What kind of existence did these children lead in captivity or freedom? Those who became Christians stood outside mainstream society in the mostly Muslim western Indian Ocean societies into which they were thrown. As a consequence, many remained essentially as wards of the missionary societies to which they were assigned, whether Anglican, Roman Catholic or Protestant. For the vast majority, captivity meant adapting to Islam and, eventually, becoming Muslim. Whether on the coast, on offshore islands, in Arabia, Iran, Baluchistan or Gujarat, this entailed a life that began in domestic service. Unless they married free men, women often continued in domestic work, although some did enter the larger labour force in towns like Zanzibar and Muscat (McMahon, 2013). For boys, reaching adulthood brought with it the labour requirements of men, such as pearl diving in the Gulf (Hopper, 2015). Some became sailors, skilled artisans or day labourers. In East Africa, under colonial rule, all gained emancipation, although the stigma of slavery persisted. In Arabia, manumission was relatively common; however, slavery did not end until as late as 1970 in Oman, meaning that those of the enslaved children who had survived and themselves had children saw them born into slavery.  
Despite the trauma of being violently torn from one's kith and kin, or of the undermining of family values precipitated by the opportunities for personal gain