Article 5 ACHPR. In 1835 Slavery was officially abolished in Seychelles, however the working conditions of the liberated Africans did not improve for many decades later. Seychelles has acceded to a number of Conventions, which protect the rights to dignity, freedom from slavery and forced labour. Articles 16 and 17 of the Constitution lay down as follows: 16: "Every person has a right to be treated with dignity worthy of a human being and not to be subjected to torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment". 17.1: "Every person has a right not to be held in slavery or bondage. 2: Every person has a right not to be compelled to perform forced or compulsory labour; 3: Labour forced or compelled to be performed pursuant to a law necessary in a democratic society does not infringe clause 2". Penal Code, 1/02/1955, updated in 1996. Article 249: "Any person who imports, removes, buys, sells or disposes of any person as a slave, or accepts, receives or detains against his will any person as slave, is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for ten years". Article 250: "Any person who habitually imports, exports, removes, buys, sells, traffics or deals in slaves is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years". Article 251: "Any person who unlawfully compels any person to labour against the will of that person is guilty of misdemeanour and is liable for imprisonment for three years" The respect of dignity by the special legislation can be seen through the following articles: Criminal Procedure Code, 1/02/1955, updated in 1996. Article 16: "Whenever it is necessary to cause a woman to be searched the search shall be made by another woman with strict regard to decency". Prisons Act, 16/12/1991, Laws of Seychelles 1996. Section 11: "A male prison officer shall not enter or remain in a cell in which a female prisoner is confined unless he is accompanied by a female prison officer".