According to Anti-Slavery International, forced labor is not an alternative term for slavery. The use of forced labor does not carry with it the same notions of "ownership" as slavery or slavery-like practices. However, international standards do prohibit the use of forced labor other than by the state, clearly circumscribing the circumstances in which individual citizens can be obliged to perform forced labor.
In reality, however, there is and has been much abuse of this right by political authorities and others in positions of power. Through coercion, individuals have been forced to work without payment, often in harsh and hazardous conditions. Recent reports of forced labor from countries afflicted by civil conflict highlights the indiscriminate use of individuals in fighting and elsewhere. In the worst cases, people have been used as "human mine detectors" or arbitrarily killed by the soldiers for whom they have worked.
Prohibitions:
• International Labour Organization Convention 29, 1930 concerning Forced Labor.
• International Labour Organization Convention Number 105 of 1957, concerning the Abolition of Forced Labor.
• UN 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Article 8.3).
Contemporary Slavery Section Contents
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