International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
Next: December 2, 2026
Freedom belongs to everyone.
The story
Where it comes from
The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery marks 2 December 1949, when the UN General Assembly adopted a convention against trafficking in persons and the exploitation of others (resolution 317(IV)). Slavery did not end with abolition, and the day focuses on its modern forms: forced labour, debt bondage, human trafficking, forced marriage, the worst forms of child labour and the recruitment of children into armed conflict. The UN notes that modern slavery occurs in almost every country and cuts across ethnic, cultural and religious lines.
How it's celebrated
UN agencies, governments and campaigners use the day to share research and urge action, such as ratifying the International Labour Organization's protocol against forced labour, which entered into force in 2016. Anyone can take part by learning the warning signs of trafficking and forced labour, asking how the things they buy are made, and supporting groups that help survivors rebuild their lives.
Did you know
- The International Labour Organization estimated that some 50 million people were in modern slavery in 2021, including 28 million in forced labour and 22 million in forced marriage.
- Almost one in eight people in forced labour are children.
- By 2014 the Indian campaigner Kailash Satyarthi and his colleagues had freed 83,000 children from slavery; that year he shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Malala Yousafzai.
Coming up next
- International Day of Persons with Disabilities · December 3, 2026
- International Day of Banks · December 4, 2026
- Thai Father's Day · December 5, 2026
- International Volunteer Day · December 5, 2026
- World Soil Day · December 5, 2026
- Edison's Phonograph Talks Back · December 6, 2026