Important Dates

Human trafficking is a crime that seeks to exploit children, women and men for numerous purposes, especially forced labour and sex. It is estimated that 21 million people are victims of forced labour globally, including those trafficked for sexual exploitation.

While making up less than 5% of the world’s population, the estimated 370 million indigenous people of the world, living across 90 countries, speak an overwhelming majority of the worlds 7,000 languages and represent 5,000 cultures. They also account for 15% of the world’s poorest people. This day is to celebrate their cultures and teachings, raising awareness of Indigenous rights. #WeAreIndigenous

Shine a spotlight on the millions of individuals around the world whose lives are caught in conflict, and honour the health and aid workers who seek to help these people in need. #WorldHumanitarianDay

The day is seen as an opportunity for collective recognition and focus on the historic causes, methods and consequences of slavery. The date is significant because during the night of August 22-23, 1791, an uprising began on the island of Saint Domingue (today known as Haiti), which influenced the eventual abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.