indentured labor
[/ɪnˈdɛntʃərd ˈleɪbər/]
nounpl: indentured labor (uncountable)
trabalho por contrato de servidão; trabalho forçado contratado
1. A system of labor where a worker is bound by a contract (indenture) to work for an employer for a specified period, typically in exchange for passage, housing, food, or other compensation, with limited freedom during the contract period
Many European immigrants came to America under indentured labor agreements in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Muitos imigrantes europeus vieram para a América sob acordos de trabalho por contrato de servidão nos séculos XVII e XVIII.
2. A form of bound labor that, while technically voluntary, often resembled slavery due to harsh conditions, debt bondage, and exploitation of workers
The indentured labor system was frequently abused, with workers subjected to brutal treatment and impossible debt repayment terms.
O sistema de trabalho por contrato de servidão era frequentemente abusado, com trabalhadores sujeitos a tratamento brutal e termos de pagamento de dívidas impossíveis.
Indentured labor was a critical component of early American colonial economic development and Brazilian colonial history, particularly in sugar plantations. While distinguished from slavery in that it was theoretically temporary and voluntary, it frequently devolved into exploitative conditions. The term is widely used in historical education in both the USA and Brazil to discuss labor exploitation and colonial labor systems. In contemporary usage, it appears in discussions of modern human trafficking and labor exploitation as a historical parallel.
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