Tracking historical progress against slavery and forced labor
a day ago
- #historical-data
- #slavery
- #human-rights
- Forced labor and slavery were widespread throughout history, viewed as normal and often state-sanctioned.
- Significant progress has been made, with most countries abolishing large-scale forced labor, especially after World War II.
- As of 2024, nine countries still have large-scale forced labor, though cases exist in every country.
- Measurement challenges include the variety of forced labor forms, discrepancies between law and practice, and its universal presence.
- Data from the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) project, based on expert surveys, is used to track forced labor severity over time.
- A cutoff of scores 0 or 1 on V-Dem's scale defines 'large-scale' forced labor, balancing historical and current contexts.
- Coverage gaps in V-Dem data were addressed by linking modern countries to predecessor states or consulting additional sources.
- The decline of forced labor represents a major social and economic change, reducing human rights abuses and increasing freedom.