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EACH year, on March 25, the world pauses to observe International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, an occasion that commemorates one of the most brutal and dehumanising chapters in history. This remembrance is not merely symbolic. It is a moral imperative, a call to reflect on a legacy that still ripples through our present in complex and, often, invisible ways.

Slavery, as a formal institution, may no longer be lawful in most parts of the world. Yet its residues are deeply embedded in the social, economic, and racial structures of today. The inequalities and exploitative systems we witness — from discriminatory employment practices to systemic racism and modern-day forced labour — are not anomalies; they are direct descendants of a past we have not fully confronted.

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Transatlantic slave trade

THE transatlantic slave trade, which spanned in the 15th–19th century, saw millions of Africans forcibly uprooted from their homelands and transported across the Atlantic to fuel the economies of the colonial west. Men, women, and children from West Africa were treated not as human beings, but as commodities to be bought, sold and exploited.

European imperial powers built empires on the backs of these enslaved individuals. While the economies of Europe and the Americas flourished, African societies were devastated — culturally, demographically and economically. The trauma inflicted was not only individual but generational, institutionalising racial hierarchies and embedding a system of violence and control that remains visible even today.

The brutality of the ‘Middle Passage’, the journey across the Atlantic, was particularly grotesque. Enslaved people were crammed into the lower decks of ships in horrific conditions — chained, starved and subjected to diseases. Many perished before reaching the Americas. Those who survived were subjected to lifelong bondage, sexual violence and systemic abuse on plantations. Their dignity was stripped; their humanity denied.

The damage extended beyond individual lives. The slave trade militarised African societies, led to depopulation, and eroded community structures. Over time, it helped construct a global racial order in which blackness was equated with inferiority — a stigma that has never been fully dismantled.

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Slavery’s imprintÌý

THE formal abolition of the transatlantic slave trade did not dissolve its underlying ideology. Structural racism and inequality — pervasive in modern legal systems, labour markets, education, healthcare and policing — bear testimony to the enduring impact of that legacy.

In the United States and Europe, the descendants of enslaved Africans continue to grapple with socioeconomic marginalisation and racial violence. But the imprint of slavery is not restricted to the West. Its logic of commodifying human life continues to permeate economic practices across the world.

The truth is uncomfortable: slavery did not end; it merely evolved. Its contemporary forms — bonded labour, human trafficking, forced domestic servitude and wage slavery — mirror the same principles of control and exploitation. Global supply chains are often sustained by invisible labourers trapped in modern bondage, with many consumers unknowingly complicit in this vast machinery of abuse.

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Modern day slavery

NOWHERE is this contradiction more apparent than in the treatment of migrant workers, particularly in the Middle East. Women from countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and the Philippines migrate in search of better livelihoods but often find themselves ensnared in cycles of abuse under systems like the kafala, which legally binds workers to their employers, stripping them of basic freedom.

Under this system, migrant domestic workers face conditions that are alarmingly akin to slavery. Confiscated passports, non-payment of wages, confinement, physical and sexual abuse, and restrictions on movement are commonplace. While some Gulf countries have undertaken modest reforms, implementation remains patchy and largely ineffective — held hostage by entrenched interests.

Within Bangladesh, bonded labour and child labour persist despite legislative bans. Brick kilns, textile factories, seafood processing plants, and informal sectors continue to exploit vulnerable populations, often with impunity. Families weighed down by debt are forced to offer their children’s labour in exchange for survival, perpetuating cycles of poverty and exploitation.

Slavery has simply morphed into subtler, less visible forms — enabled by weak enforcement, limited labour protections, and global systems that prioritise profit over people.

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Bangladesh’s role

BANGLADESH is at a critical juncture in the global fight against modern slavery. On one hand, it is a source country for migrant workers who are regularly exploited abroad; on the other, it is home to exploitative labour practices within its own borders. This duality imposes a moral responsibility to act — both domestically and diplomatically.

To its credit, Bangladesh has taken steps to address labour rights, including amending labour laws, regulating recruitment agencies, and increasing scrutiny of migration processes. Yet enforcement remains weak, often stymied by bureaucracy and lack of political will. Corruption within recruitment networks and the informal nature of much employment complicate regulatory oversight.

Civil society organisations and grassroots movements have played a pivotal role in plugging these gaps — offering legal aid, rehabilitation programmes, vocational training and awareness campaigns. But structural change cannot rely solely on non-state actors. The state must assume a more proactive role, not only in protecting workers but in ensuring that economic development does not come at the cost of human dignity.

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Global imperative

MODERN slavery is not a developing world problem alone. It is a global malaise sustained by a global economy. Multinational corporations often turn a blind eye to the conditions under which their products are made, while consumers in the Global North benefit from low-cost goods produced in high-cost human suffering.

If slavery is to be eradicated, it will require systemic reform across supply chains, robust international regulation, and the political courage to challenge corporate interests. Transparency in sourcing, fair wages, ethical labour practices and stronger trade policies must become the norm, not the exception.

The role of international institutions like the United Nations and the International Labour Organisation is vital in creating global frameworks of accountability. However, these efforts must be matched by national governments willing to align their domestic priorities with international human rights obligations.

Consumer awareness too, plays an essential role. Ethical consumption, when exercised collectively, has the potential to shift corporate behaviour and challenge exploitative market practices.

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Remembering to resist

INTERNATIONAL Day of Remembrance is not merely about revisiting the horrors of the past — it is about recognising how those horrors persist in new guises and committing to dismantling the systems that sustain them. Remembering the victims of the transatlantic slave trade is not only a tribute to their suffering but a call to justice for the exploited of today.

For Bangladesh, this remembrance must be accompanied by renewed commitment: to protect migrant workers, strengthen labour protections, criminalise human trafficking effectively and challenge the exploitative structures within its own borders. Education must play a transformative role — teaching not only history but the ethical foundations of equity and dignity.

Slavery may have been abolished on paper, but its spirit lingers in the shadows of our economic systems and social hierarchies. The fight for freedom is not yet over — it has simply entered a new chapter. The onus is on all of us — governments, businesses, civil society, and individuals — to ensure that we do not become passive bystanders to its continuing evolution.

This day must, therefore, not only be one of remembrance but also of resistance.

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Dr Ala Uddin is a professor of anthropology at the University of Chittagong.