Monmouthshire County Council Chairman, Councillor Brian Hood MBE has added his voice to those campaigning against modern-day slavery. Yesterday (18th October 2011) marked Anti-Slavery Day in the UK, providing a focal point for raising awareness about the many people in the UK and around the world who continue to be trapped in modern slavery, and to promote the need for individuals and organisations across society to play a part in ending it. The date also coincides with the European Anti-Trafficking Day.
Anti-Slavery Day was established in 2010 following a parliamentary bill championed by former MP and now Chairman of the Human Trafficking Foundation, Anthony Steen.
People in the UK were shocked recently when news emerged of a group of men kept in very poor conditions in Bedfordshire and believed to have been coerced into forced labour. Some are thought to have been in virtual captivity for up to 15 years. Distressing cases of children used for pornographic purposes in Britain have also appalled public opinion.
Councillor Hood said: “The UK has a rich history of campaigning against the scourge of forced labour, child labour, human trafficking, forced marriage and other features of twenty first century slavery. I urge all Monmouthshire residents to join me in condemning these abhorrent practices which have no place in the modern world.”
