Kathmandu. The International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade is being observed across the world today. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), this day is celebrated on August 23 every year.

The main objective of the day is to raise public awareness against the slave trade by remembering the history of slave trade, the sufferings of the human community due to it and the struggle for the abolition of slavery.

The date of August 23 is chosen to commemorate the slave revolt that began in 1791 in Saint-Domingue, present-day Haiti. The revolt, which began on the night of August 22-23, 1791, played an important role in the campaign for the abolition of slavery and the international slave trade.

According to UNESCO, the day was first celebrated in Haiti in 1998 and in 1999 on the island of Gore in Senegal. Since then, the day has evolved into an international opportunity to remember, study and raise awareness about the history of the slave trade and slavery.

The International Slave Day calls for the commitment to respect human rights, freedom, equality and human dignity by informing the new generation about the historical injustice caused by slavery and its long-term effects.

UNESCO stresses that remembering the history of slave trade and slavery is not only a tribute to the past but also a present and future vigilance against discrimination, racial prejudice and all forms of inhumane treatment.