white slave
1
9.9
- noun
- /waɪt sleɪv/
- Slur
:
esclava blanca
- Advocates work tirelessly to combat the prevalence of the white slave trade and protect vulnerable women from exploitation.
- white slave trade
Examples
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And evangelicals led a number of reform campaigns, often with feminist overtones: against suttee (the immolation of widows) in India, against foot binding in China, in support of female education throughout the developing world, and against human sexual trafficking (the "white slave trade") everywhere.
Academic text (2006) -
With so many women in dire financial straits, it was feared that they were more likely to fall victim to the white slave trader or engage in prostitution.
Academic text (2005) -
If I were the descendant of a race of white slaves still being treated like an animal hundreds of years later, you can be pretty sure I would be causing some trouble.
Blog text (20) -
The international battle against the white slave trade also pushed Jewish women toward lobbying and organizational structure on the national and international level.
Academic text (2003) -
That convention updated international agreements from 1904 and 1910 on the "suppression of the white slave traffic."
Academic text (2006) -
Thus, the former "White slave trade" today has a wide variety of trafficking routes from diverse source countries to many destinations, and with various modes of transportation (plane, boat, foot, etc.).
Academic text (2005) -
Moving women between countries for the purposes of work in prostitution dates back to Roman and Biblical times and was a major concern among social reformers of the late 19th century who fought against the "White slave trade." However, the nature of contemporary trafficking enterprises has changed both in volume and method.
Academic text (2005) -
Many young women fell victim to the dangers of the white slave trade, especially during difficult economic times.
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The documentary highlighted the heartbreaking stories of those who were forced into the white slave trade against their will.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'white' (of European/light-skinned) and 'slave' (a person forced to work) combine in a straightforward way so a learner would likely infer 'a white person who is enslaved'. However, the specific historical sense (typically referring to women trafficked into prostitution) and the term's offensive, socio-historical connotations are not fully predictable from the words alone, so full understanding requires prior exposure.
Etymology
White slave came from reform campaigns around 1900 that warned people about girls being taken to cities and forced into prostitution. Campaigners used white and slave to make a strong image: white pointed to race and slave showed the women were not free, so the phrase meant 'a woman forced into prostitution' and is now seen as offensive.