Speakers Draw Attention to Substantial Contributions of Enslaved Women at General Assembly Event Commemorating Victims of Slavery

The rich contributions of women enslaved during the era of the transatlantic slave trade — who suffered dual forms of oppression due to their race and gender — were too often forgotten, said high-level speakers as they addressed the General Assembly’s annual event commemorating the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

In addition, they said, modern day forms of slavery continued unabated in the forms of trafficking in persons, sexual exploitation, bonded labour and forced marriage, and needed to be combated with the greatest urgency.

“This Day allows us to remember the 15 million men, women and children who were heartlessly torn from their homeland on the African continent, forced to cross the Atlantic in slave ships, and who then suffered or died under an inconceivably brutal system of slavery in the Americas,” said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as he opened the meeting.

The theme for the 2015 commemoration, “Women and Slavery”, further allowed the international community to pay special tribute to the millions of women who endured the harsh conditions of slavery, as well as additional sexual exploitation because of their gender, he said.  This year was also particularly meaningful as the United Nations honoured the victims of slavery with a permanent memorial, entitled, The Ark of Return, which had been unveiled on the visitors plaza outside the Assembly Hall.

Tragically, he said, contemporary forms of slavery persisted in the form of forced labour, trafficking, sexual exploitation or captivity in slavery-like conditions.  “I call on all Member States to act without fear or favour against all modern manifestations of slavery whenever, and wherever, they occur,” he said in that regard.

Sam K. Kutesa, President of the General Assembly, said that slavery was a devastating experience for black men and women, but the circumstances of slavery differed between them.  Enslaved women worked in the fields alongside men, did household chores and were mothers to their own children, as well as surrogates to the children of the masters.  They also suffered sexual exploitation at the hands of overseers and plantation owners.

Noting the important role of women in resistance, he said “the descendants of these brave women are the bedrock of the culture of the African diaspora and continued to hold together their homes, extended families and communities.”  Despite progress, slavery continued in many forms and manifestations.  Even today, many innocent women and young girls were held in bondage and denied their freedoms due to human trafficking and sexual exploitation.  Collective efforts to eliminate and combat such abuses must be intensified.

In her keynote address, Sylviane Diouf, Curator of Digital Collections at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture of the New York Public Library, said that this year’s theme reminded the international community that no history, no present and no future could be written without recognizing the vital role of women.  That contribution was too often ignored, glossed over or even denied.

Enslaved women were more likely to be subjected to physical abuse than men, and were the victims of sexual abuse, harassment and rape, she said.  They fought back in a multitude of ways, including through overt manifestations of insubordination such as poisoning, secret abortions and even uprisings.  It was crucial to note that enslaved women were also immense contributors to a new world.  Their skills, knowledge and work transformed the land.  They built cities and towns and fought for their freedom and for the independence of the countries that enslaved them.

Enslaved women’s presence also had a considerable impact on the demographic, social and cultural development of the Western Hemisphere, as they carried with them the skills, cuisines, songs, dances, stories, values and religious practices that would become the cultures of the modern Americas.  Given the circumstances, female slaves provided their children with the strength and skills to love, to create and to survive.  Amidst a most evil, racist and patriarchal system, she said, “women found ways”.

Delegates speaking throughout the day welcomed efforts to honour the millions of people who suffered and died under the yolk of the transatlantic slave trade.  The representative of Namibia, speaking on behalf of the African Group, said that, more than two centuries since slavery and the transatlantic slave trade had been abolished, “it remains critical that we always take the time to remember the victims of this great blight in the history of mankind”.  The theme of the event was particularly appropriate as 2015 marked the twentieth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action — international landmarks for gender equality and women’s empowerment — and took place at the heart of the African women’s decade.

“Slavery during the transatlantic slave trade was a crime against humanity and among the worst violations of human rights in history,” said the representative of Belgium, speaking on behalf of the Western European and Other States.  The new permanent memorial of the United Nations, the Ark of Return, served as a powerful reminder of the unbearable hardship and the tragic death of millions of men, women and children as a result of slavery.  Furthermore, she added, the monument reminded the world that much remained to be done to combat the dangers of racism, discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance today.

The representative of the United States, on behalf of the host country, read a letter from the Congressional Black Caucus, addressed to the Secretary-General, which called slavery an “immoral stain” on the history of the United States.  The new permanent memorial at the United Nations served as a tool to acknowledge the tragedy of slavery, but also to celebrate the heroism of those who had worked to end the transatlantic slave trade.  The memorial could teach future generations about the dangers of racism in all of its forms.

Slovenia’s representative, speaking for the Group of Eastern European States, said that slavery and slave trade were horrible tragedies which must not be forgotten.  Commending the work of the United Nations system in countering such shameful practices, he said that research, education and raising awareness were important to combating slavery.  The Ark of Return memorial would not only honour the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, but also serve as a constant reminder that the denial of human freedom was the gravest attack on the dignity and worth of the human person.

The representative of Jamaica, speaking for the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, said the most meaningful way to honour the victims of slavery was to deal with the present realities faced by their descendants.  Noting the confluence of the theme “Women and Slavery” with the twentieth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Programme for Action, he pointed out that the circumstances of slave women mirrored the issues addressed at that 1995 Conference and its outcome.

The representative of South Africa, speaking for the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, said that enslaved women, despite their suffering, had contributed enormously to the societies they served.  Those contributions had resulted in the prosperity and growth of the modern world.  Political will, strong commitment and new and sustainable partnerships were essential to address past and present injustices.

The delegate from Antigua and Barbuda, speaking for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and associating himself with Group of Latin American and Caribbean States and the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, recognized the role played by women across his region in the fight against slavery.  In the suffering borne by slave women, one could see the seeds of the current preponderance of single-mother-headed households and other vestiges of gender inequality in today’s societies.  It was no coincidence that there was a high correlation between poverty and race, even in countries where growth and development appeared to be on an upward trajectory.

Still other speakers focused on the evils of modern-day slavery.  The representative of the European Union delegation said that the International Day should also help the world remember that despite its prohibition, slavery and similar practices persisted and constituted violations of human rights.  “The lessons of the past should urge us to address this slave trade of our time,” he said, adding, “Every victim of modern slavery is one victim too many.”

The representative of Yemen, speaking for the Group of Asia-Pacific States, stressed that some 20 million people were still enslaved today.  In pursuing the goals of the post-2015 development agenda, it was essential to focus on the elimination of slavery.  “The fight against modern slavery is one of the greatest human rights causes of our time,” he said.

Addressing the permanent memorial itself, the representative of Haiti said that his country was delighted that a project designed by an architect of Haitian origin, Rodney Léon, had been selected out of 300 submissions from 83 counties.  The Ark of Return was simultaneously a symbolic spiritual space and an object which called for interaction, contemplation, meditation, reflection, healing, education and transformation.

Also taking part in the event were ministers or high-level representatives of Jamaica (in his national capacity), Brazil, Egypt, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, Colombia and Iraq.