The Netherlands entered the New Year with an intense debate about slavery after Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte apologized for what he called a “crime against humanity.” Rutte’s historic remarks came ahead of the 150th anniversary of liberation from slavery, despite warnings that not everyone is pleased with the apology for centuries of the slave trade in this seafaring nation.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has apologized for his nation’s role in centuries of slavery when millions of Black people were traded as cattle, and many died. In a historic speech, he called it a “crime against humanity.”
A new United Nations study shows that fifty million people worldwide, including children, are being subjected to modern forms of slavery, the Associated Press reports. The report said almost every country in the world has modern-day slavery systems, including forced labor, sexual exploitation, and forced marriages.