Slavery in the Contemporary World

Abstract

The paper examines slavery in the contemporary world with focus on examination of modern slavery in Africa. It underscored factors promoting slavery in the modern world, trends of modern slavery, causes of modern slavery in Africa, and consequences of modern slavery in Africa. The Marxian conflict theory was used as a guide and a background upon which the paper was anchored. From the point of view of the theory and available literature reviewed, the paper observed that factors such as population explosion of the post second world war, rapid economic change and the incorporation of the third world economies into the world economy in the guise of globalisation, and the widespread governmental corruption among others, are responsible for modern slavery in Africa and the world over. It revealed that forced labour, sex slavery, practice of debt bondage and trafficking in persons are all characteristics of modern slavery. The significance of this is enormous and antithetical to the development of the continent and humanity at large. The paper recommended that policies on human migration should be reviewed across borders, agencies established to tackle the menace of trafficking in persons should straightened so as to function effectively and efficiently, African countries should make frantic efforts in tackling the issue of corruption and over-dependence on advanced countries of the world. Finally, a radical change in mentality is advised of African citizens on migration.