Defining Forced and Free Labor, 1930–1957
Abstract:
This Article explores international debates around forced and free labor in the twenty-seven years following agreement on the Forced Labour Convention in 1930. On the coercive labor side, it explores the discussions around the abolition of penal sanctions in the colonial context, the 1956 Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, and the 1957 Abolition of Forced Labour Convention. On the side of free labor, it considers the struggles to ensure the protection of freedom of association in international law that ultimately resulted in the 1948 Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention. Overarchingly, the Article concludes that despite considerable attention to the area of law and policy in question, the discussions that took place over the mid-twentieth century were responsible for a weakening of subsequent understandings of labor coercion and freedom in two key ways: by directing attention away from the idea of indirect coercion, and by suggesting labor coercion and labor freedom should be considered as disconnected issues.
Recommended Citation: Christopher M. Roberts, Defining Forced and Free Labor, 1930–1957, 48 Fordham Int'l L.J. 477 (2025).