(This article was in response by a query by the Belfast Telegraph. A Malaysian woman was rescued after being held captive as a domestic slave at a house in London for over 30 
years. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/ulster-slave-josephine-herivel-will-need-therapy-for-a-long-time-expert-29794132.html )
The institution of slavery is as old as time. Slavery has been associated with colonisation , economic expansion and religious persecution . Whatever the reason maybe, slavery subjugates the mind and body .It robs the victim of self-worth, pride and identity. Slavery is the most primitive form of display of power.
In modern times however slavery is associated with violence, blackmail or other threats to control a person and obtain services from such a person against that person’s will. In some cases, there may be nil or inadequate payment for services rendered, often against their will. This type of slavery is often seen in some situations when the “slave” is forced to become one to pay off a family debt for instance. In some cases children are “adopted” with the sole purpose of turning them into “slaves” of the adopted family. During the Japanese occupation of the then Malaya, when famine was widespread, many babies were sold to richer families only to become slaves in new families’ financial establishments.
In other situations, the potential victim becomes attracted to a certain philosophy, or a religious cult or even an extreme political ideology .Gradually the victim is brainwashed into submission and turns into a slave. In these cases the captors rarely have to use physical restraint like locks or chains to watch over the victims. Prolonged and sustained psychological assault can cause “traumatic bonding” where the victim becomes “attached” to the captor. The victim becomes “resigned” to the situation and actually may feel secure in the enslavement. Extreme poverty, or excessive idealism, or people with certain personality disorders or major mental illnesses may be more susceptible than other adults.
It is a real challenge to treat victims of such slavery because more often than not they would suffer from a complex type of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, having being subjected to totalitarian control over a prolonged period of time. Such a victim may need intensive and long term psychotherapy in addition to psychotropic medications. During the period of therapy she may remember and relive traumatic experiences associated with the slavery, she may avoid situations that remind her of it and may appear to be overtly anxious and alert. During this period of recovery and rehabilitation, family support and a protective environment is necessary to form “new, healthy bonding”.
Dr. Andrew Mohanraj 