Human Rights Violations

noun extreme cruelty or brutality

adjective barbaric

• The international community condemned the barbarity of the war crimes committed by the dictator.
• The barbarity of the crime shocked the small town.
• The barbarity of the situation was just straight up messed up.
• The barbarity of nature's wrath was evident in the destruction left behind by the hurricane.

noun extreme cruelty or violence

adjective brutal

• The brutality of the attack left many people in shock.
• I can't believe the level of brutality in that movie scene.
• The brutality of that fight was off the charts.
• The brutality of the winter storm was unmatched.

noun A group of people working together in a coordinated manner

• The prisoners were put on a chain gang to work on the roads.
• I heard they put some guys on a chain gang for breaking the rules.
• Those guys on the chain gang have it rough.
• Being stuck in a dead-end job can feel like being on a chain gang.

noun a ruler or other person who holds absolute power, typically one who exercises it in a cruel or oppressive way

• The despot ruled over the kingdom with an iron fist, suppressing any form of dissent.
• The despot in charge of the company makes all the decisions without consulting anyone.
• That despot boss is always breathing down our necks, making sure we're working non-stop.
• The despot of self-doubt can be just as damaging as any external force holding you back.

noun A person who is authoritarian, dictatorial, or intolerant towards those they oppose

adjective Relating to or characteristic of fascism, an authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization

• The rise of a fascist regime in the country is a cause for concern among the international community.
• I can't believe some people still support that fascist politician.
• That guy is a total fascist, always trying to control everything.
• The strict rules of the company make it feel like a fascist dictatorship sometimes.

noun physical work that is difficult and requires a lot of effort

• The prisoners were sentenced to years of hard labor for their crimes.
• I can't believe he's making us do all this hard labor in the hot sun.
• I'm not cut out for this kind of hard labor, man.
• Writing a novel is a form of hard labor for the mind.

adjective contrary to or forbidden by law, especially criminal law

• Engaging in illegal activities can result in severe consequences.
• You shouldn't do anything illegal if you want to stay out of trouble.
• Dude, selling those things is totally illegal!
• Breaking the rules like that is like playing with fire, it's just asking for trouble.

adjective opposed to liberal principles; restricting freedom of thought or behavior

• The government's illiberal policies have sparked widespread criticism from human rights groups.
• I can't believe how illiberal some people can be when it comes to accepting different viewpoints.
• His illiberal attitude towards immigrants is totally uncalled for.
• The illiberal mindset is like building walls around your own mind, restricting new ideas from entering.

noun A place where people are forced to work, often under harsh conditions

• The government established a labor camp for prisoners to work on infrastructure projects.
• My great-grandfather was sent to a labor camp during the war.
• They're shipping him off to some labor camp in the middle of nowhere.
• Being stuck in that dead-end job felt like being in a labor camp.

noun the practice of holding people in servitude or partial slavery, especially to work off a debt or other obligation

• The practice of peonage was outlawed in the United States in 1867.
• Some argue that certain industries still rely on peonage to exploit cheap labor.
• I heard that company is known for their peonage tactics.
• Being stuck in a dead-end job can feel like a form of peonage.

verb to subject someone to hostility and ill-treatment, especially because of their race or political or religious beliefs

• The government has been accused of allowing certain groups to persecute minority communities.
• She felt like her boss was persecuting her by giving her all the difficult tasks.
• I can't believe they're still persecuting that poor guy for something he didn't even do.
• Her guilt persecuted her like a relentless shadow, following her every move.

noun the act of harassing, oppressing, or causing harm to someone based on their beliefs or identity

• The religious minority faced severe persecution in the region.
• They were constantly harassed and bullied because of their beliefs.
• The group was totally getting hounded by the authorities.
• The artist felt like their creativity was under constant persecution by critics.

adjective describing something that oppresses or restricts freedom or expression

• The government's repressive policies restricted freedom of speech.
• Living under a repressive regime can be suffocating.
• I can't stand this repressive nonsense anymore!
• Her repressive attitude towards creativity stifled the team's innovation.

noun Another noun entry for 'agency', which is an organization or department with a specific purpose or function.

adjective An adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun. In this case, 'secret' is an adjective that describes the type of police, indicating that they operate in secrecy.

