UNESCO launches first-ever survey of historical and contemporary slavery

Paris, 5 December

• © CARF/Gregory J. Smith

Slavery may have been legally abolished around the world, but it remains “a widespread and deeply rooted component on contemporary life” concludes the first-ever comparative analysis of historical slave systems and modern forms of human bondage, published online today by UNESCO.

Entitled “Unfinished Business”, the survey was commissioned by UNESCO’s Slave Route project and prepared by Joel Quirk of the Wilberforce Institute for the study of Slavery and Emancipation (WISE, U.K). It aims to provide the basis for dialogue about ways of addressing contemporary slavery, including human trafficking, sexual servitude and child labour, and the enduring legacies of historical slave systems.

The publication is divided into five chapters: defining slavery in all its forms; presenting data on the scale of slavery, slave trading and other forms of human bondage; examining differences and similarities between historical and contemporary practices; identifying, via case studies in the United States, Saint Domingue/Haiti, Great Britain and Portugal, the main paths through which abolition of slavery has historically occurred; and, through a further series of case studies, exploring the key limitations of the legal abolition of slavery.

The conclusion outlines a series of general strategies and recommendations for addressing contemporary problems, based around education, information and awareness, further legal reform, effective enforcement, and release, rehabilitation and restitution.

The launch of the 139-page survey coincides with the International Film Festival against Exclusion and for Tolerance, held at UNESCO from 5 to 13 December.

• Author(s):Press Release N°2008-128
• Source:UNESCOPRESS
• 05-12-2008