The 1926 Slavery Convention or the Convention to Suppress the Slave Trade and Slavery is an

international treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal perso ...

created under the auspices of the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

and first signed on 25 September 1926. It was registered in ''League of Nations Treaty Series'' on 9 March 1927, the same day it went into effect. The objective of the convention is to confirm and advance the suppression of

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

and the

slave trade Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

and was extended in 1956 with the

Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery The Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the full title of which is the Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery, is a 1956 United Nations treaty wh ...

, under the auspices of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

Background

In the

Brussels Conference Act of 1890 The Brussels Conference Act of 1890 (full title: Convention Relative to the Slave Trade and Importation into Africa of Firearms, Ammunition, and Spiritous Liquors) was a collection of anti-slavery measures signed in Brussels on 2 July 1890 (and wh ...

, the signatories "declared that they were equally animated by the firm intention of putting an end to the

traffic Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic ...

in African

slaves Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

". It was supplemented and revised by the Convention of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, signed by the Allied Powers of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

on 10 September 1919, in which the signatories undertook to "endeavour to secure the complete suppression of slavery in all its forms and of the slave trade by land and sea" (Article 11). The slavery and slave trade in the Arabian Peninsula, and particular the slave trade in Hejaz, attracted attention by the

and contributed to the creation of the later 1926 Slavery Convention, obliging the British to combat the slave trade in the area. A Temporary Slavery Commission was appointed by the Council of the

in June 1924. The commission was mixed in composition including former colonial governors such as

Frederick Lugard Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard (22 January 1858 – 11 April 1945), known as Sir Frederick Lugard between 1901 and 1928, was a British soldier, mercenary, explorer of Africa and colonial administrator. He was Governor of Hong ...

, as well as a representative from

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

, and a representative from the

International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...

Significance

The convention established concrete rules and articles to advance the suppression of slavery and the slave trade. Slavery was defined in Article 1 as

the status or condition of a person over whom any or all of the powers attaching to the right of
ownership Ownership is the state or fact of legal possession and control over property, which may be any asset, tangible or intangible. Ownership can involve multiple rights, collectively referred to as title, which may be separated and held by different ...
are exercised

The slave trade was defined as including

all acts involved in the capture, acquisition or disposal of a person with intent to reduce him to slavery; all acts involved in the acquisition of a slave with a view to selling or exchanging him; all acts of disposal by sale or
exchange Exchange may refer to: Physics *Gas exchange is the movement of oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration. Places United States * Exchange, Indiana, an unincorporated community * ...
of a slave acquired with a view to being sold or exchanged, and, in general, every act of trade or transport in slaves.

Selected articles

Article 2
The parties agreed to prevent and suppress the slave trade and to progressively bring about the complete elimination of slavery in all its forms. Article 6
The parties undertook to promulgate severe penalties for slave trading, slaveholding, and enslavement.

Participants

As of 2013, there are 99 countries that have signed, acceded to,

ratified Ratification is a principal's approval of an act of its agent that lacked the authority to bind the principal legally. Ratification defines the international act in which a state indicates its consent to be bound to a treaty if the parties inte ...

, succeeded to, or otherwise committed to participation in the conventions as amended, and its subsequent protocol. The countries and the year of their first commitment to participation are as follows: ''Afghanistan ''(1954),'' Albania ''(1957),'' Algeria ''(1963),'' Australia ''(1953),'' Austria ''(1954),'' Azerbaijan ''(1996),'' Bahamas ''(1976),'' Bahrain ''(1990),'' Bangladesh ''(1985),'' Barbados ''(1976),'' Belarus ''(1956, as the Byelorussian SSR),'' Belgium ''(1962),'' Bolivia ''(1983),'' Bosnia and Herzegovina ''(1993), '' Brazil ''(1966),'' Cameroon ''(1984),'' Canada ''(1953),'' Chile ''(1995),'' China ''(1955),'' Croatia ''(1992),'' Cuba ''(1954),'' Cyprus ''(1986),'' Denmark ''(1954),'' Dominica ''(1994),'' Ecuador ''(1955),'' Egypt ''(1954),'' Ethiopia ''(1969),'' Fiji ''(1972),'' Finland ''(1954),'' France ''(1963),'' Germany ''(1973),'' Greece ''(1955),'' Guatemala ''(1983),'' Guinea ''(1963),'' Hungary ''(1958),'' India ''(1954),'' Iraq ''(1955),'' Ireland ''(1961),'' Israel ''(1955),'' Italy ''(1954),'' '' Jamaica ''(1964),'' Jordan ''(1959),'' Kazakhstan'' (2008), '' Kuwait ''(1963), ''Kyrgyzstan ''(1997),'' Lesotho (1974), Liberia (1953), Libya (1957), Madagascar (1964), Malawi ''(1965),'' Mali ''(1973),'' Malta ''(1966),'' Mauritania ''(1986),'' Mauritius ''(1969),'' Mexico ''(1954),'' Monaco ''(1954),'' Mongolia ''(1968),'' Montenegro'' (2006),'' Morocco ''(1959),'' Myanmar ''(1957),'' Nepal ''(1963),'' Netherlands ''(1955),'' New Zealand ''(1953),'' Nicaragua ''(1986),'' Niger ''(1964),'' Nigeria ''(1961),'' Norway ''(1957),'' Pakistan ''(1955), ''Paraguay ''(2007),'' Papua New Guinea ''(1982),'' Philippines ''(1955),'' Romania ''(1957),'' Russia ''(1956)'' (as the Soviet Union), St Lucia ''(1990),'' St Vincent and the Grenadines ''(1981),'' Saudi Arabia ''(1973),'' Serbia ''(2001, as Serbia and Montenegro),'' Sierra Leone (1962), Solomon Islands ''(1981),'' South Africa ''(1953),'' Spain ''(1927),'' Sri Lanka ''(1958),'' Sudan ''(1957),'' Sweden ''(1954),'' Switzerland ''(1953),'' Syria'' (1954),'' Tanzania ''(1962),'' Trinidad and Tobago ''(1966),'' Tunisia ''(1966),'' Turkey ''(1955),'' Turkmenistan ''(1997),'' Uganda ''(1964),'' Ukraine ''(1959, as the Ukrainian SSR),'' United Kingdom ''(1953), '' United States ''(1956),'' Uruguay ''(2001),'' Viet Nam ''(1956),'' Yemen ''(1987),'' Zambia ''(1973)'' ''

