Mr Speaker, I move without notice:
That the House -
1) notes that, in commemoration of the memory of the victims of slavery, the General Assembly, in its resolution 62/122 of 17 December 2007, declared that 25 March, the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, be observed annually;
2) further notes that the day honours the memory of the millions of innocent victims who suffered over four centuries due to the transatlantic slave trade by focusing on the legacy of those enslaved and their contributions to the societies in which they lived;
3) acknowledges that the challenge today is to remember the past atrocities of slavery, and continue the fight against its contemporary versions, including debt bondage, domestic servitude, forced marriages and trafficking of children; and
4) believes that by raising public awareness about the causes, consequences, lessons and legacy of the slave trade, we have a better understanding of history and are able to educate future generations about the dangers of racism and prejudice, and about the universality of human rights.
Agreed to.