Defining Forced Labour: A Real Challenge for the World in the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

Slavery is a social and economic phenomenon that sparked controversy even back when it was legal, whereas slavery in the twenty-first century is an obvious contradiction of everything that modern civilisation has brought. The abolition of slavery in the nineteenth century proved to be of little lasting value, as slavery returned in the form of human trafficking and forced labour. Consequently, the need for the eradication of all forms of slavery has become an imperative in the twenty-first century. Forced labour is the most dangerous form of modern slavery. It involves the violation of several human rights, and it is difficult to counteract due to its poor visibility. The legal definition of forced labour (1930) is not particularly helpful in effectively prosecuting this crime. This chapter presents the essence of forced labour in cultural rather than in legal terms. It conceptualizes forced labour as a component of modern civilisation that is heavily burdened with social taboo and concealed behind the façade of regular work, which is nowadays treated as the noblest form of human activity. This chapter concludes with a proposition of a new analytical model of forced labour as a social construct rather than a criminal and legal phenomenon.