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On Saturday 20 March, a team of cyclists will end their 16,000
kilometre (10,000 mile) Cape Town to London cycle challenge at 3pm
South Africa House, Trafalgar Square, London. The team returned
to the UK on 1 March, cycling across two continents over six months
raising vital funds and awareness for London-based Anti-Slavery
International, the world's oldest international human rights organisation.
Cycling through 13 countries, they faced challenges ranging from
high temperatures (45º Celsius!), poor roads, exhaustion, and
many unexpected adventures, including the theft of their equipment
and the film they were making of their journey -- which includes
interviews with former slaves -- that they managed to recover.
They began their challenge on 23 August 2003 -- United Nations
International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and
its Abolition and return in the UN International Year to
Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition.
Millions of women, children and men are living in slavery around
the world -- no region is free from this abuse, including the UK.
Each year, hundreds of women and children are trafficked to the
UK and forced into sexual exploitation and forced labour.
The team comprises recent Oxford University graduates and cyclists
Nick Stanhope, Rebecca Gowland, Rob Hadmann, filmmaker Jonny Polonsky
and support vehicle driver Jonathan Felix. They have already raised
£35,000 and aim to raise a further £20,000 for the London-based
charity by the end of March.
From 6-20 March they will be holding local fundraising events
as they cycle through Oxford, Oundle, Uppingham, Leicester and London.
"The last six months have thrown us from crisis to crisis
and from adventure to adventure, as well as revealing to us in a
very real way the tragic human effects of the modern slave trade.
We feel passionately that this is a question that needs addressing
now. It has not been consigned to history; it's here and needs dealing
with. Nor is it simply an issue that can be blamed upon the negligence
of the poorer countries of the world, for every G7 country has victims
of slavery living within its borders. Ten thousand miles is a long
way to cycle, but the road to the abolition of modern slavery is
much longer. We hope that as much as anything we have been able
to draw attention to what needs to be done," Nick Stanhope,
on behalf of the team, said.
Mary Cunneen Director of Anti-Slavery International said: "The
team's commitment to raising awareness of the millions of people
who are forced to live in slavery today and the money raised is
a tremendous help to the work of Anti-Slavery International. The
public plays a vital role in working to end this most fundamental
abuse of people's human rights."
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