Germana Carillo Modern slavery still affects millions worldwide, including children. Forced labor, debt bondage, and human trafficking continue to persist despite international condemnation. Action is urgently needed.
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A forced marriage? It’s a form of slavery. Debt bondage? It’s a form of slavery. Sexual exploitation? It’s a form of slavery. And we could go on for much longer. What should really make us pause is that these types of slavery still exist today, and not necessarily in the most remote parts of the world.
Despite global prohibitions, modern slavery affected nearly 50 million victims in 2022, including millions of minors. Slavery comes in many forms, all characterized by forced labor and the loss of freedom. The victims are often society’s most vulnerable members, such as women and children, or people belonging to ethnic or religious minorities, indigenous populations, or nomadic groups.
As part of the observance of the World Day Against Human Trafficking, Amnesty International underscores that the common denominator of all forms of slavery is the coercion of human beings, who are essentially treated as “property” by another person.
What is slavery?
A clear violation of human rights, slavery is defined by:
- Coerced labor through threats and physical and psychological violence.
- The individual is considered the property of an employer who controls all aspects of their work, including its type and duration.
- People can be bought or sold as “property.”
- Victims are physically restricted and lack the freedom to move.
Is slavery still present today?
Yes, and sources identify several forms of modern slavery that continue to affect millions:
- Forced labor:
In 2021, 1.3 million minors were subjected to forced labor, though not all were victims of trafficking. The COVID-19 pandemic likely exacerbated the situation, leaving millions of children orphaned and thus more vulnerable to abuse in systems with inadequate child welfare support. It’s crucial to note that forced labor and child labor are distinct phenomena. - Domestic child labor is hard to quantify globally, as children are often confined to homes. What starts as child labor can evolve into forced labor when children are forced to work long hours or suffer physical, psychological, or sexual abuse without the possibility of escape. These children have no access to education and little hope of breaking free from poverty.
In certain areas of Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and South Asia, entrenched systems of domestic slavery involving children still exist, such as criadazgo in Paraguay or kamlari in Nepal, often affecting girls or members of ethnic minorities. There is a two-way link between forced domestic child labor and child trafficking: the former can be the result of trafficking, and children fleeing it are more vulnerable to being trafficked again. - Debt bondage:
This form of slavery is often linked to usurious lending practices, particularly in rural areas. Poor families receiving loans from landowners must repay them with the free labor of one or two family members. Due to often exorbitant interest rates, people are forced to work for the landowner for life, under surveillance (sometimes armed), and at risk of physical and sexual violence. Sometimes, failure to repay the debt leads to the transmission of slavery from father to son. - Slavery by birth:
Considered a “classic” form of slavery, this involves individuals being born into slavery because their ancestors were slaves, and this condition has been passed down through generations. This form still exists in countries like Mauritania, Niger, Mali, Chad, and Sudan, despite being officially outlawed. Slaves, as the property of their masters, are exploited and can be sold or given away; children are often taken away from their mothers early and forced to work. - Human trafficking:
According to the UNODC, over 53,800 victims of human trafficking were identified in 2020, with one-third being minors (18% girls and 17% boys). Victims can be trafficked for various reasons: - Sexual exploitation (38.7%)
- Forced labor (38.8%)
- Criminal activities (10.2%)
- Begging (0.7%)
- Forced marriage (0.9%)
- Illegal adoptions
- Organ removal (0.2%)
- Mixed forms of exploitation (10.3%)
Victims of sexual exploitation (27% girls and 5% boys) primarily come from:
- North Africa
- The Middle East
- Central and Southeastern Europe
- Asia, Central America
- The Caribbean
Victims of forced labor (12% boys and 5% girls) predominantly come from Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Minors may be exploited for begging or forced criminal activities, such as drug trafficking. Organ removal has been discovered in at least ten countries. Another form of trafficking involves adolescents and young women sold for forced marriages. It is estimated that in 2021, there were 22 million forced marriages, nearly 9 million of which involved minors (87% girls, and 41% under the age of 16). The majority of these cases were reported in Asia and the Pacific, with the highest prevalence in Arab States. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the risk of child and forced marriages, with increases reported in countries like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and India. Once forced into marriage, girls are at greater risk of further exploitation, including sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, violence, and other forms of forced labor. The routes for trafficking are often difficult and dangerous, putting the lives of minors at risk.
And yet, slavery is condemned internationally…
Article 4 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states:
“No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.”
There are also two conventions against slavery, adopted in 1926 and 1956, with the first ratified by the League of Nations and later taken up by the United Nations.
Other specific international treaties include the Forced Labor Convention of 1930 and the Abolition of Forced Labor Convention of 1957.
Additionally, there are:
- The Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others (1949)
- The Stockholm Declaration of 1996, adopted during the first World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation and the Exploitation of Children
- In 2014, the ILO adopted a new protocol to the 1930 Convention, which is legally binding and aims to enhance the prevention, protection, and redress measures for victims of forced labor, intensifying efforts to eliminate modern forms of slavery.
- In 2000, the United Nations adopted the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, linked to the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, which entered into force in 2003.
Given those staggering numbers and the systemic brutality of human trafficking, indifference is no longer acceptable.
In 2025, the urgency of curbing this plague is not just a human rights issue but a collective responsibility that calls on governments, institutions, businesses, and citizens. Victims cannot wait for the slow evolution of policies: immediate, concrete, and global measures are needed to halt trafficking flows, protect those affected, and punish perpetrators.
Tolerating this form of modern slavery is tantamount to legitimizing it. The time to act is now.
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Sources: Amnesty International / UNODOC, 2022 Global Report in traffiking in person
