200th Anniversary of Abolition of Slave Trade: Slavery is Not Dead

Anti-Slavery advocates throughout the US are signing this petition asking Congress to sign into law te Eradication of Slavery in Sudan Act. While this will not free all 27 million slaves throughout the world, it will help those in slavery in Sudan.

“Sudan is the only place where chattel slavery is not just surviving but experiencing a great revival. This renascence of the slave trade began in the mid-1980s... (John Eibner, “My Career Redeeming Slaves” from the Middle East Quarterly, December 1999).

Go to the American Anti-Slavery Group and sign this petition:

2007 marks the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade; and yet, an estimated 12,000 southern Sudanese remain enslaved in northern Sudan, victims of a 23-year civil war that pre-dates the current conflict in Darfur.

Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey is preparing to re-introduce the Eradication of Slavery in Sudan Act. I am writing to ask you to help ensure that this bill becomes law by signing on as a co-sponsor and voting for it when it reaches the floor. Honor this bicentennial year by taking meaningful action on modern-day slavery.

If passed, the Eradication of Slavery in Sudan Act will create a commission charged with the following:

(1) identifying the location of slaves in Sudan and ensuring their freedom;

(2) ensure safe passage of freed slaves and family reunification;

(3) documenting existing cases of slavery and working to prevent new cases from occurring;

(4) ensuring that former slaves have access to basic education and skill training, as well as medical, social, and psychological support needed for their effective rehabilitation and reintegration into society; and

(5) ensuring that those individuals responsible for slavery are brought to justice.Passing resolutions honoring the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade are meaningless if they are not accompanied by concrete action. Please help to ensure that basic human right, freedom, can be a reality for everyone at last.

Signed by:
[Your name]
[Your address]

Resources:
2007 Trafficking in Persons Report
The Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women
The International Justice Mission