United Nations human-rights experts have marked the centenary of the 1926 Slavery Convention with a warning that the international promise to abolish slavery in all its forms remains unfulfilled.
The Convention, adopted in Geneva on 25 September 1926, was one of the earliest international agreements to treat slavery as a collective concern and laid foundations for later rules against debt bondage, serfdom, servile marriage and the exploitation of children.
The UN statement said slavery has evolved into less visible forms while traditional practices, including descent-based slavery, continue in some regions.
People affected by poverty, discrimination, armed conflict, climate shocks, displacement and migration face heightened exposure to trafficking, forced labour and other forms of exploitation.
Separate global estimates prepared by the International Labour Organization, Walk Free and the International Organization for Migration indicate that about 50 million people were living in modern slavery in 2021, including 28 million in forced labour and 22 million in forced marriage.
The UN experts called for stronger accountability, protection, access to justice and policies that place the voices and leadership of survivors at the centre of anti-slavery action.
They also urged states that have not ratified the 1926 Convention and the 1956 Supplementary Convention to do so, describing universal commitment as essential to confronting both present-day abuses and the continuing inequalities produced by historical enslavement and colonialism.
References
- UN Human Rights Office centenary statement, 25 September 2026
- ILO Global Estimates of Modern Slavery
- United Nations Treaty Collection: Slavery Convention
- Anti-Slavery International: modern slavery remains widespread