The Right to Freedom from Modern Slavery
By Ishaan Shah
Despite the promises of international treaties and laws, as you are reading this, 50 million people are in situations of modern slavery globally. Hidden but pervasive, modern slavery is an egregious human rights violation that is deeply rooted in the socio-economic fabric of our societies and systems.
Slavery today may not always resemble the images of historic slavery, but its legacy is deeply connected. While the formal abolition of slavery, servitude, and slavery-like practices occurred on paper, exploitation, coercion, deception, and the prioritization of profit over people continued. It persists across industries, continents, and socioeconomic boundaries, flourishing in the shadows of economic systems and societal norms; in the clothes we wear, foods we eat, technologies we use, and potentially right where you live.
International law has long recognized the right to freedom from slavery. Article 4 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights boldly declares that no one shall be held in slavery or servitude. This principle is reinforced by a plethora of international, regional, and national laws, conventions, treaties, policies, and programmes. Yet, the implementation of these frameworks often feels like a stark contrast to the harsh realities on the ground.
The complexity of modern slavery should not be overlooked. While the term ‘modern slavery’ itself is not defined in international law, it is an umbrella term for several forms of highly exploitative practices including human trafficking, forced labor, bonded labor, sexual exploitation, forced marriage, and organ trafficking, to name a few. It hides, often in plain sight, in the clauses of employment contracts, global supply chains, and the unregulated economies of vulnerable regions. Forced labor in agriculture, construction, and domestic work remains rampant, particularly among migrant workers who face language barriers and legal precarity. In some cases, the tools of exploitation are as deceptively simple as a confiscated passport or an ever-growing debt that can never be repaid.
Trafficking, too, remains a thriving and highly profitable global enterprise. Victims are often lured with false promises of better jobs or education, only to find themselves trapped in horrifying conditions far from home. Women and girls are disproportionately affected, with gender inequalities and patriarchal norms exacerbating existing vulnerabilities. Similarly, by virtue of their age alone, children are impacted severely, forced into the worst forms of child labor, as child soldiers, or sold into marriage.
Laws, while robust on paper, are not always matched by meaningful and rights-based enforcement. In many countries, conflict, climate change, gender inequalities, corruption, weak judicial systems and rule of law, and limited resources undermine efforts on prevention, protection, and holding perpetrators accountable. Even when cases are prosecuted, survivors often find themselves unsupported, lacking access to support services, rehabilitation, or legal redress. This gap between the ideals of law and the lived experiences of survivors is a significant challenge.
Compounding weak political will is the role and complicity of the private sector. Many companies unknowingly, or in some cases, willfully, benefit from forced labor across their supply chains. It is all too easy for exploitation to hide in the subcontracted layers of production that bring goods that many of us consume daily. While some governments have begun to introduce mandatory human rights due diligence laws, the push for business practices that uphold human rights still faces resistance in many jurisdictions.
But there is hope. Across the world, young people, civil society, intergovernmental organizations, governments, and companies, are stepping up to confront modern slavery with collaborative and innovative approaches. From grassroots campaigns raising awareness in vulnerable communities to international coalitions targeting trafficking networks, the fight is far from stagnant.
Fundamentally, ending modern slavery requires more than just laws; it demands a profound cultural and systemic shift. Exploitation thrives in poverty, inequality, and marginalization, conditions that must be addressed if we are to make lasting progress. Delivering quality education, economic justice and rights, achieving gender equality, addressing climate change, and maintaining peace, security, and the rule of law, are critical. So too is creating pathways for survivors, with full respect for their human rights, to heal, rebuild, and reintegrate, free from stigma and with all the support they need to thrive.
The right to freedom from slavery is one of the most basic and profound principles of human dignity. Yet, its violation is a painful reminder of how far we still must go in making this right a reality for all. Every small victory, a trafficking network dismantled, a survivor finding justice, or a law enacted to prevent exploitation, brings us closer to that goal. The road ahead is long, but the need to move beyond commitments towards action and to walk this road together, as a global, multistakeholder, and intergenerational community, is urgent.
Ending modern slavery is not just a legal challenge; it is a moral imperative. It’s a call to action for greater political and corporate will, in pursuit of a world where every individual can enjoy all their human rights and fundamental freedoms.
