

























298 

22 

SEX SLAVERY AS DEHUMANISATION: A 

CONTEXTUAL APPRAISAL IN MARTIN 

BUBER’S DIALOGIC APPROACH 
 

Benedict EGBUCHUNAM 
Department of Philosophy, 

Seminary of All Saints, Uhiele- Ekpoma 
emechunam@yahoo.com 

 
Abstract 
Sex slavery is an evil that denigrates the human person. It is a criminal 
form of enslavement which limits one’s autonomy, freedom of 
movement and power to decide matters relating to one’s sexual activity. 
Unfortunately, this apparent evil has become widespread especially in 
Nigeria and has reached an alarming rate. Despite modernization and 
technological advancements, this modern form of slavery has taken 
another dimension. This paper discusses sex slavery in Nigeria and seeks 
to demonstrate how it not only denies full humanness to others but is 
accompanied by cruelty and suffering; the human person is treated as less 
human and women, who are mostly affected by this evil, are stripped of 
their dignity. Martin Buber’s philosophy of interpersonal relationship as 
an approach to resolving the dehumanisation of the female gender is the 
essence of this paper. The fundamental fact of human existence is simply 
a person with another person, a man with a woman and a human being is 
a creature capable of entering into living essential relations with others. 
This paper attempts to show that Buber’s philosophy of dialogue serves 
as a means of resolving sex slavery in Nigeria and beyond. It requires the 
reorientation of the human mind in seeing the other person as a Thou 
instead of an It’ This paper, which is basically expository, descriptive and 
analytic, approaches this issue from an existential perspective using 
Buber’s philosophy in understanding the human person as relational for 
authentic human relationships.  
 
Keywords: Sex slavery, dehumanisation, sexual activity, Dialogue, 
Interpersonal, Relationship. 



Section II: Philosophical Perspectives And Human Formation    299 

Introduction 
Slavery is a practice that militates against the human person because 
through it, a person or group of persons are subjugated, oppressed, 
victimized, objectified and discriminated against. It is an evil that goes 
against man’s essential nature which is to be relational and his purpose of 
existence. Being intensely engaged in a relationship with another person 
is one of the greatest joys of being human. Human communication is at 
the core of our existence. It is an indubitable fact that being-with-others 
fundamentally characterizes our existence. We come into existence and 
notice other human persons as co-existents, and as persons we must have 
to deal with in one way or the other.  Unfortunately, slavery is a form of 
cruelty that denigrates an individual and is symptomatic of the inability 
to fully exist as genuinely human. This negative trend that slavery 
portends raises questions such as: How may I understand the other 
person, who is different from me? How may I relate to this other with 
whom I must have to deal in my concrete everyday existence? What is 
the philosophical basis for interpersonal relationship? How is person to 
person relationship different from person to things? To what extent can 
we enhance respect for human relationships so that we built a society 
that is more egalitarian, free and healthy? What is at issue here is the 
question of the relationship between persons. Interpersonal relationship 
is something we experience daily. That is what keeps us moving forward. 
That is what makes us human.  

This paper, is therefore, an attempt to address the evil of sexual 
slavery/exploitation using the philosophy of Martin Buber. This paper 
advocates a reordering of our mindsets and modes of thought in seeing 
the human person for what he or she really is – a dignified being that is 
to be respected, loved and treated as an existential subject. This 
reorientation is to be done and achieved through the lens of the 
relational existentialist, Martin Buber. For the purpose of this work, the 
terms, sex slavery and sex trafficking, will be used interchangeably. 
 
