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What are the different kinds of slavery in the world?

by | Nov 10, 2019 | Minor Groups & Issues, Slavery

The different kinds of slavery that exist in the world today include forced labor, child labor, debt labor, sex slavery, child slavery, child soldiers, and domestic servitude. Different kinds of slavery also have different kinds of rights and privileges. There is chattel slavery where the person has no rights and is not set free. There is indentured servitude where the slave does have rights and can be set free through the completion of the contract.

There is no precise and universal definition of slavery because there are variations in its form, time frame, society, and location. Nevertheless, generally speaking, slavery as of two main types: forced and voluntary. It may sound contradictory to say that slavery can be voluntary. But throughout history, there have been many cases where people have voluntarily bound themselves to be the indentured servant of another in order to pay off debts and avoid starvation. This has been a historical fact. Nevertheless, please consider the following definitions of slavery.

  • Forced Labor, Debt Labor, Sex Slavery, Child Slavery, Domestic Servitude
      https://freedomcenter.org/enabling-freedom/five-forms-of-slavery
  • Human Trafficking – “The United Nations defines human trafficking as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons by improper means (such as force, abduction, fraud, or coercion) for an improper purpose including forced labor or sexual exploitation. It takes on many forms today. Explore them below.”
       http://www.endslaverynow.org/learn/slavery-today
  • “UNESCO states that slavery is ‘identified by an element of ownership or control over another’s life, coercion and the restriction of movement and by the fact that someone is not free to leave.’” Types of slavery:  sex trafficking, child sex trafficking, forced labor, forced child labor, bonded labor or debt bondage, domestic servitude, unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers.
       https://borgenproject.org/types-of-slavery/

Different kinds of slavery compared

The following table is meant to illustrate the differences between the forms of slavery. The simple yes and no categories are not entirely sufficient since there are degrees of affirmations and denials among different categories. Nevertheless, the table should show the differences and similarities between the types of slavery.

Type Contract-ural Person is owned as Property Person can be sold Work of person can be sold Slavery condition
can be ended by slave
Subject to physical abuse Subject to psychological abuse
Chattel No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Indentured Yes No No Yes Yes No No
Serfdom Yes No No Yes No Yes Yes
Forced Labor No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Debt Labor Yes No No Yes Yes No No
Sex Slavery No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Domestic Servitude No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Child soldiers no Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes

Conclusion

Defining slavery is difficult because there are different forms and different cultural contexts. In some forms of slavery, the slave has no rights at all (chattel) wherein other forms the person does have rights (indentured servitude). Unfortunately, slavery in the harshest sense still exists in the world where people are considered nothing but property and are forced to work without sharing in the benefit of their labor. There are sex slaves and children kidnapped and enslaved to become soldiers. Then, there is still the occurrence of people voluntarily entering into slavery to pay off debts or to prevent starvation. Whichever kind exists, slavery is an unfortunate reality in this present world.

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