Modern Slavery

Modern slavery is the severe exploitation of other people for personal or commercial gain. Modern slavery is categorized as follows:



Human trafficking. The use of violence, threats or coercion to transport, recruit, or harbour people in order to exploit them for purposes such as forced prostitution, labour, criminality, marriage or organ removal.



Forced labour. Any work or services people are forced to do against their will under threat of punishment.



Debt bondage/bonded labour. The world’s most widespread form of slavery. People trapped in poverty borrow money and are forced to work to pay off the debt, losing control over both their employment conditions and the debt.



Descent–based slavery. Most traditional form, where people are treated as property, and their “slave” status was passed down the maternal line.



Slavery of children. When a child is exploited for someone else’s gain. This can include child trafficking, child soldiers, child marriage and child domestic slavery.



Forced and early marriage. When someone is married against their will and cannot leave. Most child marriages can be considered slavery.



People end up trapped in modern slavery because they are vulnerable to being tricked, trapped, and exploited, often because of poverty and exclusion. It is these external circumstances that push people into taking risky decisions in search of opportunities to provide for their families or are simply pushed into jobs in exploitative conditions.