THE Religious Society of Friends in Tavistock marked the 200th anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act at their recent meeting of worship. The Friends, or the Quakers as they are known, commemorated the occasion by focusing on the inhumanity of the international trafficking of people and the indomitable spirit of the brave men and women who battled to put an end to the practice. It was the Quakers in the late 1660s who were among the first to speak out against slavery at a time when few questioned the morality of the trade. In 1783 the yearly meeting of Quakers in Britain set up a 22-member group to campaign for the abolition of slavery. Although William Wilberforce was acknowledged as the figurehead of those demanding abolition of the slave trade it was a Quaker, Thomas Clarkson, who was the major influence in gathering support for the campaign. In 1807 a Parliamentary Bill was passed to abolish the slave trade in the then British Empire. Diana Brace, a member of the Tavistock Quaker meeting, said: 'The anniversary of the abolition is both an occasion to give thanks for the ending of that particular pernicious evil and to celebrate the courage and perseverence of our ancestors. However, it is also a reminder that slavery still exists today, albeit in different forms. 'People are trafficked across countries for cheap labour and for prostitution and children are kidnapped and used in sweatshops. 'Quakers have worked tirelessly in United Nations circles in Geneva for a quarter of a century, creating recognition of the issue of child soldiers. 'We must use the 200th anniversary of that now famous Parliamentary Act as an incentive to continue campaigning.'
