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 On the 25 March 1807 the UK parliament finally passed the Abolition of the Slave Trade bill by a majority of 41 to 20 votes in the House of Lords and 114 to 15 votes in the House of Commons.
Several men and women spoke out publicly to bring an end to the degrading human trafficking including key figures such as William Wilberforce, famed for leading the campaign, Thomas Clarkson, Granville Sharp, John Newton, James Ramsey, Mary Birkett, Hannah More and Mary Wollstoncraft of the Abolition Society together with prominent Africans who were kidnapped as slaves and taken away from their homeland , but subsequently earned their freedom such as Ignatius Sancho said to be the first African prose writer; Olaudah Equiano author of the famous autobiography, ‘Gustavus Vassa, the African,' and Quobna Ottobah, author of ‘Thoughts and Sentiments of the Evils of Slavery.'
Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther, the first African, Anglican bishop was sold as a slave from Nigeria to the Portuguese in 1821, but the ship that he was on was intercepted by a British ship and he was taken to Freetown, Sierra Leone where he and many others like him were set free. He was educated and became a Christian missionary, skilled translator and negotiator. As well as his missionary work he also campaigned to abolish slavery.
 Today, according to Anti Slavery International an organisation which was set up in 1839 by some of the key members of the Abolition campaign, at least 12 million people are still being exploited all over the world including here in the UK! In its modern form slavery or human trafficking translates into many things including domestic servitude, bonded labour, sex slavery, child prostitution, soldiers and camel jockeys as well as the traditional form of slavery emanating from the likes of African dictatorships and the killing sprees in Rwanda and Darfur, which left millions of people displaced, homeless and starving. Trafficking is a violation of an individual's human rights and sadly it is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world today, often brought about by force, fraud, deceit and or blackmail.
 James Aguer, chair of the Dinka Committee, is a modern day abolitionist and was presented with the 2006 Anti-Slavery Award for his work against slavery in the Sudan . To find out more information, or what you can do to help please visit Slavery International at: ww.antislavery.org/index.htm
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