Slavery

WHEREAS, international concern with slavery and its suppression is the theme of many treaties, declarations and conventions of the 19th and 20th centuries, e.g., Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; and

WHEREAS, slavery is a crime against humanity; and

WHEREAS, slavery is a worldwide phenomenon affecting rich and poor countries; and

WHEREAS, there are more than 27 million men, women, boys and girls who live everyday in slavery or slavery-like conditions; and

WHEREAS, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that 10 million children aged between five and seventeen work as child domestic slaves worldwide.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the NAACP reaffirms its 1996 Emergency Resolution: Slavery in Sudan; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP begin a dialogue with the U.N. Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery (which has the general responsibility in the United Nations for the study of slavery in all its aspects), the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights and the U.N. Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, its causes and consequences regarding their work to end the practice of slavery; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the NAACP urge the United States Department of State and the Department of Justice to redouble its efforts to develop and implement a multi-faceted approach to fighting and eliminating slavery.