Overview of slavery 
Slavery could be said to be as old as man. It refers to a condition in which 
individuals are owned by others who control where they live and what 
they work; to the legal, economic, political and social rules that allow one 
group of people to own people belonging to another group for their own 
benefit. Essentially, slavery involves domination, oppression, control and 
so on. It existed in many cultures in early human civilizations and has 
continued to exist in some form for thousands of years in societies 
around the world. Although, it could be found in almost every society, 
slavery, as we have studied in our history lessons, has its legacy in 
colonialism and imperialism which served as fuel to agricultural 



300 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

industries till end of the of the 19th century. The freedom granted to 
slaves by governments in Europe and America were not followed up by 
social, economic and psychological supports. Consequently, slave like 
conditions and mentalities persisted. According to The Economist, 
October 30, 2016, more than 200,000 adult slaves remained in Africa’s 
Sahel until the 60s. The negative consequences of slavery are obvious 
when one looks at the uneven social and economic development of 
nations that were not only victims of slavery but were suppliers of labour 
to these countries that have now being termed ‘developed’. Hence, the 
compartmentalization of the world into categories of first and third, 
developed and under-developed, rich and poor. It is very probable that 
there are probably more slaves now than at any other point in history 
because, in all its forms, slavery has always existed in modern societies 
long after the 19th century.1  

The most common form of modern slave trade is referred to as 
human trafficking. Trafficking in human beings is a “phenomenon that 
involves a variety of areas and diverse aspects and its multidimensional 
extensiveness contributes to an often unfocused perspective”. Human 
trafficking is defined as “the recruitment, transport, transfer, harboring 
or receipt of a person by such means as threat or use of force or other 
forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud or deception for the purpose of 
exploitation."2 This definition has three essential constituents: first, the 
action of trafficking involves the recruitment, transportation, transfer, 
harboring or receipt of persons; second, the means of trafficking includes 
threat of or use of force, deception, coercion, abuse of power or position 
of vulnerability; and third, the purpose of trafficking is geared towards 
exploitation. Exploitation includes, “at a minimum, the exploitation of 
the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced 
labor or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the 
removal of organs.”3 In other words, human trafficking has many forms 
of exploitation. The objective of this essay is to examine the form of 
exploitation that has to do with a person’s sexuality. 

Sex-trafficking is said to be the most common form of human-
trafficking in the world today. It refers to the “recruitment, harbouring, 
transportation, provision or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a 
commercial sex act, in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, 
fraud or coercion, or in which the person forced to perform such an act 
is under the age of 18 years.”4 From the foregoing, sex trafficking is a 
sub-category within the wider framework of human-trafficking and is for 
the purpose of sexual exploitation including sexual slavery. So, sex 
trafficking necessarily includes sexual slavery but not all forms of sexual 
slavery fall under the umbrella of sex trafficking. 
 



Section II: Philosophical Perspectives And Human Formation    301 

Sex Slavery/Trafficking 
Sex slavery, which could also be described as sexual exploitation, is the 
attachment of the right of ownership over one or more persons with the 
intention of compelling them to engage in sexual activities. In other 
words, the victims are deprived of their sexual freedom, choice and rights 
and are subjected to the sexual manipulations of their enslavers. 
According to Mark Klamberg:  
Sexual slavery is a particular form of enslavement which includes 
limitations on one’s autonomy, freedom of movement and power to 
decide matters relating to one’s sexual activity. Although it is listed as a 
separate offence in the ICC Statute, it is regarded as a particular form of 
enslavement. However, whereas enslavement is solely considered a 
crime against humanity, sexual slavery may constitute either a war crime 
or a crime against humanity. It is partly based on the definition of 
enslavement identified as customary international law by the ICTY in the 
Kunarac case.5 

From the above, sexual slavery is seen as a form of enslavement 
with a sexual component. It includes the wielding of any or all of the 
powers attached to ownership over one or more persons, such as by 
buying, selling, lending or bartering such a person or persons, or by 
imposing on them a similar deprivation of liberty. Also, the person 
would have been made to engage in acts of a sexual nature. The evil also 
includes forced marriages, domestic servitude or other forced labour that 
ultimately involves forced sexual activity. In contrast to the crime of rape, 
which is a completed offence, sexual slavery constitutes a continuing 
offence.6 
  Sex slavery has its roots in ancient history. In the ancient world, the 
Greeks and the Romans amongst others made a practice of forcing 
captured young women to be consigned to a life of servitude as 
concubines or domestic servants. In the 13th century, African slave trade 
was not limited to slaves for servants, agriculture, or the labor industry 
but also extended to women who received a higher price than men, 
primarily because of the sexual appetites of their owners.7 However, in 
recent times, the rise in the harm and suffering associated with 
transporting women and children for the purposes of sexual exploitation 
has taken an alarming rate. The trafficking of women and children for 
commercial sexual purposes lies in the expansion and ever growing 
sexual entertainment industry, which is most importantly a demand-
driven phenomenon. Unfortunately, women and children are perceived 
as the most exploitable and controllable and are therefore deemed to be 
the most in demand to contribute to this expanding and very competitive 
economic market, driven by maximum profit gaining.8 



