Slavery must be eradicated, Annan says

The persistence of slavery, in an era of progress in respecting human rights, is egregious UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a statement on 2 December marking the observance of the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. Even though laws banning slavery are enshrined in international instruments, notably the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is still practiced in many forms, Annan said. These include traditional chattel slavery, bonded labour, serfdom, child labour, migrant labour, domestic and forced labour and slavery for ritual or religious purposes. "Trafficking and related practices such as debt bondage, forced prostitution and forced labour are violations of the most basic of human rights," he said. Child trafficking is an acknowledged problem in some West African countries. A 1998 report by UNICEF on "Child Labour and Trafficking in West and Central Africa" said that the main suppliers of child labour were Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, and Togo. The principal recipients are Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. Benin and Nigeria fall into both categories.