Combating Labor Trafficking At Home and Around the World

"January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month, a month when we turn special attention to raising awareness about human trafficking, but every day the Department of Labor is working to combat labor exploitation and human trafficking. 

Human trafficking is a crime involving the exploitation of someone to compel their labor or a commercial sex act through force, fraud or coercion. If anyone under 18 is induced to perform a commercial sex act, it is a crime regardless of whether there is force, fraud or coercion. 

In 2021, the department helped expose a trafficking case where more than 100 workers from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras were fraudulently brought to the U.S. through the H-2A agricultural work visa program. They were coerced into performing physically demanding work in Georgia, Florida and Texas, including being required to dig onions with their bare hands. Workers toiled for little or no pay – in some cases just 20 cents for each bucket harvested. Traffickers threatened the workers or their families with violence and deportation, forced the workers to pay illegal fees, and held them in cramped, unsanitary work camps. 

Traffickers exploit a worker’s vulnerabilities. Although anyone can be subjected to forced labor, some groups are at heightened risk, including foreign workers on temporary visas, people experiencing poverty and economic hardship, and undocumented workers, among others. 

These examples also illustrate many of the signs of trafficking: poor living conditions, debt owed to an employer or recruiter, a worker feeling pressure to stay in a work situation that they would like to leave, and more.

The Department of Labor, through our work to enforce federal labor laws such as minimum wage, overtime and workplace safety laws, is often the first law enforcement agency on a worksite and in a unique position to detect and refer instances of potential human trafficking.

Staff in the department’s Wage and Hour Division and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are trained to look for indicators of trafficking and make referrals to other agencies. The Wage and Hour Division also calculates restitution for victims of trafficking when requested by the Department of Justice. The Department of Labor’s enforcement work is also a critical tool in addressing labor abuses and exploitation before the situation deteriorates into labor trafficking.

The Wage and Hour Division and OSHA also have tools to aid workers and strengthen our enforcement work, including completing U and T visa certifications for workers who have been victims of certain crimes, including trafficking.."
Human Trafficking 

21st Century Trafficking: Emerging Hotspots for Forced Labor

"According to the International Labor Organization, 28 million people around the world are trapped in forced labor. Some are compelled to work in dangerous conditions. Many are isolated, held in debt bondage, threatened, or have their passports and documents confiscated, making it nearly impossible to seek help or flee. Many become victims of trafficking because they are in desperate need of economic opportunities or trying to escape difficult life circumstances.

Where is this happening?

In nearly every country and in the supply chains of products and services you encounter daily. Here are three places where you should know that trafficking is occurring.

Palm oil plantations

If you have shopped at a grocery store, chances are you have bought something containing palm oil. Palm oil is an ingredient in countless products we use daily, from makeup and shampoo to baked goods and cooking oils. Palm oil comes from the fruit of the oil palm tree, 85% of which is harvested in Malaysia and Indonesia. Workers on palm plantations, many of whom are migrant workers lured by the false promises of good jobs, are often vulnerable to child labor and forced labor. Children and adults are subjected to dangerous working conditions, sexual violence and excessive work hours to meet steep work quotas. Palm oil from this part of the world – along with the myriad of products made with palm oil – is shipped globally to destinations including China, India and the U.S.

The U.S. Department of Labor is raising awareness about the risk of child labor and forced labor in the supply chains of products containing palm oil. Our latest List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor warns of multiple palm oil products that contain ingredients tainted by labor exploitation, and we’ve made recommendations to both governments and the private sector on how to address these abuses.

Southeast Asia scam call centers

Nearly everyone with a cell phone has received a scam call or text. A friendly voice on the line asks you about your day and begins to pitch you a false investing opportunity, a bogus extended car warranty or a fake trial of a new computer virus protection service. You might not know that these calls and texts are increasingly coming from people in forced labor in Southeast Asia.

There are growing reports of workers from Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam and Indonesia, among others, who are promised good jobs by unscrupulous recruiters, only to find themselves trapped in forced labor in makeshift call centers that are heavily guarded. Their passports are confiscated, and they are forced to work long hours and meet daily targets for successful scams. There are even reports of workers being moved or traded among other illegal call centers in the region.

