Join the fight for freedom

Off with a bang: The countdown to the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade started with a firework display at the Wilberforce monument outside Hull College

Hull residents urged to sign petition against modern slavery - and continue the work of Wilberforce

More than 27 million people across the world are living in slavery - and that includes children in forced labour and women and children being trafficked for prostitution.
The work begun by William Wilberforce in ending slavery almost 200 years ago is still far from over.
Now the Fight for Freedom Campaign, in partnership with Anti-Slavery International, is urging as many people as possible to sign its petition - by filling in the form below.
Leader of Hull City Council Carl Minns said: "William Wilberforce is an inspirational figure from Hull's past. Now we need a new chapter in the fight for freedom, and everyone in the city can help by signing the petition.
"I hope Hull people sign and return the petition in their thousands.
"It's of the greatest importance, because millions of people around the world are living in slavery, through human trafficking, child labour, forced military service, and debt bondage.
"Every signature counts. Together we can build a new mass movement for change."
On March 25th, 2007, it will be exactly 200 years since Wilberforce's Abolition of the Slave Trade Act was passed through Parliament.
Meanwhile, on November 23rd and 24th, Hull is to play host to a major international conference on modern-day slavery at The Guildhall.
The conference, being organised by Hull's Wilberforce Institute for the study of Slavery and Emancipation (WISE), will be attended by academics and human rights experts from across the world.

The petition can also be signed on-line at www.wilberforce2007.com *