KATHMANDU, March 25: The International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade is being observed today. The United Nations initiated this observance in 2007 to honor the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act, which the United Kingdom passed in 1807.
This day pays tribute to the millions of people, particularly from African nations, whom powerful nations enslaved and forced into labor in the United Kingdom, the United States, and other developed countries. The UK enacted the Abolition Act to end the slave trade and acknowledge the suffering of those who endured forced labor under inhumane conditions.
Infographics: Countries with most people living in slavery
The legislation completely bans the sale, transfer, use, or treatment of any person as a slave and prohibits buying, selling, and exchanging enslaved individuals. This day highlights the need for fair wages and dignified working conditions for workers worldwide.
Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka is giving the keynote address at a special event being held today at the United Nations headquarters in New York.