International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery 2022

25 Mar,22 11:00 am
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International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery 2022: The International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and Transatlantic Slave Trade is observed on March 25th every year to honor and remember those who suffered and died at the hands of the brutal slavery system.

Key Points:

  • This day aims to raise awareness about the horrors of slavery and racism that happened and continues to happen all around the world.
  • Between the 16th and the 19th century, almost 20 million people were forcibly shipped off from Africa to North and South America and Europe.

Theme:

The theme of International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery 2022 is “Stories of Courage: Resistance to Slavery and Unity against Racism”.

  • The theme aims to showcase the tales of people who were forcibly taken from their families and homelands, as well as those who battled back against tyrants and won their freedom despite all obstacles.
  • Despite the abolishment of the slavery system, the stories continue today as people continue to fight racism, which is the most persistent legacy of the transatlantic slave trade.
  • The Black Lives Matter movement is an example of large-scale anti-racism and anti-prejudice movement that originated in the United States and gradually extended around the world.
  • It is a decentralized political and social movement that aims to bring attention to the racism, injustice, and inequality that black people face.

Objective:

  • The main objective of this day is to end racial discrimination, marginalization, and exclusion of these people, as well as enable political, economic, and structural transformations to eliminate power imbalances that continue to deny equality of opportunity and justice to all.
  • The day's commemoration is a call to all people to unite against racism and work together to establish societies based on dignity, equality, and solidarity.

Significance:

  • The International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and Transatlantic Slave Trade commemorates the massive crimes against humanity, unprecedented human trafficking, degrading economic transactions and atrocious human rights violations that were brought upon the enslaved Africans during the transatlantic trade.
  • The International Day of Slavery Victims' Remembrance provides an opportunity to learn about what happened and reflect on such stories.
  • It is a day to pay tribute to the millions of Africans who were forcibly removed from their homelands, and stand in solidarity against racism, which is a byproduct of the slave trade system and continues to confront people of African descent around the world.

History:

  • The International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and Transatlantic Slave Trade was established by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) through a resolution on December 17, 2007, to commemorate the struggles and challenges faced by the victims of the slave trade.

UN Remembrance Programme:

In 2007, a Remember Slavery Programme was established by UNGA to honour the memory of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade.

  • Under the programme, a range of educational activities are organized throughout the year. 
  • A memorial has also been created at the UN headquarters in New York to permanently honor the victims of the slave trade.

What is Transatlantic Slave Trade?

  • The Transatlantic Slave Commerce was a three-way trade between America, West Africa, and Europe that featured vast human trafficking and the enslavement of men, women, and children. It has been dubbed the worst human rights violation in history.
  • Between the 16th and 19th centuries, almost 15-20 million individuals were sold as slaves.
  • Approximately 2.4 million people perished on the lengthy and difficult journeys, while millions more died after arriving in these countries due to a variety of factors including excessive mistreatment, famine and human rights violations.
  • The slaves were considered as cargo rather than human beings by the ship-owners, and they were shipped in the cheapest way possible.
  • After that, the slaves were sold to labour in plantations, mines, rice fields and even as home servants.

Abolition of Slavery:

  • Britain was the first country to pass legislation banning the slave trade in 1807.
  • Britain then pressured Spain, France, Portugal and the Netherlands to also ban slavery by 1815.
  • The United States made the slave trade punishable by death in 1820.
  • The US officially abolished slavery in 1865. 

 


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