Good evening ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to welcome you all to the 2004 Anti-Slavery Award. I feel really honoured to be asked to present this award to a group of young men and women who have been in the forefront of the fight against slavery and all forms of discrimination in the Niger.

Thank you for joining us to recognise this year's winner.

This very important award was set up by the Anti-Slavery International in 1991 in order to help focus the rest of the world's attention to the people who are engaged in the continuing problems of slavery in our world today.

The organisation believes it is crucial to recognise and encourage the courageous individuals or organisations who are deeply involved in trying to make a difference in the campaign against slavery in the most affected parts in our world today.

I am pretty sure you'll agree with me that there is no greater indignity that one man can do to another -- turning him into a slave and yet in this "developed world", where we are all shocked by the history of slaves, we live with the fact that there are more slaves alive today than there has ever been in history.

Why is this not shocking?

Why are there so few programmes shown about this? I wish I had all the answers but one thing I am sure about though is that anybody who thinks it is morally acceptable to use slaves is morally unacceptable in decent societies.

We need to tell the stories of these people. Some of us have written dozens of proposals about slavery and human trafficking for years now but they are yet to be commissioned.

So ladies and gentlemen I want to make a request to you all this evening.

I don't just want you to go home, go to bed and forget about this evening at all.

It seems to me that television is the most powerful voice today and we need that voice to help people understand the issues about slavery, how and why it still exists today.

I want you all here to send emails or letters to all the broadcasting organisations, BBC, Sky, Channel 4,CNN, ITN and any other broadcaster you can think of.

I want you to ask them, what programmes they are making about slavery, not just the history of slavery, but that's important, but about now, about the world we all live in, where more slaves are alive today than any other time in history, where the business of slavery and trafficking has become the third biggest illegal money making business today.

Please do that for every one of those slaves alive today because ladies and gentlemen the media can change this story, believe me. This is not about me or my films, so please don't mention my name.

All they need is a little bit of encouragement from you and you and you.

Come on, how can we all sit here and call ourselves civilized when we allow our governments, politicians and businessmen to do business with these same people who have no respect for the rights and freedoms of their fellow human being.

With little or no money, no media support or government backing, the young men and women, whose achievements we are here to celebrate have proved to us that with genuine dedication and determination you can help make the important -- interesting.

In 1991 during the military rule in Niger they formed this voluntary human right organisation they called Timidria incidentally, this was the same year that the Anti- Slavery Award was established.

At that time, joining Timidria was not only a statement of protest but an act of bravery in itself.

Today, not only have they helped to secure the release of a good number of slaves but also they have made it a must to get them educated.

Already they've helped provide education for more than 40,000 people in Niger today -- mainly from personal and overseas donations.

That is why this Award, ladies and gentlemen, I believe is a thoroughly deserved tribute to the power of dedicated men and women determined to stand firm in the fight against slavery and injustices in modern day Niger.

For decades, thousands of innocent men, women and children have suffered under slave masters, beaten, fined, imprisoned and some have even disappeared with no one to take responsibility.

I hope that this award will not only help provide essential and moral support for Timidria but also help remind the government of Niger and the rest of the world of it's obligations to help see that every man, woman and child have their basic right and fundamental freedoms respected regardless of their background.

I hope this award will also provide a model for other organisations trying to help make a difference in the lives of the men, women and children who are denied the right to live like free and civilized people?like you and me.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to present this award to Mr Ilguilas Weila, president of Timidria in recognition for their fight against slavery in modern day Niger.

THANK YOU