Starting this month, secondary school students will learn about Britain’s involvement in the slave trade and in the abolition of the trade in their history classes. According to activist, having children study the slave trade will help to combat modern slavery.
As an abolitionist myself I am ecstatic to hear that the UK will be incorporating slavery into the curriculum. I spent years living in Ireland and England, where I reached the culmination of my knowledge that my path in life was to fight slavery in all forms, and where I also witness the plight of modern slaves in many forms.
This is something I have thought long and hard about myself and have mentioned it in various discussions with fellow colleagues and abolitionists, in regards to getting the issue brought into European and American schools systems. The reality of modern slavery is massive, as some 27 million people across the globe are enslaved today, however their voices and stories are all to often silenced.
Much of the reason for the silence is due to misunderstanding and confusion, as to the reality of slavery. Slavery is not of the past, it is not only in a far away land, and slavery is in every community and touches all of our lives. Slavery is in some of our clothes and food, slavery is on our streets and in our fields…slavery still exists and the perceived disposable nature of human lives has only seen a rise in those who are exploited and abused. Therefore as slavery is part of our everyday lives, it should be part of every school’s curriculum. The issues of slavery and its related subjects should be part of all educational levels from secondary to University, it should be not only part of history and social studies, but business ethics, marketing and law.
Britain has take a great step in the right direction to the awareness and establishment of slavery, however this must only be the beginning step in using education as a weapon against enslavement. I look forward to seeing other countries following Great Brittan’s lead.
