International Day for Abolition of Slavery

The date commemorates the adoption by the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others, of the General Assembly of the United Nations

This day has as main objective to raise awareness and eradicate contemporary forms of enslavement that exist in the world, such as:

• Human trafficking.
• Sexual exploitation.
• The worst forms of child labour.
• Forced marriage.
• Forced recruitment of children for use in armed conflict.

Besides this date, there are other commemorations related to the fight against slavery:

• 23rd Augst: International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition (proclaimed by the UNESCO).
• 16th April: World Day Against Child Labour.
• 25th March: International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

Slavery in Antiquity

In Antiquity (Greece and Rome), slavery was a fundamental pillar of the economy and society. Its main characteristics were:

• Origin: Slaves were often war captives, people in debt, or those born to enslaved parents. Their status was not based on ethnicity or race, but on social standing or the circumstances of their capture. Populations that resisted the Roman legions were often enslaved after their defeat.
• Purpose: Slaves were used in a wide range of tasks, from manual labor in agriculture, mining and construction to domestic service, accounting, or teaching. In classical Greece many teachers were slaves.
• Reversibility: Manumission (release from slavery) was an established institution in Roman law. In some cases, slaves could purchase their freedom or be freed by their masters, allowing them to integrate into society as freedpersons.

Slavery in Modern Age

European maritime sailings from the 15th century onwards paved the way for transatlantic slave commerce. Its distinctive features were:

• Origin: It focused on the kidnapping and sale of African people, who were transported to European colonies in the Americas to work.
• Purpose: The main objective was mass labour exploitation on plantations (sugar, cotton, tobacco) and in mines, in order to generate wealth for European metropolises.
• Nature: Slavery was institutionalized and based on a racist ideology that justified the dehumanization of slaves. Their status was hereditary and manumission was extremely rare. Slaves were considered movable property (goods), not people, which denied them any rights.
• The liberal revolutions did not bring about the end of slavery. In the 19th century, there were still slaves in America.

Slavery today

Although legally abolished in most countries, contemporary slavery persists clandestinely. Its forms are more subtle and are based on coercion and exploitation, without the legal concept of ownership over a person. Its main manifestations are:

• Forms: It does not involve the buying and selling of people in public markets, but rather practices such as forced labour, debt bondage, human trafficking (for sexual or labour exploitation), forced marriages and child labour.
• Cause: Victims are often people in extremely vulnerable situations, such as migrants, refugees, children or members of marginalized communities.
• Invisibility: Modern slavery is not an institutionalised practice and often operates in the shadows, making it difficult to detect andfigth. It affects around 50 million people worldwide, according to the ILO, the highest number in human history.

The most recent and comprehensive report on modern slavery globally is the report "Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour and Forced Marriage" published in September 2022.

This report is the result of a joint collaboration between the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the international NGO Walk Free Foundation.

The principal data from the report is:

• Number of victims: In 2021, approximately 50 million people were living in modern slavery.
• Breakdown: Of that number, 28 million were subjected to forced labour and 22 million were in forced marriage.
• Trend: The number of people in modern slavery has increased by 10 million compared to 2016 estimates.
• Vulnerability: Women and children remain the most vulnerable victims of these practices.
• Distribution: Modern slavery occurs in almost every country in the world, affecting half of the victims living in upper-middle-income or high-income countries.

Most of the victims in Spain are girls and women recruited in Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe. Many are just passing through. Others are arriving from Asia and are being recruited in Spain via the Internet.

With Pope Francis, we can draw the following conclusion:

Even if we try to ignore it, slavery is not something that belongs to the past. Faced with this tragic reality, we cannot wash our hands off if we do not want to be, in some way, complicit in these crimes against humanity.

In this jubilee year, let us also walk together, as 'pilgrims of hope' on the path against trafficking.

Francisco Javier Alonso, President GCJP of Spain