302 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

 There have been a significant rise in the magnitude of this form of 
trafficking and it is said to be reaching severe dimensions worldwide in 
the recent context of globalization despite the laws and sanctions that 
have been put in place. Several reasons have been adduced for the 
continued rise in trafficking including gender discrimination, war and 
armed conflict, poverty, persistent unemployment, lack of education, 
lack of information, gender discrimination, poverty and deprivation, lack 
of legislative and policy protection, harmful socio-cultural practices, and 
economic inequality, which is said to be the most convincing factor 
because it results in neighbouring cities, regions or countries being 
attractive destinations for people in poverty stricken cities, regions and 
countries. These factors in themselves are, however, not regarded as the 
causes of trafficking in persons; rather, they merely contribute to the 
vulnerability of victims and render them more prone to a variety of 
harms.9 

The likelihood that a country will become a source of trafficking 
is greatly influenced by the economic and political instability of that 
country. Internal armed conflict, civil unrest and natural disasters 
furthermore displace populations and increase their susceptibility to 
exploitation and abuse. Enslavers and traffickers make false promises of 
good working conditions and higher wages in foreign countries to lure 
victims into their traps.10 The unsuspecting victims, who seek a better life 
for themselves and their families, are easily deceived by these lies and 
they fall prey to the enslavers and traffickers and become objects of 
dehumanization and indignity. 

Even though victims of sex trafficking crime are encouraged to 
leave the economic struggles of their home countries in search of better 
opportunities, movement itself is not what constitutes the crime of 
trafficking. The force, fraud or coercion that is exercised on a victim by 
another person to perform sexual activities and remain in the service of 
that person, are the determining and defining elements of this crime of 
trafficking. Sex slavery involves a variety of crimes and exploitation 
including violence, cruelty and ill-treatment of victims. The exploitation 
of victims for profit through the use of force, fraud or coercion remains 
the common denominator of this crime and the trade of human beings 
continues to evolve into new and more multifaceted forms of 
exploitation, using debt contracts and other means to coerce people for 
the purpose of profit gain.11 The victim’s human rights are taken away 
and the person is stripped of dignity and is reduced to a level below that 
of animals. This is what constitutes dehumanization and objectifies the 
human person.  

The concept of human rights is based on the belief in the dignity 
of the human person. It recognizes that the human person requires 



