Norway must be slave-free - The Nordic Page

12.02.2012 - Oslo

Norway must be slave-free

Norway, must be the world's first slave-free country, requires Christian Democratic Party (KrF).

Benkos Bioho

As part of the fight to make slavery history, KrF MP Dagfinn Høybråten proposed to have a special anti-slavery-day in Norway.

- Many think that slavery is history. The truth is that there are more than 27 million people living as slave in the world today. These are people who are caught and they work against their will even without payment, said Høybråten.

He also noted this is more people than all those who were victims of the transatlantic slave trade that lasted for 350 years. He pointed out that human trafficking also takes place in Norway. Children, women and men are exploited for forced labor, prostitution, begging and crime.

Norway has to set a goal to become the first slavery-free country.

Høybråten called for an intensification of cross-border cooperation, particularly focusing on children as victims of human trafficking. In particular, minors are vulnerable. Police efforts and international cooperation with other actors must be strengthened. He also proposed more teaching at schools about modern slavery not just about historical slavery.