labour camp
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: A place where prisoners, especially political prisoners, are detained and forced to perform hard physical work, often under harsh conditions.
Usage
The term "labour camp" is used to describe a specific type of detention facility. It emphasizes the combination of imprisonment and compulsory labor, typically as a form of punishment, political repression, or economic exploitation.
Examples
- The journalist was sent to a labour camp for criticizing the government.
- Historical accounts describe the brutal conditions in the labour camps.
- The system of labour camps was used to isolate political dissidents.
Advanced Usage
- "To be interned in a labour camp": To be confined or imprisoned in a labour camp.
- Many artists and intellectuals were interned in labour camps during that period.
- "Labour camp system": Refers to the organized network of such camps within a country or region.
- The country's economy was once heavily reliant on its extensive labour camp system.
Variants and Related Words
- Labor camp: The American English spelling variant.
- Forced-labor camp: A more explicit term emphasizing the compulsory nature of the work.
- Prison camp: A broader term for a camp where prisoners are held, which may or may not involve forced labor.
- Gulag: A specific historical term for the system of forced labour camps in the former Soviet Union.
Synonyms
- Penal colony: A settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general population, often involving forced labor.
- Work camp: A general term for a camp where inmates are required to work; context determines if it is punitive.
Related Phrases
- Sentenced to hard labour: A legal phrase meaning condemned to perform strenuous physical work as punishment, which is the core activity within a labour camp.
- Political prisoner: A person imprisoned for their political beliefs or actions, who is a typical detainee in a labour camp.
Noun
- a penal institution for political prisoners who are used as forced labor