forced labor
forced labor — noun
1. Extremely difficult physical tasks that people are made to perform against their
Extremely difficult physical tasks that people are made to perform against their will, usually without fair payment or basic rights.
Daichi was sent to a camp where prisoners performed forced labor for twelve hours daily.
perform forced labor — common verb collocation
The factory relied on forced labor from vulnerable migrants who could not leave freely.
During the war, civilians were taken from their homes and put into forced labor.
International law clearly forbids the use of forced labor in any industry.
Isabela spent three years doing forced labor on a rubber plantation before she escaped.
- hard labor
implies a judicial punishment; narrower scope
- penal labor
specifically work imposed as a legal sentence
- slave labor
emphasizes ownership and total lack of freedom; stronger connotation
- voluntary work
work done by free choice
- paid employment
work done under a contract with fair wages
文法句型
used as subject or object
often follows 'perform' or 'do'
用法筆記
Uncountable — do not say 'a forced labor' when referring to the activity. Frequently occurs with verbs such as perform, do, and use.
常見錯誤
2. A group of people who are compelled to work without payment, often kept under th
A group of people who are compelled to work without payment, often kept under threat or restriction of movement.
The project was built by forced labor who had been brought in from nearby villages.
by + forced labor — collective agent
Historians estimate that over a million people lived as forced labor under the regime.
Trang interviewed former forced labor who described years of hunger and physical abuse.
The international community condemned the mining company for employing forced labor at its remote sites.
- indentured workers
implies a contract, even if unfair; different legal status
- bonded laborers
specifically refers to people working to pay off a debt
- convict labor
prisoners working under a penal sentence
- free workers
people who choose their employer and can leave freely
- wage laborers
workers who receive payment for their work
文法句型
treated as singular but refers to a group
用法筆記
In this sense forced labor refers to a collective group of people and takes singular verb agreement (e.g., 'forced labor was brought in'). Distinguish from sense 1, where the same phrase describes the activity rather than the people.
常見錯誤
3. The illegal practice of obtaining a person's work through force, threats of harm
The illegal practice of obtaining a person's work through force, threats of harm, physical restraint, or misuse of legal authority.
The court ruled that withholding workers' passports to keep them at a job was a form of forced labor.
passport withholding as forced labor — legal interpretation
Saira alleged forced labor after her employer threatened to report her to immigration authorities.
legal context: file a complaint alleging forced labor
The treaty defines forced labor as work exacted under the threat of a penalty.
Investigators found evidence of forced labor in the factory's supply chain across three countries.
The company faced charges for forced labor after workers were locked in a dormitory overnight.
- involuntary servitude
US constitutional term; more narrow legal scope
- human trafficking for labor
includes the element of transport or recruitment across borders
- labor exploitation
broader term that includes unfair wages and conditions beyond outright force
- free choice employment
employment entered into voluntarily
- fair labor
work conducted with proper consent, safety, and compensation
文法句型
often in definitions or prohibitions
follows verbs like constitute, amount to, prohibit
用法筆記
Legal/diplomatic register. Common in international law, human rights reports, and criminal proceedings. Often paired with trafficking, modern slavery, or bonded labor in the same context.