Article 4 of the European Convention of Human Rights made provision for the prohibition of slavery and forced labour. The Article states that no one shall be held in slavery or servitude and no one shall be required to perform forced or compulsory labour. It has been provided that the term "forced or compulsory labour" shall not include:
(a)any work required to be done in the ordinary course of detention imposed according to the provisions of Article 5 of this Convention or during conditional release from such detention;
(b)any service of a military character or, in case of conscientious objectors in countries where they are recognised, service exacted instead of compulsory military service;
(c)any service exacted in case of an emergency or calamity threatening the life or well-being of the community;
(d)any work or service which forms part of normal civic obligations.
The Slavery Convention of 1926 defines ‘slavery’ as ‘the status or condition of a person over whom any or all of the powers attaching to the right of ownership are exercised’. Servitude or serfdom has been defined by the Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, 1956 as ‘the condition or status of a tenant who is by law, custom or agreement, bound to live and labour on land belonging to another person and to render some determinate services to such other person, whether for reward or not, and is not free to change his status’.