Section II: Philosophical Perspectives And Human Formation    303 

certain minimum standards in order to fulfill a basic life of dignity. 
Furthermore, as they are derived from the dignity of a human being as 
such, these rights belong to all human beings and cannot be removed by 
any authority, under any circumstances. Human rights are held by every 
human being, simply because one is a human being and for no other 
reason.12 In other words, no one, for whatsoever reason, has the ‘right’ to 
take away the rights of another human being. Unfortunately, the human 
rights of the victims of sex slavery are trampled upon, taken away and 
made to perform indignifying acts. This is what criminalizes the actions 
of sex enslavers and traffickers and renders their actions evil in itself.  
 The cost of the sex slavery industry is most difficult to measure. The 
cost is more than just dollars being spent on sex. It also includes the 
damage done to individuals. There is also the cost in both physical and 
mental health with sex slavery. The self-esteem of the unfortunate 
victims is usually extremely low. It only takes a few days to break a 
woman; it takes many years to help her to rebuild her life. Victims of sex 
slavery/trafficking go through physical, psychological and emotional 
trauma associated with the exploitation. Those who are trafficked face 
violence that may occur during various stages of the trafficking process – 
from recruitment to destination which has a profound impact on the 
health of the victim. The physical, sexual and psychological abuse 
experienced by victims of sexual exploitation, combined with the forced 
or coerced use of alcohol and drugs, isolation and manipulation has long-
term implications for victims’ overall well-being and present a challenge 
for rehabilitation. The psychological harm experienced by victims 
exposed to severe and persistent trauma and abuse are similar to those 
observed in victims of torture and repeated sexual abuse. Escaping from 
the slavish or trafficking situation does not free the victim from the 
consequences of the period of exploitation, which she or he has endured. 
Chronic physical, psychological and social issues often affect sex-
trafficked victims throughout their lives, whether they are free or 
enslaved.13 
 In his Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle developed the concept of 
human flourishing or eudemonia. For him, the aim of ethics and politics 
is to show people how to achieve eudemonia, which can be interpreted as 
well-being. The well-being of an individual is to be achieved by living a 
life in society and living a life concerned with the society. Aristotle’s 
consideration of well-being, human flourishing and fulfillment is firmly 
situated in the context of society.14 Thomas Aquinas, like Aristotle, 
situated his consideration of harm and liberty in a social context. The 
frustration of basic needs or potentialities of human beings is perceived 
to be morally bad and harmful, for it reduces the ability of a person to be 
fully actualised as a human being. Thus, harm consists in not just the 



304 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

absence of physical injury but also obstacles or lack of resources that 
prevent us living fully human lives. Harm, then does not just occur at 
the one to one level, which is often easily visible, but at the institutional 
and systemic level whereby human flourishing is constrained.15 Thus, sex 
slavery militates against the flourishing and fulfillment of the human 
person. Where the human person is not allowed to flourish, 
dehumanization takes place. And as such, sex slavery, trafficking, and 
every form of exploitation are evil per se that is, they are intrinsic evils.  
 
Martin Buber’s Philosophy of inter-personal relationship 
Martin Buber was a Jewish-German existential philosopher; and as a 
theologian and a Biblical translator, he was said to be one of the most 
influential figures in the twentieth century intellectual- spiritual life. His 
ontology or theory of existence revolves around a concept of relation. 
Persons and things are seen to exist only in relation to other things and 
persons. The word, relation implies a state of affairs which connects two 
separate entities. The very essence of any existence is this connecting 
state of relation which Buber calls the between.16 Relation, as an event or 
action, occurs between two entitles, that is, between a person, whose 
attention is completely turned toward someone or something other than 
himself, and another person or thing who confronts him. Buber says that 
essence of man which is special to him can be directly known only in a 
living relation. The individual is a fact of existence in so far as he enters 
into relation with other individuals.17 He defines man as a creature 
capable of entering into living essential relations with the world and 
things.  The fundamental fact of human existence is that an individual 
steps into a living relation with other individuals. The essence of man 
which is special to him can be directly known only in a living relation.18  

According to Buber, the principle of human life is not simple but 
twofold, being built up in a twofold movement which is of such kind 
that one movement is the presupposition of the other. He calls the first 
movement the primal setting at a distance and the second, entering into 
relation.19 So, man is man in virtue of his sense of distance and relation. 
It is obvious that entering into relation presupposes the primal setting at 
a distance.  Man can only enter into relation with a being that has been 
set at a distance which has become an independent opposite. Only man 
can perform this act of setting at a distance because only man has a world 
- an unbroken continuum which includes not only all that he and other 
individuals know and experience but all that is knowable now and in the 
future.20  In other words, one can only enter into relation with that 
which is not himself - an independent other, a being which has been set 
at a distance. The primal setting at a distance involves the self 
understanding itself as being separate and apart from the being which is 



Section II: Philosophical Perspectives And Human Formation    305 

not the self: the self identifies the other as an Other.  Identifying the 
other as an Other allows the self to enter into a relationship with it. This 
setting at a distance which makes entering into relation possible is proper 
to the human category.21  
 
