International Conventions[1] The Universal Declaration of Human Rights clearly prohibits slavery or servitude in Article 4. The 1926 Anti Slavery convention was adopted by the UN in 1953 and was further defined and extended in the Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade and Practices Similar to Slavery in 1956. This convention linked debt bondage, serfdom, trafficking in women and child servitude to institutions and practices similar to slavery. A monitoring body was set up by the UN in1975 to assess compliance to anti-slavery conventions. This is called the Sub Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities which meets annually and to whom submissions are made by NGOs working for the freedom of bonded labour. In 2007, the Human … [Read more...]