trafficking is not some sort of unstoppable force. It is a series of acts that bring vulnerable people into the hands of criminals for the purpose of exploitation. We can stop the recruitment, the transportation and the harbouring of trafficking victims. We can stop the coercion, abduction and deception. We can stop the sexual exploitation, the forced labour, slavery and the removal of organs."
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has issued a statement expressing : "On this International Day for the Abolition of Slavery let us reaffirm the inherent dignity of all men, women and children. And let us redouble our efforts to build societies in which slavery truly is a term for the history books."
---