"If the party had skills, he would more likely enter into a work contract, that is, rent himself, rather than sell himself. But if the party had nothing of value to offer, rental may not do the trick. Still, if the party had nothing to offer, why would the buyer pay for him to be a slave? "
The most recent information I have is Human Trafficking as a 33 billion dollar per year industry, with 27 million estimated slaves in the world.
Of course that represents all diverse kinds of agreements but there is more Slavery in Africa at this moment in time than ever in history. How much of that is voluntary I'm not sure, but when survival options are extreme poverty and abhorrent social conditions and other prospects non-existent, I can see how a person could make that decision.
Work contracts and debt bondage are often presented as a way out of intolerable conditions but since contracts can be transferred people may find themselves in a situation they didn't originally expect at time of signing.
"The Forms of the New Slavery
Chattel slavery is the form closest to the old slavery. A person is captured, born, or sold into permanent servitude, and ownership is often asserted. The slave's children are normally treated as property as well and can be sold by the slaveholder. Occasionally, these slaves are kept as items of conspicuous consumption. This form is most often found in northern and western Africa and some Arab countries, but it represents a very small proportion of slaves in the modern world. We will look at chattel slavery in Mauritania.
Debt bondage is the most common form of slavery in the world. A person pledges him- or herself against a loan of money, but the length and nature of the service are not defined and the labor does not reduce the original debt. The debt can be passed down to subsequent generations, thus enslaving offspring; moreover, "defaulting" can be punished by seizing or selling children into further debt bonds. Ownership is not normally asserted, but there is complete physical control of the bonded laborer. Debt bondage is most common on the Indian subcontinent.
Contract slavery shows how modern labor relations are used to hide the new slavery. Contracts are offered that guarantee employment, perhaps in a workshop or factory, but when the workers are taken to their place of work they find themselves enslaved. The contract is used as an enticement to trick an individual into slavery, as well as a way of making the slavery look legitimate. If legal questions are raised, the contract can be produced, but the reality is that the "contract worker" is a slave, threatened by violence, lacking any freedom of movement, and paid nothing. The most rapidly growing form of slavery, this is the second-largest form today. Contract slavery is most often found in Southeast Asia, Brazil, some Arab states, and some parts of the Indian subcontinent.
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