Voice of British Muslim Women

Amber Amir, Hounslow

The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery is commemorated on the 2^nd of December every year. This day was originally organised by the United Nations General Assembly in 1986 to raise awareness about slavery with the hope to put an end to all kinds of slavery, not just the slavery we learn about in school history lessons. Unlike we may assume, this day is not solely focused on the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833, which ended the slave trade.  Rather, it focuses on the eradication of modern-day version of slavery. Unfortunately, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), more than 40 million people worldwide are still victims of slavery. As well as this, 150 million children are subjected to child labour. This means that about 1 in 4 victims of modern slavery are indeed children.   What is this modern-day version of slavery and how can we help to stop it?

Modern slavery is not defined in law everywhere in the world but it encompasses issues such as forced labour, forced marriage and human trafficking. This occurs in all countries, including the developed world, such as the UK. However, most of these issues do take place in the developing world, where it is easier to escape the legal system.  

These are all issues, which Islam definitely does not support. As stated by His Holiness, Mirza Masroor Ahmad, in his Friday Sermon on the 25^th of November 2011, ‘A great and most significant task of founders of religion and Prophets is to bring about freedom, be it from tyrants, Pharaoh-like rulers or so-called care-takers of religion who exploit religion’. Islam wholeheartedly supports the freedom of slaves, and stands against such forms of cruelty, like many others also do.

In fact, the freedom of slaves holds a significant value in Islam as stated by Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). He said, ‘Whichever Muslim will free a slave will be granted complete salvation by God from the fire of Hell’. During his lifetime, he was clearly a firm supporter of freeing slaves. For example, after marrying Hazrat Khadija (may Allah be pleased with her), the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was offered all her slaves, all of whom he freed. Among these slaves was Hazrat Zaid, who was taken in by the Holy Prophet as a son and cared for with the highest degree of kindness and benevolence.  Hence, we can understand through this example, how important the freedom of slaves is in Islam and consequently, we too should do everything in our power to free modern-day slaves.

But how exactly can we help? Even though it may seem quite difficult to help, it is actually surprisingly easy. In fact, there are over 400 things we can do to help.

For example, we can donate money to charities such as UNICEF, which actively help in countries where this atrocity is taking place. UNICEF, in particular, is a charity that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community have worked with and fundraised for, for multiple years. Some can also choose to volunteer with an anti-slavery organisation, if they would like more of a direct approach to ending slavery. However, there are also even simpler ways that we can help. The importance of education should not be undermined. By just learning about the issue of slavery and human trafficking, we can help to create change, and improve the quality of many lives. All of us can take a part in ending slavery and we all should, especially in the age of social media, where it takes one click to share information or donate money.

So, please use today to spread awareness about the importance of freeing modern-day slaves. Please also remember that today is not the only day that we can help or encourage others to help – this is a continuous process.