**4. Conclusions**

N. Chomsky suggests that each employee is in some sense exploited and that many working people become 'wage slaves' [62]. I do not go that far, as I consider this view overly radical, but it certainly does delineate an area of possible analysis and show the seriousness of the problem. Albeit for years overshadowed by sexual exploitation, forced labour is drawing public attention worldwide.6

If mentioned by politicians and experts, it is usually presented as a problem of 'migration' threatening the economic stability of a country [63]. As it is often illegal migration we are talking about, forced labour is sometimes identified, or rather confused, with human smuggling [64]. And if so, it is perceived as one of the chief challenges for state security [64]. This is particularly the case because 'smuggling' and exploitation of labour entail criminal activity of well-organised syndicates involved in human trafficking [65]. A rather late addition to the analyses and studies on forced labour is the issue of dire 'working conditions' [66], which are an inherent attribute of modern slavery. Yet it was even later that the experts looked at it from a purely 'economic' perspective [67], which covers, among others, studies on the negative consequences of slave labour for market mechanisms. Another dimension of the economic approach is the perspective of the 'labour market' [68], and even more from the perspective of the need to protect the market from slave labour or the market's reaction to its presence. Although forced labour is most often found in private business, some part of it remains the domain of states [69]. There is hope, however, that the extent of labour imposed by authoritarian and totalitarian regimes ('state-imposed forced labour') will continue to shrink as the issue will be subject to political debate [68, 69]. Furthermore, it should be noted that the 'gender' perspective is increasingly present [70]. Its inherent attribute is the focus on gender and the psychological effects of enslavement.

The range of points of view presented above is wide, yet not complete, as it lacks an approach that has been discussed here at length and that was called the 'humanistic coefficient' by Polish sociologist Florian Znaniecki [45]. Our knowledge of forced labour continues to grow when we introduce in the debate the element of symbolic meanings imparted on actions, which is the essence of communication between humans. Following this train of thought, we should try to perceive forced labour as a form of sophisticated manipulation, which is so intensely present in modern society (witness: social media). Certainly, for this approach to make sense, forced labour should be seen not as merely a 'modern form of old slavery', but rather as a new, and even very 'modern' social phenomenon. A phenomenon where even adult and well-educated people are ensnared by criminals trading in human lot because they want to improve their life, because they trust sources of information (advertisements) uncritically, and because they believe in others' good intentions.
