More than 12,000 have already signed a petition calling on world leaders to end modern day slavery.

And the human rights charity behind the protest launched at the start of the year today urged Bermuda to follow their example and significantly boost the number of signatures.

Mike Kaye, communications manager at Anti-Slavery International, said the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade gave the lobby group the perfect chance to raise awareness so lessons could be learned about historical slavery, while also campaigning to stamp out modern day forms of exploitation.

"There's a lot of ignorance about both areas," added Mr. Kaye. "A lot of people think slavery is a part of history and does not affect people today. But the reality is slavery continues today."

Millions of men, women and children around the world are forced to lead lives as slaves, the charity says, with people sold like objects and forced to work for little or no pay.

Mr. Kaye added: "The scale of the problem is so large, and the numbers so huge, people feel it's beyond their ability to influence.

"If we can convince people around the world that it should be a priority then we can have some impact today, as we had 200 years ago."

The campaign is about "commemoration" and "liberation", said the charity chief.

Welcoming our move to support the Anti-Slavery International campaign, he added: "We are very pleased that The Royal Gazette is putting its resources into raising such a fundamental issue with its readership.

"We hope it mobilises the people of Bermuda to take action."

What is Anti-Slavery International?

Founded in 1839, Anti-Slavery International is the world's oldest global human rights organisation.

It is the only charity in the UK to campaign exclusively against slavery and related abuses.

The London-based lobby group works at local, national and international levels to stamp out slavery.

It also backs research to assess the impact and scale of the human rights breaches, while calling on Governments to tackle slavery.

Its roots stretch back to 1787, when the first abolitionist society was formed.

This broad-based movement was at the forefront of the battles to abolish the slave trade — achieved in Britain in 1807 — as well as slavery throughout the British colonies — accomplished in 1833.

The charity says the 2007 anniversary is important because the legacies of the transatlantic slave trade reverberate today in terms of racism and discrimination, as well as the long-term impact it has had on both the development and underdevelopment of countries affected by the trade.

"There is much to be learnt from this period of our history which can benefit society today, not least how we can effectively combat contemporary forms of slavery," states the charity's website.

Mr. Kaye said the 1807 breakthrough was achieved by a mass movement bringing together many different sections of society, including Africans — who through rebellions, personal acts of resistance and as anti-slavery campaigners themselves, were pivotal in bringing an end to the transatlantic slave trade.

"In less than 20 years, isolated voices of protest developed into a popular movement that not only managed to challenge assumptions about slavery that had been embedded over hundreds of years, but also convinced many people that they had an obligation to end it.

"Its achievements were unparalleled at the time and even today there are only a limited number of campaigns which could claim to have had the same impact."

For the sake of millions of people currently enslaved across the globe, protestors hope the modern day equivalent will have equally positive results.