SHINE LIGHT ON TODAY’S CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY WHILE PREVENTING RECURRENCE, SAYS

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL IN REMARKS TO COMMEMORATION OF SLAVE TRADE ABOLITION

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro’s remarks at the General Assembly commemoration of the 200^th anniversary of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, as delivered in New York, today, 26 March:

I am moved to be with you this morning commemorating 200 years of the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.  Let me thank the General Assembly for making it happen -- in particular the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Caucus of Permanent Representatives to the United Nations.

The story of the end of the trans-Atlantic slave trade must always be remembered here at the United Nations.  Our Charter speaks of fundamental human rights and the dignity and worth of the human person.  The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that no one shall be held in slavery or servitude.

For centuries, the trans-Atlantic slave trade inflicted unspeakable dehumanization.  Millions perished from the long march in Africa, the Middle Passage across the Atlantic and conditions at the other end.  Millions were brutally exploited in the Americas.  Their labour helped build prosperous societies, in which they had no rights and no say.

But if slavery epitomized inhumanity at its most callous, many rejected and fought it.  Slaves rose up against their subjugation.  Abolitionist movements sprang up.  The emancipation of slaves was a triumph for all humankind, for it spoke of the inherent equal worth of human beings everywhere.

Today, as we commemorate the bicentennial of the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, we celebrate the fact that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.  Yet, around the world, millions of people are still deprived of their most fundamental human rights and freedoms.

There should be no place in the twenty-first century for trafficking, forced labour or sexual exploitation.  There should be no place for mass rape and other war crimes perpetrated against the most vulnerable in times of armed conflict.  Children should not be forced to become soldiers, work in sweat shops or be sold by their families.  The fact that these atrocities take place in our world today should fill us all with shame.

So let us not only look back on a tragic period of human history.  Let us shine a light on the crimes against humanity that are taking place today, in the shadows all around us.  And let us work to prevent them from happening in the future.

I urge Member States to take action by adopting and implementing relevant international instruments, such as the United Nations Protocol against Trafficking.  I also urge you to join the Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking, launched today in London by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.  The Initiative brings together a broad partnership of Governments, the United Nations family, civil society, the private sector and the media, in an effort to generate the political will, resources and global awareness needed to fight the scourge of trafficking.

Taking action is not only our legal obligation.  It is our moral duty.  It is a debt that we owe to all those we honour today.

Two hundred years ago, courageous women and men around the world stood up for freedom.  Today, we must do the same.  We must act together to stop crimes that deprive countless victims of their liberty, dignity and human rights.  We must combat impunity with unwavering commitment.  We must mobilize political will through domestic and international pressure.  We must apply relentless and continuous scrutiny.  I am grateful for your contribution to this global cause.

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