Slavery may have been legally abolished around the world, but it remains “a widespread and deeply rooted component on contemporary life” concludes the first-ever comparative analysis of historical slave systems and modern forms of human bondage, published by UNESCO.

The publication is divided into five chapters:  defining slavery in all its forms;  presenting  data on the scale of slavery, slave trading and other forms of human bondage; examining differences and similarities between historical and contemporary practices; identifying, via case studies in the United States, Saint Domingue/Haiti, Great Britain and Portugal, the main paths through which abolition of slavery  has historically occurred; and, through a further series of case studies, exploring the key limitations of the legal abolition of slavery.

The conclusion outlines a series of general strategies and recommendations for addressing contemporary problems, based around education, information and awareness, further legal reform, effective enforcement, and release, rehabilitation and restitution.

• The launch of the 139-pages survey coincided with the International Film Festival against Exclusion and for Tolerance, held at UNESCO from 5 to 13 December
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