Updates

The convention was amended by the protocol entering into force on 7 July 1955.Protocol amending the Slavery Convention signed at Geneva on 25 September 1926
/ref> The definition of slavery was further refined and extended by a 1956 Supplementary Convention.

References

External links

Text of the Convention
at the

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, commonly known as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) or the United Nations Human Rights Office, is a department of the Secretariat of the United Nati ...

* Text of th
'Slavery, Servitude, Forced Labour and Similar Institutions and Practices Convention of 1926'
at the UMN Human Rights Library
Signatories and parties

Abolishing Slavery and its Contemporary Forms
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights {{DEFAULTSORT:Slavery Abolition Convention 1926 League of Nations treaties Treaties concluded in 1926 Treaties entered into force in 1927 Anti-slavery treaties Treaties of the Kingdom of Afghanistan Treaties of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania Treaties of Algeria Treaties of Australia Treaties of Austria Treaties of Azerbaijan Treaties of the Bahamas Treaties of Bahrain Treaties of Bangladesh Treaties of Barbados Treaties of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic Treaties of Belgium Treaties of Bolivia Treaties of Bosnia and Herzegovina Treaties of the military dictatorship in Brazil Treaties of Cameroon Treaties of Canada Treaties of Chile Treaties of Croatia Treaties of Cuba Treaties of Cyprus Treaties of Denmark Treaties of Dominica Treaties of Ecuador Treaties of the Republic of Egypt (1953–1958) Treaties of the Ethiopian Empire Treaties of Fiji Treaties of Finland Treaties of France Treaties of West Germany Treaties of the Kingdom of Greece Treaties of Guatemala Treaties of Guinea Treaties of the Hungarian People's Republic Treaties of India Treaties of the Kingdom of Iraq Treaties of Ireland Treaties of Israel Treaties of Italy Treaties of Jamaica Treaties of Jordan Treaties of Kuwait Treaties of Kyrgyzstan Treaties of Lesotho Treaties of Liberia Treaties of the Kingdom of Libya Treaties of Madagascar Treaties of Malawi Treaties of Mali Treaties of Malta Treaties of Mauritania Treaties of Mauritius Treaties of Mexico Treaties of Monaco Treaties of the Mongolian People's Republic Treaties of Morocco Treaties of Myanmar Treaties of Nepal Treaties of the Netherlands Treaties of New Zealand Treaties of Nicaragua Treaties of Niger Treaties of Nigeria Treaties of Norway Treaties of the Dominion of Pakistan Treaties of Papua New Guinea Treaties of the Philippines Treaties of the Socialist Republic of Romania Treaties of the Soviet Union Treaties of Saint Lucia Treaties of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Treaties of Saudi Arabia Treaties of Sierra Leone Treaties of the Solomon Islands Treaties of the Union of South Africa Treaties of Spain under the Restoration Treaties of the Dominion of Ceylon Treaties of the Republic of the Sudan (1956–1969) Treaties of Sweden Treaties of Switzerland Treaties of the Syrian Republic (1930–1963) Treaties of the Republic of China (1949–1971) Treaties of Trinidad and Tobago Treaties of Tunisia Treaties of Turkey Treaties of Turkmenistan Treaties of Uganda Treaties of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic Treaties of the United Kingdom Treaties of Tanzania Treaties of the United States Treaties of Uruguay Treaties of Vietnam Treaties of Serbia and Montenegro Treaties of Zambia Treaties of East Germany Treaties of Kazakhstan Treaties of Montenegro Treaties of Yugoslavia Treaties of Paraguay 1926 in Switzerland Treaties extended to the Faroe Islands Treaties extended to Greenland Treaties extended to Hong Kong Treaties extended to South West Africa Treaties extended to British Burma Treaties extended to Curaçao and Dependencies Treaties extended to the Dutch East Indies Treaties extended to Surinam (Dutch colony) Treaties extended to Spanish Guinea Treaties extended to Spanish Sahara Treaties extended to Anglo-Egyptian Sudan 20th century in Geneva September 1926 events