UNESCO appeals for end of slavery
Despite international efforts to combat the exploitation of human beings
as well as the growing awareness of forced labour and the human trafficking, flagrant violations of human rights continue, noted UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura while appealing all Member States of the UN to
renew efforts to end all forms of oppression.
His appeal comes on the day (23rd Aug'08) of "International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition" observed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organization (UNESCO) .
Matsuura appealed to be vigilant in seeking to abolish the contemporary forms of
slavery that affect millions of men, women and children around the world.
It may be noted that the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition commemorates the uprising on 23 August 1791, when slaves of Santo Domingo in the Caribbean launched an insurrection which ultimately led to the Haitian revolution and promoted the cause of human rights.
The freedom from slavery and servitude as a fundamental human right was recognized in Article 4 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, according to UNESCO's official release.