Understanding forced labor: Strategies and solutions to identify signs and assess risks

Forced labor refers to any work or service individuals are compelled to provide against their will, often for little or no wages, and under the threat of destitution, violence, or other extreme hardships.

Debt bondage refers to a situation where a person, often in dire poverty, pledges their services as security for the repayment of a debt or obligation.

This involves the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons by means of threat, use of force, or other forms of coercion for the purpose of exploitation.

Domestic servitude is a form of human trafficking in which individuals are forced to work in private homes as domestic workers for little or no wages. The work is often performed in private residences as seemingly normal practice that is used as cover for the trade, exploitation, and control of someone.

This is a situation where a person is forced to marry against their will. Forced marriage can be a form of modern slavery when it involves coercion, deception, or exploitation.

Child labor is work performed by children who are under the minimum age for employment or working in conditions that are harmful to them. The U.S. Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) maintains a list of goods produced by child labor or forced labor.