Man's Two Basic Relations to the World  
From the foregoing, entering into relation means entering into an I-
Thou relation, and at the same time one cannot identify distance with I-
It. When an individual fails to enter into relation, however, the distance 
thickens and solidifies, so that instead of being that which makes room 
for relation it becomes that which obstructs it. This failure to enter into 
relation corresponds to I-It, and distance thus becomes the 
presupposition for both I-Thou and I-It.22 
 The underlying principle in Buber’s philosophy is the idea that man 
has two modes available to him through which he can engage the world. 
The first mode (I-It) is that of experience, while the other mode (I-
Thou) is that of relation/encounter.23 According to him, there is no I 
taken in itself but only the I of the primary word I-Thou and the I of the 
primary word I-It; and when a man says I, he refers to one or other of 
these. The I to which man refers is present when he says I. The existence 
of I and the speaking of I are one and the same thing. The I of man is 
both the I of the I-It and the I of the I-Thou and thus the I of man is 
twofold. Man's two basic relations to the world are fundamentally 
different modes of self-expression and so the 'I' in these relations has 
different meanings. The I of the I-It is spoken where and when the 
beings around are observed and treated as mere objects of observation; 
and the I of the I-Thou relationship is spoken where and when one 
stands with the whole of one's being over against another and enters into 
essential relationship with him. 
  Buber opines that the I-Thou precedes I-It, both logically and in the 
history of the human consciousness. Through the Thou a man becomes 
I, and this implies that man’s I-consciousness develops only gradually 
from relational events.  This means too that the abstracted I, which is the 
prerequisite for the primary word I-It, is inextricably embedded in the 
web of relation, in the relation to the Thou. The first primary word can 
be resolved, certainly, into I and Thou, but it did not arise from their 
being set together; by its nature it precedes I.  The second word arose 
from the setting together of I and It; by nature it comes after I.  This is 
why Buber declares that in the beginning is relation.24 
 Buber makes a distinction between the person and the individual. 
The person is the man who has become truly or authentically human, 
that is, attained being or spiritual existence as the I of the I-Thou 
relation, through his encounter of the other as Thou. The individual, 



306 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

however, is the I who has only experienced or used the other as his It, 
the object of his intent or purpose.25  
 
The Life of Dialogue 
The heart of Buber's philosophy might be considered to be in his 
conception of dialogue.  
In the Buberian conceptual scheme, then, genuine dialogue is not simply 
a conversation, a way of communication, a means towards other goals.  
Dialogue becomes the goal in itself, the central purpose of human life. It 
is quite obvious that dialogue typifies, in a superlative way, what Buber 
has described as an I-Thou attitude towards an other. A dialogic 
relationship is one where genuine dialogue occurs between partners.26 

Buber identifies certain defining features of the life of dialogue 
which are the constituents of the structure of I-thou relationship. The 
absence of any of these will mean the absence of relationship. These 
features include accepting and confirming the otherness of the Other. 
Such confirmation does not mean approval; but no matter what the 
person has against the other, by accepting that person as a partner in 
dialogue, the person has been affirmed.27 The act of acceptance and 
confirmation belongs to the very structure and actualization of real 
human existence of I-Thou relationship. Another feature Buber 
identifies is mutuality or reciprocity of relationship. Only in the mutual 
or reciprocal saying of Thou, relationship comes into being and I and 
Thou become co-partners. The mutuality is the mutual participation of 
both the partners in each other's existence. The mutual conditioned 
nature of relationship is not one sided; and I-It is unilateral.28 A third 
feature Buber highlights is opening up and making present of everything, 
that is, not investigating the other but courageously and intensively 
stirring one's own being to enter into other's life. The exclusiveness of 
relationship is another feature which refers to total and unlimited 
presentness. The other (Thou) in relationship is not more a Thou beside 
other Thous' but he becomes a Thou who cannot be replaced or 
exchanged.29 The encompassing or inclusion of everything is the last 
feature Buber highlights which means living or experiencing through 
what the other is living or experiencing through. 
 