The U.S. Department of Labor is continuing to monitor these situations in order to more effectively engage with the governments of countries in which such fraud is escalating.."
Trafficking 

National Firearms Commerce and Trafficking Assessment (NFCTA): Crime Guns - Volume Two

"The National Firearms Commerce and Trafficking Assessment (NFCTA) is a comprehensive examination of commerce in firearms in the United States and the diversion of firearms to illegal markets. Produced by a team comprised of ATF subject-matter experts, academics from a variety of disciplines specializing in research relating to firearms, and other law enforcement professionals, the NFCTA is designed to provide the public, researchers, and policymakers with analysis of data lawfully collected by ATF as part of its regulatory and law enforcement missions to inform the dialogue on firearm law and policy. To ensure comprehensive analysis, the NFCTA is being produced in several volumes. In May 2022, ATF published Volume I, Firearms in Commerce. Volume I presents data, information, and analysis specific to the manufacture, import, export, and sale of firearms by the regulated firearms industry in the United States. This second volume of the NFCTA, Crime Gun Intelligence and Analysis, focuses on data, information, and analysis relating to crime guns recovered by law enforcement during domestic and international investigations. Importantly, ATF accesses this data and information pursuant to specific statutory authorities and within the restrictions set by Congress to protect the privacy of lawful firearms owners.

The information that ATF relies upon to execute its law enforcement mission of protecting the public from firearm-related violence is derived from several sources. Collectively known as “Crime Gun Intelligence” (“CGI”) these sources include crime gun trace results derived from records that federal law requires federal firearms licensees (FFLs) to maintain about firearms they manufacture and distribute; ballistics data and analysis generated by ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN); and investigative information developed by ATF agents, other federal law enforcement agencies (LEAs), and local, state, territorial, tribal, and international law enforcement partners. Using these information sources, ATF routinely generates bulletins for law enforcement and industry, and issues public safety advisories for all citizens. This Volume of the NFCTA, however, represents the first comprehensive report incorporating crime gun information from the full range of sources used by ATF in more than twenty years. Advancements in ballistic analytical technology and information processing during this period have enhanced ATF’s capacity to support law enforcement efforts to identify, investigate, and prosecute those who use firearms to commit violent offenses and the traffickers who illegally divert those crime guns to criminals. Volume II describes in detail the sources of information that constitute CGI, and how CGI is leveraged to promote effective investigation of firearm-related violence.."
Firearms assessment 

DHS Releases New Resources to Combat Human Trafficking on World Day Against Trafficking in Persons

"Today, on World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released new resources aimed at combatting human trafficking and supporting victims.  The new resources include the first-ever Continued Presence Resource Guide to assist federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies in supporting victims of human trafficking and advancing trafficking investigations and prosecutions.  DHS is also releasing a fact sheet for the business community detailing criminal authorities used for prosecuting forced labor and related offenses in China.  The fact sheet appeals to victims and witnesses of forced labor and other human rights abuses to contact DHS.

“The Department of Homeland Security is leading the fight against the horrific practices of sex trafficking and forced labor,” said Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas.  “As part of the Department’s victim-centered approach, we are committed to providing victims of these crimes, including noncitizen victims, support and necessary services and to seeking justice on their behalf.  Components, offices, and experts across the Department are part of this critical mission.  With the release of these new resources, we aim to support and inform law enforcement and businesses across the country, and to protect and assist victims of trafficking.”
 

Continued Presence is a temporary immigration designation provided by law enforcement to noncitizens who may be victims of human trafficking or may be witnesses in investigations, or have filed federal civil actions against their traffickers.  Continued Presence is granted in two-year increments and is renewable.  Recipients are also eligible for certain federal benefits and services.  Continued Presence helps to alleviate victims’ fears about removal, provides victims economic security, and improves victims’ ability to seek justice against their traffickers.  Learn more about the Continued Presence Resource Guide..."
Human Trafficking 

Trafficking in Persons: 2020

"LOOKING BACK ON TWENTY YEARS OF THE TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT
 
 This year marks a major milestone—the 20th anniversary of the TIP Report. Twenty years ago, when the United States Congress passed the TVPA mandating this report, it signaled the U.S. government’s resolve to fight human trafficking and marked a pivot from indignation to positive action. Whether used to raise awareness, spark dialogue, spur action, or create a system of accountability, the TIP Report has served to reinforce global anti-trafficking norms and ideals. At a time when many governments denied the existence of human trafficking in all its forms, the TIP Report became a standard-bearer for the principles enshrined in the TVPA and the UN Trafficking in Persons Protocol (Palermo Protocol).

