26 March 2008
Amb. Khalilzad Remarks on Historic Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
Commemorates International Day of Remembrance of Victims of Slavery
(begin text)
USUN PRESS RELEASE
March 25, 2008
Statement by Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. Permanent Representative, in observation of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, March 25, 2008
Today we solemnly reflect on the history of slavery on this International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. In human history, slavery has been a pervasive evil and one which, to this day, has yet to be entirely rooted out. The practice is a reflection of two of humanity’s worst flaws – greed and hypocrisy. Yet, at the same time, it has also spurred two of humanity’s greatest strengths – the spirit of endurance and resistance, and the will for justice.
Today, let us not only remember and honor the victims of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, but also continue to work to ensure their suffering is not forgotten.
In the United States, the abolition of slavery was a great triumph. The anti-slavery movement and its successor, the civil rights movement, have consistently kept us on a political and moral course, demanding and ensuring that we remember and strive to more fully realize our own ideals of equality and freedom. Some of our countries most inspiring moments have come from the courageous refusal of the slave communities themselves to not lose hope, and from those who spoke out and supported them.
However, even as we come together today to remember history, we must also be mindful of the persistence of slavery in our own modern age. This despicable practice of trafficking in human beings is the new type of global slave trade, with millions of people around the world currently enslaved.
Today we must stand on the side of those who are struggling to end the misuse of our fellow men and women, and the children, who are the saddest victims of this practice. We must all do what we can to assist these modern-day abolitionists in the fight against human trafficking. As they lead a global effort to eradicate this evil, they can count on the support of United States of America.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
