London, December 02: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appealed to all governments, business enterprises and NGOs’ to demonstrate their commitment to fighting slavery.
“Despite the considerable efforts of governments, civil society and the international community, we still live in a world blighted by slavery and slavery-like practices,” Ban said in a message on the International Day for Abolition of Slavery.
UN chief mentioned debt bondage, serfdom and forced labor, human trafficking, sexual exploitation, child labor, forced marriage, the sale of wives, widow inheritance and forced recruitment of children for armed conflicts as the manifestations of slavery today.
“To eradicate contemporary forms of slavery, we need new strategies and measures that can unite all actors,” Ban said adding that while governments bear the primary responsibility, the private sector has an integral role to play in raising awareness about modern slavery and taking steps to eliminate it.
Referring to states and businesses, he stated that the corporate responsibility is to ensure that their activities do not cause or contribute to contemporary forms of slavery in the workplace.
Ban Ki-moon further added that this year the UN Voluntary Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery marks twenty years of helping victims to regain their independence, lives and dignity.
He concluded that through making financial contribution and working closely together, the responsible parties could put an end to the scourge of slavery.
——Agencies