CHAPTER XVIII

PENAL MATTERS2Slavery Convention, signed at Geneva on 25 September 1926 and amended by the ProtocolNew York, 7 December 1953Entry into force7 July 1955, in accordance with article III(2) the date on which the amendments, set forth in the annex to the Protocol of 7 December 1953, entered into force in accordance with article III of the Protocol.Registration7 July 1955, No. 2861StatusParties99TextUnited Nations, <i>Treaty Series </i>, vol. 212, p. 17.

Participant<superscript>1</superscript>Definitive signature or participation in the Convention and the Protocol, Participation(P)Ratification of the Convention as amended, Accession to the Convention as amended(a), Succession to the Convention as amended(d)Afghanistan16 Aug 1954 Albania 2 Jul 1957 aAlgeria20 Nov 1963 aAntigua and Barbuda25 Oct 1988 PAustralia 9 Dec 1953 Austria16 Jul 1954 Azerbaijan16 Aug 1996 Bahamas10 Jun 1976 Bahrain27 Mar 1990 aBangladesh 7 Jan 1985 Barbados22 Jul 1976 Belarus13 Sep 1956 aBelgium13 Dec 1962 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 6 Oct 1983 Bosnia and Herzegovina<superscript>2</superscript> 1 Sep 1993 dBrazil 6 Jan 1966 aCameroon27 Jun 1984 Canada17 Dec 1953 Chile20 Jun 1995 Croatia<superscript>2</superscript>12 Oct 1992 dCuba28 Jun 1954 Cyprus21 Apr 1986 dDenmark 3 Mar 1954 Dominica17 Aug 1994 Ecuador17 Aug 1955 Egypt29 Sep 1954 Ethiopia21 Jan 1969 Fiji12 Jun 1972 Finland19 Mar 1954 France14 Feb 1963 Germany<superscript>3</superscript>29 May 1973 Greece12 Dec 1955 Guatemala11 Nov 1983 Guinea12 Jul 1962 Hungary26 Feb 1958 India12 Mar 1954 Iraq23 May 1955 Ireland31 Aug 1961 Israel12 Sep 1955 Italy 4 Feb 1954 Jamaica30 Jul 1964 dJordan 5 May 1959 aKazakhstan 1 May 2008 PKuwait28 May 1963 aKyrgyzstan 5 Sep 1997 aLesotho 4 Nov 1974 dLiberia 7 Dec 1953 Libya14 Feb 1957 aMadagascar12 Feb 1964 aMalawi 2 Aug 1965 aMali 2 Feb 1973 Malta 3 Jan 1966 dMauritania 6 Jun 1986 Mauritius18 Jul 1969 dMexico 3 Feb 1954 Monaco12 Nov 1954 Mongolia20 Dec 1968 aMontenegro<superscript>4</superscript>23 Oct 2006 dMorocco11 May 1959 Myanmar29 Apr 1957 Nepal 7 Jan 1963 aNetherlands (Kingdom of the)<superscript>5</superscript> 7 Jul 1955 New Zealand<superscript>6</superscript>16 Dec 1953 Nicaragua14 Jan 1986 Niger 7 Dec 1964 Nigeria26 Jun 1961 dNorway11 Apr 1957 Pakistan30 Sep 1955 aPapua New Guinea27 Jan 1982 aParaguay27 Sep 2007 PPhilippines12 Jul 1955 aRomania13 Nov 1957 Russian Federation<superscript>7</superscript> 8 Aug 1956 aSaudi Arabia 5 Jul 1973 aSerbia<superscript>2</superscript>12 Mar 2001 dSierra Leone13 Mar 1962 dSolomon Islands 3 Sep 1981 South Africa29 Dec 1953 Spain10 Nov 1976 Sri Lanka21 Mar 1958 aSt. Lucia14 Feb 1990 St. Vincent and the Grenadines 9 Nov 1981 Sudan 9 Sep 1957 dSweden17 Aug 1954 Switzerland 7 Dec 1953 Syrian Arab Republic 4 Aug 1954 Trinidad and Tobago11 Apr 1966 dTunisia15 Jul 1966 aTürkiye14 Jan 1955 Turkmenistan 1 May 1997 Uganda12 Aug 1964 aUkraine27 Jan 1959 aUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 7 Dec 1953 United Republic of Tanzania28 Nov 1962 aUnited States of America 7 Mar 1956 Uruguay 7 Jun 2001 aViet Nam<superscript>8</superscript>14 Aug 1956 aYemen<superscript>9</superscript> 9 Feb 1987 aZambia26 Mar 1973 dBahrain<superscript>10</superscript>1Signed on behalf of the Republic of China on 14 December 1955 (note 1 under “China” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume).2The former Yugoslavia had accepted the Protocol on 21 March 1955 and, as such, participated in the Convention, as amended by the Protocol. See also note 1 under "Bosnia and Herzegovina", "Croatia", "former Yugoslavia", "Slovenia", "The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" and "Yugoslavia" in the "Historical Information" section in the front matter of this volume.3A notification of reapplication of the Convention of 25 September 1926 was received on 16 July 1974 from the Government of the German Democratic Republic. As an instrument of acceptance of the amending Protocol of 7 December 1953 was deposited with the Secretary-General on the same date on behalf of the Government of the German Democratic Republic, the latter has been applying the Convention as amended since 16 July 1974. See also note 2 under “Germany” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.4See note 1 under "Montenegro" in the "Historical Information" section in the front matter of this volume.5See note 1 under “Netherlands” regarding Aruba/Netherlands Antilles in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.6See note 1 under “New Zealand” regarding Tokelau in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.7By a communication received on 25 March 1959, the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics notified the Secretary-General that it confirms the accession of the Soviet Union to the Convention as amended, of which the Permanent Mission of the USSR to the United Nations advised the Secretary-General of the United Nations in its note of 8 August 1956 is thus the date on which the aforesaid Convention became formally applicable by the Soviet Union in its relations with other States.8The Republic of Viet Nam had acceded to the Convention on 14 August 1956. See also note 1 under “Viet Nam” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.9The formality was effected by Democratic Yemen. See also note 1 under “Yemen” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume10On 8 July 2021, the Government of Bahrain notified the Secretary-General of its withdrawal of the following reservation made upon accession: "The accession by the State of Bahrain to the said Convention shall in no way constitute recognition of Israel or be a cause for the establishment of any relations of any kind therewith." On 25 June 1990, the Secretary-General received from the Government of Israel the following objection concerning the reservation: "The Government of the State of Israel has noted that the instruments of accession of Bahrain [to the Slavery Convention signed on 25 September 1926 and amended by the Protocol of 7 December 1953 and to the Supplementary Convention on the abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery of 7 September 1956] contain a declaration in respect of Israel. "In the view of the Government of the State of Israel such declaration, which is explicitly of a political character is incompatible with the purposes and objectives of these Conventions and cannot in any way affect whatever obligations are binding upon Bahrain under general International Law or under particular Conventions. "The Government of the State of Israel will, in so far as concerns the substance of the matter, adopt towards Bahrain an attitude of complete reciprocity."