ABSTRACT

Contemporary slavery is a problem of global magnitude, manifested in sexual and/ or economic exploitation. Despite the magnitude of the problem, the debate is often marginalised in social sciences (Bales 2004) and almost completely ignored in the field of administration (Cooke 2003; Crane 2013). Although the definition of slavery in international agreements is confused and ambiguous, Bales and Robbins (2001) suggest three core elements: (1) the control and ownership of an individual by another, (2) appropriation of the labour force and (3) the imposition of these conditions by violence or threat. In terms of economic exploitation, various forms of coercion can be exercised by global/regional companies and their supply chain partners. Organisations can have working relations analogous to slavery in the market, such as depriving workers of their dignity and infringing their fundamental human rights. Contemporary forms of slavery include forced labour, enslavement, debt bondage and slave contracts (Bales, Trodd and Williamson 2009).