Throughout the last two decades, and as the availability of information on human trafficking has expanded, the TIP Report has grown in both its breadth and depth of analysis. It has consistently documented the efforts of an increasing number of governments to prosecute traffickers, protect victims, and prevent human trafficking crimes. The report has drawn attention to trends and emerging issues, highlighted promising practices, and tracked the progression of important developments, such as the passage of comprehensive anti-trafficking laws and improvements in victim identification efforts..."
Trafficking

Heroin Trafficking in the United States

"Over the past several years, the nation has seen an uptick in the use and abuse of opioids—both prescription substances and non-prescription substances such as heroin. The estimated number of individuals who had used heroin was 914,000 in 2014. Further, about 586,000 individuals (0.2% of the 12 and older population) had a heroin use disorder in 2014. In addition to an increase in heroin use over the past several years, there has been a simultaneous increase in its availability in the United States. This has been fueled by a number of factors, including increased production and trafficking of heroin—principally by Mexican criminal networks..."
Heroin trafficking

Trafficking in Persons Report 2015

"This year’s Report places a special emphasis on human trafficking in the global marketplace. It highlights the hidden risks that workers may encounter when seeking employment and the steps that governments and businesses can take to prevent trafficking, including a demand for transparency in global supply chains.

"The bottom line is that this is no time for complacency. Right now, across the globe, victims of human trafficking are daring to imagine the possibility of escape, the chance for a life without fear, and the opportunity to earn a living wage. I echo the words of President Obama and say to them: We hear you, and we will do all we can to make that dream come true. In recent decades, we have learned a great deal about how to break up human trafficking networks and help victims recover in safety and dignity. In years to come, we will apply those lessons relentlessly, and we will not rest until modern slavery is ended." – John F. Kerry, Secretary of State..."

Human trafficking

Human Trafficking: a Crime and Human Rights Abuse

Find information on the combined efforts of various federal agencies to combat human trafficking.
Human Trafficking:a Crime and Human Rights Abuse

Trafficking in Persons: U.S. Policy and Issues for Congress

"Trafficking in persons (TIP) for the purposes of exploitation is believed to be one of the most
prolific areas of contemporary international criminal activity and is of significant interest to the
United States and the international community as a serious human rights concern. TIP is both an
international and a domestic crime that involves violations of labor, public health, and human
rights standards, and criminal law..."
Trafficking in Persons: U.S. Policy and Issues for Congress

Trafficking in Persons: International Dimensions and Foreign Policy Issues for Congress

"Trafficking in persons, or human trafficking, refers to the subjection of men, women, and children to exploitative conditions that can be tantamount to slavery. Reports suggest that human trafficking is a global phenomenon, victimizing millions of people each year and contributing to a multi-billion dollar criminal industry. It is a centuries-old problem that, despite international and U.S. efforts to eliminate it, continues to occur in virtually every country in the world. Human trafficking is also an international and cross-cutting  policy problem that bears on a range or major national security, human rights, criminal justice, social, economic, migration, gender, public health, and labor issues..."

Trafficking in Persons:International Dimensions and Foreign Policy Issues for Congress

Trafficking in Persons: International Dimensions and Foreign Policy Issues for Congress

"Trafficking in persons, or human trafficking, refers to the involuntary subjection of men, women,
and children to exploitative conditions that can be tantamount to slavery. Reports suggest that
human trafficking is a global phenomenon, victimizing millions of people each year and
contributing to a multi-billion dollar criminal industry. It is a centuries-old problem that, despite
international and U.S. efforts to eliminate it, continues to occur in virtually every country in the
world. Human trafficking is also an international and cross-cutting policy problem that bears on a
range of major national security, human rights, criminal justice, social, economic, migration,
gender, public health, and labor issues..."

Assistance Program Helps Human Trafficking Victims
"Human trafficking is one of the most heinous crimes that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents investigate. Akin to modern-day slavery, victims are often forced into prostitution, involuntary labor and other forms of servitude. They are often hidden in plain sight, voiceless and scared.

ICE not only targets and apprehends human traffickers, but it also provides assistance to human trafficking victims through its Victim Assistance Program. That assistance comes in various forms like temporary immigration benefits, counseling, and more..."