Dec 02, 2013

UNPO General Secretary Statement on the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery


Brussels, 2 December 2013 – In light of the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) wishes to commemorate the victims of contemporary forms of slavery and exploitation worldwide.

On the occasion of this international day, we express our solidarity with global actions, calling for an end to all forms of modern-day slavery, such as the initiative of the Walk Free Foundation and the longstanding work of Anti-Slavery International. UNPO furthermore wishes to compliment the valuable work of the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, Ms. Gulnara Shahinian.

UNPO is also happy to congratulate Mr. Biram Dah Abeid, president of IRA Mauritania and representative to UNPO, who will be awarded on the 10th of December 2013 with the United Nations Human Rights Prize in New York. Mr. Abeid is a longtime peaceful advocate for the formal abolition of slavery in Mauritania, a practice that mostly targets the Haratin ethnic group. Considering the fact that Mauritania was the last country to depict slavery as a crime and that existing legislation is not properly implemented, Mauritania is in the list of countries with the highest number of slavery prevalence according to the 2013 Global Slavery Index (10-20% of Mauritania’s 3.8 million population remains enslaved).

UNPO calls on the international community to raise awareness of the different forms of contemporary slavery, and urges national governments to implement existing anti-slavery legislation. UNPO calls on relevant international organizations to put  pressure on national governments and multinationals in third countries to urge them to comply with the respective bilateral agreements and universal instruments. 

 

 

International Campaign Against Slavery 

Global Slavery Index 2013

 

Picture @Flickr by looking4poetry.