Sir, - We are writing on behalf of our CSPE class to express our strong opposition to modern-day slavery. According to Trocaire there are 27 million slaves in the world today. Antislavery laws are being ignored. Drastic measures are needed to stop this.
In Sierra Leone, children as young as seven are being captured by the army and trained as soldiers. In Brazil, it is estimated that there are over 100,000 bonded slaves working on large rural estates. In 1850 a slave could be bought for around $40,000. In India today, a child can be sold into bonded labour for as little as £30.
In the 21st century it is ridiculous to think we call ourselves civilised, when we stand idly by and allow such inhuman practices to continue. We urge people to support Trocaire's antis-lave campaign and to lobby our politicians to act on this issue. - Yours, etc.,
Mark Keenan,Jeffrey White, Brian Hennelly, James Higgins, Pauric Murphy, On behalf of class 2B2,St Patrick's Community College, Naas, Co Kildare.