Application of Buber’s Philosophy to Sex Slavery and Trafficking 
Buber’s philosophy of inter-personal relationship is a salient panacea to 
the evil of sex slavery and sex trafficking in Nigeria and by extension, the 
entire human society. Buber promotes a philosophy of mutuality, 
reciprocity, genuine relationship and genuine dialogue. It is a philosophy 
that generates peace through mutual interaction and conversation, that is, 



Section II: Philosophical Perspectives And Human Formation    307 

‘I-Thou’ relationship. The concept of dialogue perceives the human 
person as ‘thou’.  

In a society where genuine relations that ought to exist between 
individuals has been largely obliterated by the objectification of the 
human person through sex slavery and trafficking, Buber proclaims that 
man can achieve authentic human existence only by turning to one 
another as a whole being in the posture of I-Thou, in which the other is 
made really present in his concrete wholeness and uniqueness and where 
there is a genuine response to the irreducible claim of the encounter 
itself. At a time when mutual understanding and intimacy of 
communion are threatened by sexual exploitation, Buber has with 
earnest insistence appealed to those healing powers which may be 
awakened by man meeting his fellow man and woman. Buber’s central 
message and insight is, therefore, that human beings are ordained to find 
fulfillment and authentic selfhood by living with each other in a 
relationship of genuine life of dialogue.30 
 It is important to note that underlying the practice of sex slavery and 
sex trafficking is the objectification of the human person where an 
individual is seen as tool to be used. So, the evil of sex slavery, sex 
trafficking and other forms of sexual exploitation persists because the 
human person and probably the female sex are not perceived as ‘thou’; 
instead, they are perceived  as ‘it.’ According to Buber, the I-It 
relationship is a subject –object relationship which does not possess 
genuine dialogue, listening and response. In this relationship, an 
individual is regarded as an ‘It’ that is tossed around as a mere thing other 
than thou. Buber’s philosophy would orientate individuals in upholding 
human dignity and foster respect for human rights and by inclusion, 
women and children.31 
 Buber’s concept of confirmation which can be described as 
acknowledgement and recognition of the other would go a long way in 
curtailing sexist tendencies. In confirmation one meets, chooses and 
recognizes the other as a subject with the capacity to actualize one’s own 
potential. In order for confirmation to be complete one must know that 
he/she is being made present to the other. There must be this re-
orientation by individuals that recognizing other including women and 
children as subjects actualizes their own potentials and is a tonic for 
positive growth as an individual and the life is not about greed, money, 
making profit while disregarding the dignity of fellow human beings. 
Unfortunately, they may exist this fear that confirming others may lead 
to poverty or a lack. This is a problem of mistrust which Buber considers 
mistrust as one of the hindrances of dialogue. Mistrust leads to 
oppression, discrimination and criminality. The issue of mistrust can be 
resolved with mutual dialogue which brings trust and love.  



308 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

 Furthermore, the notion of I-Thou relationship stems from 
mutuality, reciprocity, relation and genuine dialogue. It is a concrete 
encounter, because individuals meet one another in their authentic 
existence, without any qualification or objectification of one another. 
Buber’s I-Thou relationship opens an avenue for encounter in which 
people could engage with each other fully through dialogue. In other 
words, human beings – both enslaver/traffickers and victims can 
encounter each other authentically without objectifying one another. 
When such occurs, the victims and every individual would be treated 
with utmost respect as fellow Thous who have the right to experience 
life and contribute to it. Buber’s notion of inclusion and relation 
becomes relevant here. Inclusion, according to Buber, means the ability 
to develop a dual sensation among those engaged in dialogue: 
experiencing oneself and simultaneously perceiving the ‘other’ in its 
singularity. The inclusion of a person causes one to experience and know 
one’s fellow human being. That quality of inclusion will help those 
involved in sexual exploitation to experience and understand themselves 
as well as experience and understand what their fellow existents go 
through in their situation and experiences. Accordingly, relation is 
mutual. My ‘thou’ affects me as I affect it.32 There is deep sense of 
reciprocity and mutuality in relation. 
 It is only when people overcome their self-centredness, greed and 
lust and see one another as thou that mutual, inclusive, reciprocal, 
relational and genuine dialogue in love would occur which would 
promote peaceful harmonious co-existence and human beings to flower, 
flourish and contribute uniquely in a no small measure to the 
development of the entire human society. To have a genuine relationship 
of dialogue, both men and women must recognize the “Thou” of the 
other: Only persons who are capable of truly saying Thou to one another 
can truly say We with one another.   
 
