UN: We are raising awareness on the dangers of racism

Antonio Guterres, United Nations secretary-general, says the organisation is raising more awareness on the dangers of racism and other forms of slavery.

In his message in Lagos, to mark the 2019 International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, the UN secretary-general described slave trade as one of history’s most appalling manifestations of human barbarity.

In the message read by Oluseyi Soremekun, national information officer of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Nigeria, Guterres said the remembrance day was aimed at ensuring that the lessons of slavery were learned and heeded today.

The international observance day was held at Badagry Grammar School and attended by 1,200 students, school principals, teachers, traditional rulers and some parents.

“The transatlantic slave trade was one of history’s most appalling manifestations of human barbarity. We must never forget the crimes and impacts in Africa and beyond. We honour them by standing up against ongoing forms of slavery, by raising awareness of the dangers of racism,” the secretary-general said.

“We need to tell the stories of those who stood up against their oppressors, and recognize their righteous resistance. On this International Day of Remembrance, we pay homage to the millions of African men, women and children who were denied their humanity and forced to endure such abominable cruelty.”