Slavery in Turkey

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Forced labour and slavery

Contemporary

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Historical

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Muslim world

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Atlantic slave trade

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Naval

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By country or region

Sub-Saharan Africa

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East, Southeast, and South Asia

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Australia and Oceania

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Europe and North Asia

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Religion

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Opposition and resistance

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* Abolition of slave trade in Persian gulf [fa]

Related

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* convention
* Great Dismal Swamp maroons
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* List of slaves
* owners
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* breeding
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* Washington
* Jefferson
* J.Q. Adams
* Lincoln
* Emancipation Proclamation
* 40 acres
* Freedmen's Bureau
* Iron bit
* Emancipation Day

* v
* t
* e

Slavery in Turkey is illegal, though like many other countries, it suffers from issues relating to human trafficking. Historically, slavery in Turkey was significant during the Ottoman Empire period. It is estimated there are 1.32 million modern slaves in Turkey today. [1] According to Walk Free, Turkey ranks 5th in the world and first in Europe and Central Asia in number of modern slaves.[2]

## Background and history

[edit]

Main article: Slavery in the Ottoman Empire

Slavery was a significant part of the Ottoman Empire's economy. Slaves were supplied from Europe via the Barbary slave trade, the Crimean slave trade and the Circassian slave trade; and from Africa via the Trans-Saharan slave trade, the Red Sea slave trade and the Indian Ocean slave trade. From 1830 onward, the Ottoman Empire issued a number of reforms gradually restricting slavery and slave trade. Among the reforms representing the process of official abolition of slavery in the Ottoman Empire where the Firman of 1830, the Disestablishment of the Istanbul Slave Market (1847), the Suppression of the slave trade in the Persian Gulf (1847), the Prohbition of the Circassian and Georgian slave trade (1854–1855), the Prohibition of the Black Slave Trade (1857), and the Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1880,[3] followed by the Kanunname of 1889 and the excluding of slavery from the Constitution of 1908.

However, these reforms were mainly nominal. They were introduced for diplomatic reasons after pressure from the West, and in practice, both slavery and the slave trade were tolerated by the Ottoman Empire until its dissolution in the early 1920's.[4]

## Modern

[edit]

Main article: Human trafficking in Turkey

Turkey is one of the top destinations for victims of human trafficking, according to a report produced by the UNDOC.[5] In 2023 it is estimated there are 1.32 million modern slaves in Turkey today. [1] Turkey is the leading slave state in Europe and Central Asia.[1] It is thought some of the 3000 Yazidi women and children enslaved by ISIS are held today in Turkey.[1] A Walk Free report indicated that the Turkish government is one of the countries taking the least action against slavery.[1] Turkey ranks 5th in the world in terms of modern slavery according to Bianet.[2]

In 2006 it was reported by Salon that Ukrainian women were sold into sex slavery in Turkey. The Salon also reported that Turkish authorities were relatively indifferent to the women's plight.[6]

A 2016 report based on the Global Slavery Index estimated that there may be about "480,000 people in Turkey [who] live like modern slaves".[7]

Many members of the Afro-Turk minority are descendants of the former slaves.[8]

## See also

[edit]

* History of slavery in the Muslim world
* Human rights in Turkey

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e "MODERN SLAVERY IN TÜRKIYE". Walk Free. 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
2. ^ a b "Turkey comes fifth in the world and first in Europe in modern slavery". bianet.org. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
3. ^ [1] The Palgrave Handbook of Global Slavery Throughout History. (2023). Tyskland: Springer International Publishing. p536
4. ^ Nat Illumine (14 December 2020). "Deciphering the Ottoman Involvement in the African Slave Trade". Afropean. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
5. ^ "UN highlights human trafficking". BBC News. 2007-03-26. Retrieved 2010-05-22.
6. ^ Havrilesky, Heather (2006-02-07). ""They didn't see us as humans"". Salon. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
7. ^ "480.000 modern slaves in Turkey". Agos. 31 May 2016. Retrieved 2020-08-24.
8. ^ Durugönül, Esma (2003-01-01). "The Invisibility Of Turks Of African Origin And The Construction Of Turkish Cultural Identity: The Need for a New Historiography". Journal of Black Studies. 33 (3): 281–294\. doi:10.1177/0021934702238632. ISSN 0021-9347. S2CID 143777663.

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Slavery in Asia

Sovereign states|

* Afghanistan
* Armenia
* Azerbaijan
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
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* Maldives
* Mongolia
* Myanmar
* Nepal
* Oman
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* Philippines
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* Russia
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
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* Syria
* Tajikistan
* Thailand
* Timor-Leste (East Timor)
* Turkey
* Turkmenistan
* United Arab Emirates
* Uzbekistan
* Vietnam
* Yemen

States with
limited recognition|

* Abkhazia
* Northern Cyprus
* Palestine
* South Ossetia
* Taiwan

Dependencies and
other territories|

* British Indian Ocean Territory
* Christmas Island
* Cocos (Keeling) Islands
* Hong Kong
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