The Mauritian president, Sir Anerood Jugnauth, on Monday in Le Morne, south-west of the island, presided over the ceremony marking the 175th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Mauritius and expressed regret that slavery still exists in other forms which future generations will face.
Mr Jugnauth cited two forms of slavery - the one carried out by employers who do not respect employees' rights, which he described as a modern form of slavery, a nd the other which refers to social blights such as drugs which affects young men.
'I ask all employers to respect workers' rights. I also ask populations to make efforts to fight the social blights and for heavier sentences to fight those blights,' the Mauritian president said.
The Mauritian Prime Minister, Navin Ramgoolam, said many slaves preferred death to servitude.
He said the slaves developed the Creole language which Mauritians were speaking today whatever their ancestral origins.
'The Creole language belongs to all of us; it is our common heritage. The government is working to make it an optional language in primary schools,' he said.
1 February is a holiday in Mauritius in the memory of the slaves who died on the island.
The president of Mozambique, Joachim Chissano, was the guest of honour for the ceremony.
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