When Abusive Labor Approaches Modern Slavery
- Rousse Lavalle
- Jul 10
- 2 min read
A few weeks ago, a former employee in my professional circle shared her experience at a previous company. Her story chilled me: 14-hour days, the inability to refuse calls at any time, vacations canceled without notice, public humiliation... all under the constant threat of dismissal.
that I couldn't afford . I thought about his words for days.
Where is the line that separates abusive employment from modern slave labor?
The faces of normalized abuse
I've observed some disturbing situations throughout my career: people sleeping in offices to meet impossible deadlines, colleagues missing crucial family events due to unjustified work demands, and brilliant professionals developing health problems due to constant pressure.
The most absurd thing is how we've normalized these conditions. We even celebrate them. We call those who sacrifice their basic well-being for work "passionate" or "committed." We confuse exploitation with dedication.
A continuum of control and coercion
Listening to stories like that of my former colleague, I understood that between decent work and
slave labor does not exist as an abyss, but rather a continuum.
Slave labor, as defined by the ILO, involves the use of coercion, threat, or deception to control a person and exploit their work. But isn't there an element of coercion when someone accepts abusive conditions for fear of losing their livelihood? Is there no control when absolute availability is demanded under threat of labor consequences?
The difference is one of degree, not of nature.
The trap of apparent freedom
"But they choose to stay," I sometimes hear as an excuse. This statement ignores the economic and social realities that limit our options.
When alternatives are scarce, when debts mount, or when family responsibilities are pressing, the "freedom" to reject abusive conditions becomes illusory. It is precisely this vulnerability that both abusive employers and human traffickers exploit.
My commitment as a witness
As a professional, I've decided I can't look the other way. I can't normalize practices that erode human dignity, whether in their extreme forms (slave labor) or in their "accepted" forms (abusive labor).
This commitment translates into small daily actions: questioning impossible deadlines,
reject the culture of personal sacrifice as a value, defend genuine spaces for rest, and above all, be alert to signs of abuse in my professional environment.
Have you witnessed situations where the line between abusive work and exploitation becomes blurred? What small actions can we take from our roles to promote work environments that respect human dignity?
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This blog is complemented by the microlearning program "Modern Slave Labor," which I developed as part of my commitment to promoting ethical business practices that respect human rights.
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