Slavery in the Imperial Age - Essay Example

SLAVERY IN THE IMPERIAL AGE SLAVERY IN THE IMPERIAL AGE Thesis: slavery was an important practice in the past years because it brought about development through the provision of free labor Introduction Slavery may be defined as a system whereby people are viewed and treated as property to be sold, bought and forced to work. Slaves are held against their will from the moment they are born, captured or purchased. Slaves are also deprived of the right to refuse work, leave or demand compensation. In the past years, slavery was recognized by many societies. However, in the present times, slavery has been prohibited by many countries. Despite slavery being prohibited, it is still carried out through practices such as domestic servants in captivity, debt bondage, serfdom and indentured servitude. There are also other scenarios, which may be considered as slavery. Such instances include child soldiers, children being forced to work and forced marriages. Despite slavery being illegal worldwide, research shows that there are approximately 30 million slaves worldwide. Slavery has existed in many cultures and predates written records. Nowadays, most slaves are debt slaves, mostly in South Asia. These slaves are under bondage by debts incurred by lenders. In many occasions, these debts are carried on to other generations. Newer methods of capturing slaves have come up. One of these methods is human trafficking whereby children and women are seized and forced into sex industries. Slavery has been reduced in the modern societies because there is little need for manpower. This is because nowadays, mechanical labor has replaced the duties which were played by slave labor (Turley 2000)1 Types of slavery There are different types of slavery. One of the main types of slavery is Chattel slavery. It can also be defined as traditional slavery. Chattel slavery was named so because people under this type of slavery are treated as the personal property of the owner. They can also be bought and sold against their own will as if they were commodities. Chattel slavery was the first form of slavery and also the least predominant type of slavery today. The other type of slavery is bonded labor, which may also be referred to as debt bondage. Bonded labor occurs when an individual guarantees himself against a loan. However, the duration and services needed to pay the debt are unidentified. Debt bondage is hereditary in nature. This implies that it can be passed from generation to generation. In bonded labor, children are required to pay off the debts incurred by their parents. Bonded labor is the most common type of slavery today and is most common in South Asia. Forced labor is another type of debt. It mainly takes place when people are forced to work against their will. It may also take place under threat of punishments or other forms of violence, with restrictions to freedom. The fastest growing type of coerced labor is human trafficking. Human trafficking is carried out primarily in order to prostitute women and children. In most cases, it is common in countries such as Cambodia, Mexico, Brazil, Thailand and India. These countries have been known to be the leading hotspot of commercial sexual exploitation of women and children. The term “forced labor” is wide. The term ‘forced labor’ may also refer to other forms of slavery such as penal labor, serfdom and conscription (Masika 2002). Forced marriage, child marriage and marriage by abduction are other types of slavery. A forced marriage is a marriage whereby the parties are married against their will. In most cases, forced marriages arise as a result of social norms. Also, there are other customs that may lead to buying or selling people into marriages. Some of these customs include dowry and bride price. The International Labor Organization defines forced marriage as modern-day slavery. 2i Read More