France marks 25 years since landmark slavery law • FRANCE 24 English

Added: 2026-05-21

[00:00:00]It was on the 10th of May 2001, 153 years after France abolished slavery, that the Loi Taubira was passed unanimously by MPs in the French Assembly. Introduced by Christiane Taubira, then MP for French Guiana, the bill made France the first country globally to recognize slavery as a crime against humanity.

[00:00:22]The inscription in the law, this strong, unambiguous word, this official and lasting word constitutes a symbol of reparation and first and undoubtedly the most powerful of all.

[00:00:35]The Loi Taubira helped usher in a change to social sciences curricula in schools, placing a greater importance on teaching about slavery and the slave trade.

[00:00:45]Progress welcomed by Taubira when she spoke to France 24 10 days ago.

[00:00:51]For over 21 years, a thesis award has been presented annually. The law has spurred a dynamic resurgence in research.

[00:01:00]The 25th anniversary of the Loi Taubira comes as MPs on the law committee voted unanimously on Wednesday to revoke the Black Code, a set of royal edicts from the 17th century that defined slaves as chattel and that was never formally repealed despite the abolition of slavery in 1794 and 1848.

[00:01:20]The bill, co-signed by MPs from across the political spectrum, will be debated in Parliament on the 28th of May.