Legal Definitions - shanghaiing

Shanghaiing refers to the act of forcing or tricking someone into doing something against their will, often through deception, intoxication, or other wrongful methods. Historically, this term specifically described the illegal practice of coercing individuals, particularly sailors, to work on a ship, often by drugging them or misleading them, to secure payment or a bonus for the person doing the shanghaiing.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Imagine a situation where a manipulative business owner invites a new acquaintance out for drinks, intentionally getting them heavily intoxicated. While the acquaintance is impaired, the owner pressures them into signing a document that commits them to an unpaid, long-term project for the business, a commitment they would never have made while sober. This scenario illustrates shanghaiing because the individual was induced into an agreement against their true will through intoxication and wrongful influence.

• Consider a person who is desperately looking for work and responds to a job advertisement for a high-paying, exciting role abroad. Upon arrival in the foreign country, they discover the job description was entirely fabricated. Their passport is confiscated, and they are forced to work in harsh conditions for little to no pay, unable to leave. This is an example of shanghaiing because the individual was coerced into involuntary labor through fraudulent means and deception about the nature of the work and their freedom.

• Think of a scenario where a group of friends is planning a weekend trip. One friend, who secretly wants to avoid a particular chore at home, tricks another friend into believing they have won a "mystery prize" that requires immediate travel to a remote location for the entire weekend. The "prize" turns out to be helping the first friend with their chore, far away from home and without any real reward. This demonstrates shanghaiing as the second friend was induced by fraudulent means (the "mystery prize") to do something they did not intend to do (the chore) and was taken away against their informed consent.