23 August
The Slave Trade: Its Cruelty and its Abolition
For over 400 years, more than fifteen million men, women and children were the victims of the tragic transatlantic slave trade. About one out of every eight slaves died on board those cramped ships. These slaves were sold and made to work on sugar plantations and gold mines.
In the night of 22 to 23 August 1791, men and women, torn from Africa and sold into slavery, revolted against the slave system, to obtain freedom and independence for Haiti. This uprising was a turning point in human history and marked the beginning of the destruction of the slave trade and colonialism. The success of this rebellion led by the slaves themselves is a deep source of inspiration today for the fight against all forms of servitude, racial discrimination and social injustice. Their courage has created obligations for us.
This date also pays tribute to those who worked hard to abolish slavery throughout the world, and to honour and remember those who suffered and died at the hands of this brutal system.
It would be a mistake and a crime to cover it up and forget it. The slave trade and slavery in all its forms exist even today: human trafficking and exploitation, racism and prejudice, bonded labour. These are crimes against humanity and affect the most marginalized, vulnerable and oppressed.
According to the 2018 Global Slavery Index, there were 40.3 million people in modern-day slavery in 2016, including 24.9 million in forced labour and 15.4 million in forced marriage. However, these statistics are limited. Due to lack of data, the practices of recruiting child soldiers and trafficking persons for removal of their organs are not included in these statistics.
Be vigilant to see and brave to speak up!
29 August
Day against Nuclear Tests (DANT)
Nuclear weapons testing began on 16 July 1945, when an atomic bomb was used at a desert test site in New Mexico, USA. Since then, nearly 2,000 such tests have taken place. There are general Atmospheric, Underwater or Underground tests.
In the early days of nuclear testing, little consideration was given to its devastating effects on human life, let alone the dangers of nuclear fallout from atmospheric tests. History has shown us the terrifying and tragic effects of such tests. An example is the Chernobyl (Ukraine, USSR) accident of 1986, ending in tragedy, long-term radiation poisoning and atmospheric damage. These are compelling reasons for the need to prevent further nuclear weapons testing and thus to achieve the goal of a safer world.
- The USA, the Soviet Union and France have carried out 1032, 715 and 210 nuclear tests over the past six decades.
- The first nuclear bomb is estimated to have cost $20 billion.
- The total number of nuclear missiles built from the year 1951 to the present is 67,500.
- There are an estimated total of 16,400 nuclear weapons on the earth today.
“So long as nuclear weapons continue to exist, so will the temptation to threaten others with overwhelming military force” (Daisaku Ikeda, Buddhist philosopher and anti-nuclear activist).
The Soviet Union detonated hundreds of nuclear devices over a period of 40 years at the Semipalatinsk Test Site, the world’s largest nuclear testing facility, in the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan. The site was closed on Aug. 29, 1991.
DANT commemorates the closure of this site. This International Day serves as a reminder of the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) that the UNO adopted. But it has not yet entered into force. The treaty would ban all nuclear testing or explosions in any setting. But eight states in the world have not signed or ratified it yet: China, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, N. Korea, Pakistan and USA.
Every effort needs to be made to ensure the entry into force of the CTBT so that all nuclear weapons will be eliminated, thus ensuring both disarmament and non-proliferation.
Until then, we observe the International Day against Nuclear Tests as we work towards promoting peace, security and a nuclear-weapon-free world.
Sr Esme da Cunha FDCC
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