Legal Definitions - slave

A slave is a person who is legally owned by another individual or entity, treated as property, and deprived of their fundamental human rights and personal liberty. This status typically involves forced labor, lack of compensation, and complete subjection to the will of the owner. While the legal institution of slavery has been abolished worldwide, the concept remains relevant in understanding historical injustices and modern forms of exploitation.

• Historical Context (Roman Empire): In ancient Rome, a person captured during a military campaign might be brought back to the empire and legally designated as a servus. This individual would then be bought and sold in markets, compelled to work in mines, agricultural fields, or as domestic servants without pay, and would possess no legal standing to refuse orders, own property, or marry without their owner's explicit permission. Their children would also inherit this enslaved status.

  This example illustrates the definition because the captured individual is treated as property, subject to sale, forced into labor without compensation, and completely stripped of personal rights and autonomy, embodying the legal status of a slave.

• Historical Context (Transatlantic Slave Trade): During the transatlantic slave trade, millions of Africans were forcibly abducted from their homelands, transported across the ocean, and legally designated as chattel property in various European colonies in the Americas. They were subjected to brutal conditions, forced to labor on plantations for generations, and their children inherited their enslaved status, perpetuating the system of ownership and forced servitude.

  This scenario clearly demonstrates the legal definition as individuals were considered property, bought and sold, deprived of all human rights, forced into labor, and their status was inherited, signifying a complete lack of personal liberty and legal recognition as a free human being.

• Modern Context (Human Trafficking/Forced Labor): While the legal institution of slavery is abolished, the *concept* of being a slave persists in modern forms of exploitation. For instance, an individual might be lured from their home country with false promises of a good job, only to have their passport confiscated upon arrival, be forced to work in a factory or on a fishing vessel for little or no pay, and be threatened with violence or deportation if they attempt to leave. They are entirely dependent on and controlled by their exploiters.

  Although not legally termed "slavery" in modern statutes, this situation embodies the *characteristics* of slavery: the individual is deprived of liberty, forced to labor against their will, has no control over their life, and is subject to the control and exploitation of another, effectively being treated as property and denied fundamental human rights.