slavery

The 1926 Slavery Convention described slavery as "...the status or condition of a person over whom any or all of the powers attaching to the right of ownership are exercised..." Today slavery is defined in the broader sence of the word to mean any condition when a person is unfree.

There are multiple types of slavery:

1. chattel slavery, legalized ownership of another human being.
2. wage slavery, condition when the worker cannot quit the job out of the fear of starvation.
3. serfdom, condition when the peasant doesn't control the land on which one grows food.
4. prison, taking away somebody's freedom as the punishment for the crime.
5. millitary recrutement, forcing a person to serve in military.
6. sex slavery, forcing a person to perform sex acts. See also rape and prostitution.

Misuses of the word also include:

1. slaving, which can mean performing hard tasks (but also being bossed around by the employer)

Etymology

The word "slave" comes from Latin sclavus relating to the Slavic people who were the majority of the slaves during the time the word was coined.

See also

• slave trade