 Conclusion 
This essay has been concerned with the application of Buber’s 
philosophy of interpersonal relationship to the evil of sex slavery and 
trafficking with a view to resolving it. The basic foundation on which 
Buber’s whole project is built is his insight that man has two distinct 
ways of engaging the world - I-Thou and I-It.  Modern society largely 
ignores the I-Thou mode of encounter through which man enters into 
relation with the other; and canonizes the I-It mode of experience 
through which man treats the other as an object to be analyzed and 
utilized.  Buber’s contention is that inasmuch as the latter (mode of 
experience) is important and indispensable for human survival, it is not 



Section II: Philosophical Perspectives And Human Formation    309 

sufficient. As a matter of fact, a human being is not fully human unless 
he also opens himself up to the mode of relation (I-Thou).   

In Buber’s philosophy, men and women are essentially relational 
beings. All true living is meeting, and dialogue is the ridge on which we 
meet. In dialogue, men and women penetrate the polite superficialities 
and defenses with which they habitually armor themselves; they listen to 
one another with an authenticity that forges a bond between and among 
both sexes. Upholding and respecting the human person and entering 
into a living and essential relation with another is an act of incredible 
bravery. This is because it requires leaving behind false notions of 
selfishness, dominance, superiority and arrogance in a realm of 
experience in which we can understand and predict and master and enter 
into a realm that cannot easily be predicted and manipulated, and which 
exposes us to grave risks such as betrayal and exploitation. Man becomes 
what he essentially is in relation to others. 

A pragmatic application of Buber’s concept of dialogue would 
definitely go a long way in curbing sexual exploitation of different forms. 
It will encourage a spirit of mutual togetherness, genuine conversation, 
genuine wholeness, and genuine connection between individuals - men 
and women. There is need for confirmation and inclusion of one 
another through dialogue which brings closeness, mutuality and 
reciprocity. There is emphatic need for recognition of the dignity of 
women and children who are mostly victims of sex slavery and 
trafficking. Thus, the human person should be seen as an end in itself 
and never as a means to an end. 

 Buber’s philosophy does not in any way suggest that there 
would not be failures, errors and mistakes considering the fact that it is 
human nature that is being dealt with but it simply entails that in the 
midst of friction and tension, there could be need to understand one 
another as persons with dignity and essence. Sex slavery and trafficking is 
difficult to curb. Despite the numerous laws and attempts to stop it 
which are commendable, it still thrives. While appreciating the efforts of 
the government, non-governmental organizations, religious institutions 
and individuals, there is a need to go back to the source; the education of 
the young which Buber emphasized greatly in his works. While 
individuals in the society need a reorientation in seeing one another as 
‘Thous’ the young one – the future of the society – need to be educated 
and taught to build up a society where mutual respect is upheld, the 
dignity of the human person is held holy and fellow existents treat one 
another as Thous. That would mean introducing the young to 
philosophical ideas especially what we may refer to as relational 
existentialism and inculcating in them the values of the I-Thou 
relationship. 



