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International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition

23 August, 2021

International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition marks the date of a 1791 uprising in Santo Domingo (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) that played a crucial role in the abolition of the 16th to 19th century transatlantic slave trade. The Day is to inscribe the tragedy of the slave trade in the memory of all, to consider the historic causes, methods and consequences of this tragedy, and to analyse the interactions to which it has given rise between Africa, Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean. Unfortunately, however, modern slavery continues – 40 million people are estimated to be severely exploited by other people for personal or commercial gain making our clothes, serving our food, picking our crops, working in factories, or working in houses as cooks, cleaners or nannies. One in four are children, and near 75 per cent are women and girls.

 

Image: stone sculptures of slaves sitting