Latest news

All the latest news, press releases, advocacy and blogs from Anti-Slavery International.

French court finds Burundi ex-minister guilty of slavery

17 September 2007 On 17 September, a French court found the former Prime Minister of Burundi and his wife guilty of slavery. Gabriele Mpozagara and his wife Candide were sentenced in absentia to 12 and 15 months in prison respectively for enslaving their nieces. Each was fined 10,000 euros (US$13,869),… Keep reading »

Mayor says sorry for London slave trade role

24 August 2007 In an important move forward, London’s Mayor Ken Livingston apologised for the capital’s role in the Transatlantic Slave Trade and declared 23 August the city’s annual slavery memorial day. Marking International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition on 23 August, the mayor… Keep reading »

New website exposes Transatlantic Slave Trade reality

22 August 2007 On 23 August, International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, Anti-Slavery International launches its newest website. Recovered Histories: Reawakening the narratives of enslavement, resistance and the fight for freedom www.recoveredhistories.org provides insight into the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the struggle between… Keep reading »

Mauritania makes slavery a criminal offence

9 August 2007 Anti-Slavery International welcomes Mauritania’s criminalisation of slavery on 8 August. The new law, which passed with 100 per cent support in parliament, marks an historic step forward in the fight against this abuse. It makes the practice of slavery punishable by up to 10 years in prison… Keep reading »

Returned North Korean migrants subjected to forced labour

1 August 2007 North Korean economic migrants are being deported from China and illegally used as forced labour in North Korean prison camps, a new report from Anti-Slavery International reveals. Forced Labour in North Korean Prison Camps includes 30 interviews with North Korean men and women who were imprisoned in… Keep reading »

China sentences 29 in brick kiln forced labour case

17 July 2007 A man was sentenced to death and 28 others imprisoned on 17 July for using forced labour in brick kilns in Shanxi province, China. Those found guilty include a brick kiln supervisor who was sentenced to death for killing a man and a kiln foreman who was… Keep reading »

Brazil rescues over 1,000 forced labourers

6 July 2007 Brazilian authorities freed over 1,100 forced labourers from a sugar cane plantation in the Amazon in the biggest raid to date. The government’s Mobile Inspection Group led the three-day raid, which ended on 2 July, against a plantation owned by the country’s largest ethanol producer in Para… Keep reading »

Child camel jockey programme extended

24 April 2007 On 24 April, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Government extended its agreement to rehabilitate and repatriate children trafficked as camel jockeys. The agreement with UNICEF extends a project which began in May 2005. Although this latest move is an encouraging step forward, Anti-Slavery International is concerned that… Keep reading »

Mauritanian president moves against slavery

25 March 2007 Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, Mauritania’s first democratically elected president, pledged he would toughen the country’s anti-slavery legislation and take action to help former slaves. This is the first time slavery has been officially acknowledged as a problem in Mauritania and that a commitment has been made… Keep reading »

UK Government signs Council of Europe trafficking convention

23 March 2007 In a welcome move, on 23 March the United Kingdom signed the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings and pledged it would ratify this crucial convention. Anti-Slavery International, our supporters and partners have been calling on the Government to sign the Convention… Keep reading »