<P> Slavery in international law is governed by a number of treaties, conventions and declarations . Foremost among these is the Universal Declaration on Human Rights that states in Article 4: "no one should be held in slavery or servitude, slavery in all of its forms should be eliminated ." </P> <P> Protection from slavery is reiterated in the Slavery Convention . This is affected by the Optional Protocol to the Abolition of Slavery and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The ICCPR, governed by the Human Rights Committee, is responsible for internationally monitoring present conditions of slavery . </P> <P> The concept has its roots in the 1807 Abolition of Slavery Act of Great Britain . Many academics in the field perceive this as the beginning of the end of the traditional form of slavery: chattel slavery . In the 19th century, Britain controlled the majority of the world through its colonies . Consequently, in passing this law to abolish slavery, the British Parliament abolished slavery in the vast majority of its colonies . </P> <P> Customarily, freedoms from slavery can also be found prior to the 19th century under the phrase "freedom from oppression and tyranny ." Because slavery is a condition of complete and total submission of one person to another, often with the exertion of force or power of the owner over the submissive, the phrase "freedom from oppression and tyranny" accurately encompasses the right to freedom from slavery . </P>

When was slavery defined in law and custom