Abolition of the Slave Trade - 200th Anniversary

Mr CARLI (Brunswick) -- This year marks the 200th anniversary of the passing by the Parliament of the United Kingdom of an act for the abolition of the slave trade, called the Slave Trade Act 1807. This was a piece of legislation which is seen globally as a really important part of the campaign for the abolition of slavery. It was the culmination of a campaign conducted by a minority of anti-slavery campaigners in the British Parliament, led by William Wilberforce. It was a longstanding campaign, and they successfully passed a piece of legislation which banned the trans-Atlantic trade in slaves which had been going on for almost 250 years in the United Kingdom. It meant that in the United Kingdom you could not trade in slaves and that British ships could not carry slaves -- and if they were caught with slaves, they would be fined 100 per slave.

It was not a piece legislation which actually banned slavery -- campaigners had to wait until 1833 for the banning of slavery in the British Empire -- but nevertheless it was a really important piece of legislation, given that slavery continues to exist in the world. While most countries have outlawed slavery it is still practised around the world, so the struggle to abolish slavery continues today.