Sexual slavery

attachment of any ownership right over one or more people with the intent of coercing or otherwise forcing them to engage in sexual activities

Sexual slavery is a special case of slavery or forced labour. Sexual slaves are like normal slaves, except for the following:

  1. They are forced to engage in sexual activities.[1][2] This includes forced labor that results in sexual activity, forced marriage and sex trafficking, such as the sexual trafficking of children.[1] They may have been forced into prostitution.
  2. The people are slaves, forced to do non-sexual labour. However, sexual relations with the slaves may be permitted, or even common.
  3. They may be forced into sexual slavery with only one master. Often the fact that they really are slaves is hidden through marriages.
Young sex slave for sale, with price tag, painting by José Jiménez Aranda, about 1897. The sign reads Rose,18 years old, on sale for 800 coins.

This term is also used in the Vienna Declaration of human rights and in humanitarian international law.

Official estimates of people in sexual slavery worldwide vary. In 2001 the International Organization for Migration estimated 400,000, the Federal Bureau of Investigation estimated 700,000 and UNICEF estimated 1.75 million.[3]

Different forms

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Sexual slavery has many forms, such as sexual bondage to a single owner or ritual slavery linked to certain religious practices. An example of this is ritual servitude in some civilizations in Ghana, Togo, and Benin. Criminal organizations such as Zwi Migdal also force people into prostitution. There are also systems, which were designed for non-sexual labor. During the Colonization of the Americas. European explorers often met Indigenous peoples. Forced labour for economic gains was common. Non-consensual sexual activities were common as well.

In some cultures, Concubinage has been a traditional form of sexual slavery. In concubinage, women spent their lives in sexual servitude, notably Concubinage in Islam. In some cultures, enslaved concubines and their children had distinct rights and legitimate social positions.

Modern types

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Today, there are different types of sexual slavery:

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 Jones, Jackie; Grear, Anna; Fenton, Rachel Anne; Stevenson, Kim (2011). Gender, Sexualities and Law. Routledge. p. 203. ISBN 978-1136829239. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  2. Malekian, Farhad; Nordlöf, Kerstin (2014). Prohibition of Sexual Exploitation of Children Constituting Obligation Erga Omnes. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 211. ISBN 978-1443868532. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  3. Sex Slaves: Estimating Numbers Archived 11 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Public Broadcasting System "Frontline" fact site.