forced labor
Work under duress
Forced labor is work performed under threat or coercion, without genuine consent.
It ranges from prison labor programs to human trafficking and modern slavery.
The term appears in international law and human rights contexts: The factory was shut down over forced labor allegations.
Distinct from merely unpleasant work—forced labor involves compulsion, whether through violence, debt bondage, or legal penalty.
- convict leasingHiring out imprisoned people
- chain gangShackled convict work crew
- prison laborEmployment of inmates
- slaveryOwnership of people
- servitudeCompulsory labor under masters
debt bondage · bondage · exploitation · oppression · coercion · chattel slavery · cotton fields · convict labor · subjugation · human trafficking · human cargo · involuntary · peonage · serfdom · labor camps · work camp · compel · indentured servitude
- bondageslavery, servitude, bondage, slaves, thrall
- Gulaggulag, labor camps, labor camp, prison camps, prison camp
forced laborvoluntary work
Unpaid charitable labor
voluntary service · self-employment · freelance work · at-will employment · volunteer work