International Day for the Abolition of Slavery

Background of International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
Every year, December 2 is celebrated all over the world, including the United Nations and its member states, as the Day for the Abolition of Slavery. This day has been celebrated since 1949.

According to a report by the International Labor Organization (ILO), 4.1 million workers worldwide are forced to work in hazardous, unsanitary conditions, and women and children abound. In this modern age of slavery, let governments and heads of state around the world unite today to help sound the trumpet against modern slavery.

2023 Theme: “Fighting slavery's legacy of racism through transformative education” The enslavement of over 13 million Africans during the Transatlantic Slave Trade was driven by the racist ideology that these women, men and children were inferior because of the colour of their skin.

Global wave of democracy and the trend of slavery
The wave of democracy and equality movement from France in 1779 was shaking the world, and this desire for democracy and equality was gradually increasing in other countries as well. The United States was then also under British rule.

India was ruled by the British in the name of the East India Company, various countries and territories were colonized by powerful states and the practice of slavery was promoted with the passage of colonization, as stated in various historical documents.

Large cities in the United Kingdom, the United States, and many other developed countries have a history of being developed and built by enslaving humans from African lands.

In a way, this brutal practice of powerful and rich society against poor and helpless human beings was widely inhumane. Gladiators were used in wrestling until they died in Greek arenas, and the wrestling, tragic life, and love stories of these powerful gladiators, who were sold in the market and kept as slaves, can still be seen in many books and movies.

In ancient times, it was customary to enslave the losers after the conquest of another state by soldiers of the winner state. Slavery is still perpetuated by human trafficking gangs that engage in inhumane and risky activities, engage in sex work, and smuggle human organs. Kamaiya, haliya, kamalari or other forms of customs still exist somewhere in Nepal as examples of a kind of exploitation and slavery. Slavery is unforgivable in today's world of democratic practice, no matter what the beginnings and practices happened in past centuries.

End of slavery in Nepal
In Nepal, Shri tin Chandra Shamser Jung Bahadur Rana declared the abolition of slavery in 1983 BS, about 94 years ago. However, different forms of slavery still exist among Nepalis.

Let's advocate and create solidarity for a slavery free equal society. Let the voice and access be equal and let democracy prevail practically.

-Suyog Dhakal