What is modern slavery?
21 January 2025 | 4 minute read
The word slavery sounds like it belongs to a previous era. The sad reality is that slavery remains highly prevalent in its modern form.
The latest survey undertaken by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Walk Free - an international human rights group working to eradicate modern slavery - estimate that there are 49.6 million people in modern slavery, with 27.6 million people in forced labour 27.6.
Effectively addressing this global problem first requires having a clear idea of what modern slavery is (and what it isn’t), and how it manifests itself in the modern era.
How is modern slavery defined?
The ILO’s Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) defines modern slavery as ‘all work or service which is exacted from any person under the menace of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered himself voluntarily.
What does modern slavery look like?
The word slavery oftentimes elicits images of incarceration, chains, hard labour and many other things thought to be consigned to history. The reality is that modern slavery doesn’t look like older forms of slavery.
Modern slavery generally looks like the ‘ordinary’ work in places like factories, on farms and plantations, on construction sites and in hospitality and fast food outlets, and at any other place where business is undertaken.
Modern slavery can include a range of different or related forms. The three most common related to business are:
- Human trafficking - involves the movement of a person by means of coercion or deception for the purposes of exploitation.
- Forced labour - work or service which is exacted from any person under the threat of penalty and for which the person has not offered himself or herself voluntarily.
- Bonded labour -earnings are retained in part or full to repay an outstanding loan. This often means that workers are effectively working for little or no wages.
Where does modern slavery take place?
Modern slavery is found in all countries and all sectors. Sometimes exploitation is kept at the margins of economies but sometimes it can be found hidden in plain sight, including in the global supply chains of international brands. Most modern slavery involves someone taking advantage of another person’s vulnerability. People living in poverty with few life or economic options are particularly vulnerable to exploitation.
What is forced labour?
The ILO Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour (SAP-FL) has identified 11 Indicators for Forced Labour:
- Abuse of vulnerability
- Deception
- Restriction of movement
- Isolation
- Physical and sexual violence
- Intimidation and threats
- Retention of identity documents
- Withholding of wages
- Debt bondage
- Abusive working and living conditions
- Excessive overtime
Whilst the presence of one of these on its own may not mean forced labour is present, it is a warning for enhanced due diligence. The ILO website includes further guidance.
What is the ‘forced labour continuum’?
It is easy to think of a situation of forced labour as being a fixed situation and point in time. That is not necessarily the case. At different times workers may experience differing degrees of exploitation or none at all along a continuum from decent work to severe exploitation. This is generally referred to as the forced labour continuum.
Are migrant workers vulnerable to modern slavery?
There are 169 million migrant workers in the world - 5% of the Global Workforce.
Migrant workers often face additional challenges and may be particularly vulnerable during both recruitment and employment abroad.
Migrant workers are particularly vulnerable to exploitation because:
- They are often employed in low- wage and low status jobs.
- They may not enjoy the same rights in law as other workers.
- They may not be aware or understand their rights - or be deliberately misinformed.
- They often lack access to effective trade unions or other support networks.
- They may suffer discrimination based on nationality, religion or social status (caste).
- They may have paid recruitment fees to secure employment, leaving them indebted and bonded to an employer.
The IHRB Dhaka Principles for Migration With Dignity provide additional guidance on the challenges faced by migrant workers.
What specific challenges do women workers face?
In a labour market dominated by patriarchal societal norms women may be particularly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse including forms of modern slavery. They may suffer a range of discriminations based on their gender because:
- They are often employed in low-wage or low-status jobs.
- They are often in informal employment such as domestic or caring roles and often isolated within employers homes.
- They may be subject to sexual harassment and abuse.
Government policies may fail to understand or adequately address the particular challenges of women. Policymakers may also impose draconian legislation that fails to protect women’s rights.
Example: government bans on women working abroad. This practice discriminates against women. It also means that many women still travel abroad to work anyway but without using formal channels: a situation which leaves them even more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse and unable to access consular help abroad. Effective policies to prevent exploitation of women are those that recognise and respect the rights of women.
Read IHRB’s report: Respecting the Rights of Women Migrant Workers During Recruitment
What obligations do businesses and governments have to tackle modern slavery?
Endorsed by the UN Human Rights Council in June 2011, The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights are a set of guidelines for States and companies to prevent, address and remedy human rights abuses committed in business operations.
The Guiding Principles confer responsibilities on both states and business actors:
State Duty to Protect Human Rights - States must protect against human rights abuse within their territory and/or jurisdiction by third parties, including business enterprises. This requires taking appropriate steps to prevent, investigate, punish and redress such abuse through effective policies, legislation, regulations and adjudication.
Corporate Responsibility to Respect Human Rights - Business enterprises should respect human rights. This means that they should avoid infringing on the human rights of others and should address adverse human rights impacts with which they are involved.
Preventing modern slavery is therefore an obligation on all state and business actors. Current governance gaps require deliberate, robust and coordinated action to address a range of policy issues, including strategies to incentivise legal compliance; and steps to strengthen grievance mechanisms, access to remedy and bilateral, regional and multilateral engagement.
The main objective of modern slavery legislation should be to protect potential victims of modern slavery. Ensuring appropriate legislation that is transparently and consistently applied, however, also provides an operational framework for law abiding business, allowing them to respect rights whilst competing fairly within the law.
