By: Talitha Joseph James
Every year on 2nd December, the world celebrates International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. The main focus of this day is to end all forms of slavery which is being practiced around the world. But what really is slavery? Slavery and slave trading are the terms that are not new but it goes back to the injustices done by the brutal and selfish human beings to each other since the 1600s. Usually people think the term slavery goes to being the might is right phenomenon and remembered in the history as the sufferings of Black people by the White. And during that time the scene as pictured was not only White keeping Black slaves but infact the rich Blacks use to keep the poor Blacks as their slaves too. And for slave trades people usually link it with the trading of poor African people.
I absolutely reject this thinking of linking slavery to the sufferings of Black people only and strongly believe that slavery is not bounded to the Blacks, but it is present everywhere and like it was present in the past it still continues to be there in the contemporary world as well only in another form because it is there in the human nature that everyone seeks power and dominance. And when one gets power it is obvious that he/she won’t let anyone to reach their level.
At present day we are witnessing many social issues but of the root cause of the current issues like racism, colorism, gender-based discrimination and human trafficking is slavery. And that we could see that even after the abolishment of slavery in 1800s it has left deep scars behind. Few months back we witnessed the Black Lives Matter movement’s protests and rallies across the world just because of the killing of an African-American man George Floyd. But such outrage was due to the oppression and turmoil faced by the Black people over several years. And I know these things won’t end because it’s engraved in human nature that only white is beauty. Beauty can just be imagined through colors but the real beauty is what is inside the heart of anyone.
According to a report by International Labour Organization, more than 40 million people across the globe are the victims of slavery in the modern world. Child labour which is one form of slavery is a very sensitive issue that has been abolished many years ago is still being present in the world and especially in the Third World countries. A recent report by the International Labour Organization stated that more than 150 million children are subject to child labour all around the world. But the worst thing in child labour is that innocent children who should get education and have bright future have to suffer a lot of hardships and their future is not bright like others as they know that in future their life would be the same like in childhood.
Every year on 2nd December we gather and talk about slavery and after that everyone forgets about it. But it’s high time that we need to have big heart which cares about every other human being and find lasting solutions to this social issue. And in the end I would like to quote one saying of Abraham Lincoln which I read once that “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves” This line has a very big meaning which is true that freedom, liberty these are to be granted to every individual regardless of color, creed and religion and those who snatch this from anyone doesn’t deserve to have it too because God has made every human being equal. It is only us human beings that we see others as inferior to us and treat them like slaves.
The writer is a student of Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi. She can be reached at [email protected]
