NJSWE Paper

Enslavement of people in

different forms and nomenclatures is an institution which has mutated across time and space into concepts such as forced labour, domestic servitude, sex trafficking, and bonded labour (debt bondage), thereby creating some confusions in scholarship. This paper, through a qualitative content analysis of both ancient and modern texts, focuses on the status and roles of some enslaved womenfolk, who were used as caregivers, skilled in the art of home management, domestic services, and nursing in ancient Rome. The paper, tracing the historical narratives of these Roman caregivers and domestic servants, relates their experiences with those of the modern. It finds that the enslaved woman in ancient world was not absolutely the same as her modern counterpart, especially, in terms of value, treatment and consent to labour. The two, however, share certain commonalities in terms of the specifics of their jobs. The paper concludes that beyond the traditional notions and contemporary socio-cultural horrors associated with slavery, the enslaved female or domestic servant in the ancient world, compared with the modern caregiver, was a woman of many miseries but many household joys. It then recommends that states and governments at all levels should intensify efforts to totally put a stop to the resurgence of modern-day slaveries which, like in the olden days, seek to force, coerce or threaten the weak, especially the women, to do all forms of works against their free will.