Slavery is a very old concept institutionalized globally with diverse origins, forms, and ramifications. It is therefore subject to different perceptions and definitions in different societies. It is a fact that many thousands of men, women and children throughout the world remain victims of modern-day slavery.

According to Global Slavery Index, “armed conflict, state-sponsored forced labor, and forced marriages are the main causes behind the estimated 9.2 million Africans who are forced to live in servitude”. Slavery and genocide have deprived Africa and her potentials in realizing her political and economic growth and stability. The long history of slavery and genocide in African continent and other parts of the world has created acceptable norms that Africans and other minorities in the world are objects of slavery, and to the extent that the menace is still being practiced even in the present days.

In recent years, serfdom in Africa has attracted global attention when the media houses showed “slave markets” in Libya auctioning off able African young men and women in car parks, garages, as well as in public squares, not forgetting the African women from Kenya and other parts of Africa who are lured to Middle East migrant workers and on arrival, their documents are confiscated by their prospective employers to be used as sex slaves (captives of underground agencies of modern-day slavery). These grimy incidents show a paradigm shift in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights to which most of these countries are member states.

Therefore, the Mission and Vision of Global Institute Against Slavery & Genocide (GIASAG) Inc. is derived from Articles 3 & 4 of the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” (UDHR) which start:

Article 3. Mission: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

 Article 4. Vision: No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

The core objectives of Global Institute Against Slavery & Genocide (GIASAG) Inc:

·       Advocacy: To advocate for eradication of slavery and prevention of genocide including Environmental Genocide.

·       Protection: To protect victims and make sure they are safe.

·       Education: To empower the youth with education; the youth are the most vulnerable, particularly young women and girls.

·       Economic Support: To support the youth find employment by creation of jobs.

These four major objectives can be broken into specific achievable goals. It is our moral obligation as citizens of the world to stand against all human rights violations as stipulated in UDHR.