• The secret police were responsible for monitoring and suppressing dissent within the country.
• I heard the secret police are cracking down on protesters in the city.
• Watch out, the secret police might come knocking on your door if you speak out against the government.
• Her anxiety felt like being constantly surveilled by a secret police force.

noun the act of killing oneself as a form of protest or political statement

• The act of self-immolation is considered a desperate form of protest in some cultures.
• I can't believe he resorted to self-immolation to make a statement.
• That's some next-level self-immolation right there.
• Her dedication to her work borders on self-immolation.

noun a heavily populated urban area characterized by substandard housing and squalor

• The government is working on improving the living conditions in the slum areas.
• I heard there's a new community center coming up in the slum.
• The slum is rough, but the people there are real survivors.
• In the slum of despair, hope can still be found if you look hard enough.

noun the act of throwing stones at someone or something until they are killed or injured

• In some countries, stoning is still used as a form of punishment for certain crimes.
• I heard that stoning is a common practice in some rural areas.
• They were stoning each other with snowballs during the winter festival.
• The criticism she received felt like emotional stoning.

adjective relating to a system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state

• The country was under a totalitarian regime, where the government had complete control over all aspects of society.
• Living in a totalitarian state means having very limited personal freedom.
• That leader is like a totalitarian dictator, always trying to control everything.
• The company's CEO ran the organization in a totalitarian manner, leaving no room for dissent or creativity.

noun a person or body of persons having judicial authority

• The tribunal was convened to hear the case and deliver a verdict.
• The tribunal is meeting tomorrow to discuss the issue.
• I heard they brought in a whole tribunal to deal with the situation.
• In the court of public opinion, he faced a tribunal of critics.

verb to break or fail to comply with a law, rule, or agreement

• It is illegal to violate the terms of the contract.
• You can't violate the rules and expect to get away with it.
• If you violate the curfew, you're gonna be in big trouble.
• To violate someone's trust is a serious offense.

noun an act of violating or the condition of being violated

• The company was fined for the violation of environmental regulations.
• He got a ticket for the parking violation.
• They caught him red-handed in the act of violation.
• Her actions were a violation of trust in their relationship.

noun a criminal offense involving unwanted sexual contact or behavior

adjective describing the severity of the sexual imposition

• The defendant was charged with gross sexual imposition for his actions towards the victim.
• I can't believe he got arrested for gross sexual imposition, that's messed up.
• They caught him red-handed with gross sexual imposition, what a sicko.
• His lies and deceit were a form of gross sexual imposition on her emotions.

noun the deliberate destruction of the culture of a group or society, typically through suppression or assimilation

• The act of destroying a culture or way of life is known as culturicide.
• They're trying to erase our traditions and history - it's like culturicide.
• The government's actions are basically committing culturicide on our community.
• The introduction of fast food chains is leading to the culturicide of local cuisine.

noun a term used in the field of research ethics to describe the exploitation of research participants in low-income or developing countries

• The practice of ethics dumping involves conducting unethical research in countries with less stringent regulations.
• Ethics dumping is when researchers take advantage of countries with weaker rules.
• Some scientists are just ethics dumpers, caring more about their research than the consequences.
• In the world of research, ethics dumping is like a stain that can never be fully removed.

noun GBV stands for Gender-Based Violence, which refers to any harmful act that is perpetrated against a person's will and that is based on socially ascribed (gender) differences between males and females.

• Gender-based violence (GBV) is a serious human rights violation that affects millions of people worldwide.
• We need to raise awareness about GBV and its impact on individuals and communities.
• GBV is not cool, it's never okay to hurt someone just because of their gender.
• GBV is like a dark cloud hanging over society, causing harm and fear to those affected.

noun MENA

• The MENA region includes countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
• I'm planning a trip to the MENA countries next summer.
• Have you been keeping up with the latest news from MENA?
• The company's expansion into the MENA market opened up new opportunities for growth.

noun a state of not being free; lack of freedom or liberty

• The concept of unfreedom has been a topic of philosophical debate for centuries.
• Living under unfreedom can feel suffocating and limiting.
• Being stuck in unfreedom is like being in a never-ending prison.
• Embracing unfreedom is like willingly putting chains on your own potential.

noun a process of manipulating election results by removing certain groups of voters from the electoral roll

• The government has been accused of engaging in electoral cleansing to manipulate election outcomes.
• Some people believe there's a lot of electoral cleansing going on behind the scenes.
• I heard they're pulling some shady electoral cleansing to rig the election.
• The party's tactics were like a form of electoral cleansing, eliminating any opposition in their path.

noun the act of killing a woman or girl, in particular by a man and on account of her gender

• Femicide is a serious issue that needs to be addressed through policy and education.
• The news reported another case of femicide in our city last night.
• It's sickening how some people think femicide is justified.
• The rise in femicide is like a dark cloud hanging over our society.