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On 23 August, International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave
Trade and its Abolition, Anti-Slavery International is launching
its new campaign: Join the Fight for Freedom 1807-2007, celebrating
the achievement of the broad coalition that formed against the Transatlantic
Slave Trade and calling on today's public to harness the abolitionist
spirit to end slavery once and for all.
Today, at least 12 million* people -- men, women and children --
are in slavery throughout the world. By revitalising the 1807 spirit,
we can make the abolition of all forms of slavery, in law and in
practice, a priority for each and every government in the world.
The mass movement that led to Britain's abolition of the slave
trade throughout its colonies in 1807 was the first of its kind.
All sections of society were mobilised, including Africans who,
through rebellions, personal acts of resistance and as anti-slavery
campaigners in their own right, came together to end the Transatlantic
Slave Trade.
"It was public action that helped achieve the abolition
of the slave trade in 1807, in 2007 we will commemorate 200 years
since that historic achievement. We need to recreate the people
power of the past; with mass public action, we can achieve even
more today and make the elimination of slavery a reality once and
for all," Mary Cunneen, Director of Anti-Slavery International
said.
Join the Fight for Freedom 1807-2007 is about commemoration
and liberation. Not only does slavery need to be eliminated, but
the legacies of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, including racism
and discrimination, must be addressed.
In the United Kingdom, the Government needs to take constructive
steps to address these legacies, including making it a requirement
to teach the Transatlantic Slave Trade under the National Curriculum
and establishing a national slavery memorial day.
The public can take action by signing the Fight for Freedom Declaration
and learning more via the Join the Fight for Freedom website:
http://www.antislavery.org/2007
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