310 Formation of the Human Person in the 21st Century 

In the “I-it” relation, the individual deals with the world and 
other persons functionally, manipulatively as things to be investigated 
and used. This type of relation is wrong as it has been a major cause of 
many problems in modern life as reflected in the educational systems of 
nations that see schooling as a production factory. In the I-Thou 
relationship, the individual encounters other persons and God as Thou 
(You). This involves interpersonal dialogue, an encounter which opens 
up the true depths of reality that engenders direct connection and a sense 
of unity for the individuals and the community with the necessary ethical 
underpinnings. To Buber, education is relational between the teacher 
and the learner on one hand between the educational system and the 
community on the other. Education is subjective. The active role of the 
learner in selecting and building his/her own knowledge as to be effective 
in his relations or encounter with people. Education should generally be 
seen as a relation based enterprise in that the nature and the direction of 
the society determines the essence of its educational system.33 

 
 

Endnotes 
                                                      
1 Jennifer Clark B. and Sasha Poucki, Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery, 

(London: SAGE Publications Ltd, 2018), p. 51. 
2 Gabriel Temesgen, “Root Causes and Solutions to Human Trafficking in Ethiopia,” 

International Journal of Science and Research 3 (2012):  Gabriel Temesgen, “Root 

Causes and Solutions to Human Trafficking in Ethiopia,” International Journal of 

Science and Research 3 (2012): 1578 
3 Ibid. 
4 Lisa Connell, Human-trafficking for Sexual Exploitation in Australia: The Deafening 

Silence on Demand, (Melbourne: Centre for Strategic Economic Studies, 2012), p. 

42. 

 5 Mark Klamberg, ed., Commentary on the Law of the International Criminal Court, 

(Brussels: Torkel Opsahl Academic EPublisher, 2017), p. 51. 
6 Ibid. 
7 Victor, Lewis & James Larson, “Sex slavery: a new look at the world’s oldest 

profession,” Journal of International Business and Cultural Studies 9(2015): 3 
8 Juanida Suzette Horne, A Critical Analysis of Human Trafficking for Sexual 

Exploitation, (Pretoria: University of South Africa, 2014), p. 100. 
9 Ibid. 
10 Ibid, p. 99. 
11 Ibid. 
12 ‘Connell, Human trafficking, 141. 
13 Connell, Human Trafficking, 45-47. 
14 Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, bk. 1, 1102. 
15 Connell, Human Trafficking, 145. 



Section II: Philosophical Perspectives And Human Formation    311 

                                                                                                                         
16 Maurice Friedman,. Martin Buber: The Life of dialogue. (Chicago: The University of  

Chicago Press, 1960), p. 57. 
17 Martin Buber, I and Thou. (Edinburgh: T & T. Clark, 1937), p. 6. 
18 Martin Buber, The Knowledge of Man: Selected Essays. (Amherst: Humanity Books, 

1998), p. 7. 
19 Ibid., p. 50. 
20 Friedman, Martin Buber  80. 
21 Ezeihejiofor, Uchenna, Martin Buber’s Philosophy of Inter-Personal Relationship. 

(Ibadan: 

Dominican Institute, 2004), p. 45. 
22 Friedman, Martin Buber 83. 
23 Buber, I and Thou 3. 
24 Buber, The Knowledge 3. 
25 Winright, Elaine. Martin Buber's I and Thou As Model for Relationship Between 

Artist and  

Visual Artwork. (Texas: Texas Tech University, 1991), p. 38-39. 
26 Buber, Martin. Between man and Man. (London; Routledge Classics, 2002), p. 24. 
27 Buber, The Knowledge 75. 
28 Buber, I and Thou 11, 33.  
29 Ibid. 78. 
30 Ezeihejiofor,  Martin Buber’s Philosophy 88. 
31 Ezeogu, Uchenna A., John U. Ezugwu & Daniel U. Obi. “Herders-Farmers Conflict 

in Nigeria:  

Applying Martin Buber’s Dialogic Approach.” Nnamdi Azikiwe Journal of Philosophy. 

11:1 (2019), 141. 
32 Buber, I-Thou 15. 
33 Akinkuotu Yemi Ambrose and Quadri, Y. Ayodele, “Martins Buber’s Philosophical 

Idea of “I – Thou (You)” and its Relevance to Modern Education in Nigeria”,  British 

Journal of Arts and Social Sciences. 8:1 (2012),  89.  


