For many of us, labor trafficking seems like a far-away issue. Although the International Labour Organization reports that worldwide, “28 million men, women and children are in (conditions of) forced labor,” we tell ourselves that “worldwide” must surely refer to somewhere else. But that is not the case. Modern slavery exists everywhere, and it is time we acknowledge that fact. On a national level, it is estimated that there are over one million human trafficking victims in the United States.
Given the prevalence of labor trafficking, it is imperative to know which groups of people face the highest risk of being targeted by labor traffickers. Understanding who is at the highest risk can help in developing targeted interventions and protections, shedding light on the systemic issues that make certain populations more susceptible to the manipulations of traffickers. This discussion is not only necessary for creating awareness but also for informing policies that aim to prevent such exploitation and protect those who are most at risk.
Undocumented Immigrants
One of the groups that face the biggest threat of being targeted by labor traffickers is undocumented immigrants. A common strategy employed by labor traffickers is to exploit an immigrant’s undocumented status to force them into exploitative working conditions, which often include “unfair or unsafe work environments, along with little pay.” Confronted with the alternative of being reported and then potentially deported, many undocumented workers are forced to comply.
Temporary Foreign Workers
Even those who immigrate to the US with federally recognized work visas face grave dangers. A study conducted by the National Institute of Justice found that “71% of those experiencing forced labor in the United States entered the country on lawful H-2A and H-2B visas.” These temporary visas, which last a maximum of three years, are given to agricultural (H-2A) and non-agricultural (H-2B) workers. Given the high rates at which H-2A visas, at 92 percent, and H-2B visas, at 74 percent, are issued to Mexican nationals, temporary workers hailing from Mexico are targeted by labor traffickers at alarming rates.
One of the central reasons traffickers target workers on temporary visas is because they can force them into debt bondage through recruitment fees, a sum of money that workers pay for the costs of transportation, signing contracts, or attending recruitment fairs. While it is not legal to charge these fees, labor traffickers exploit the fact that most migrant workers have no legal or professional assistance with their application process, and therefore decide on their own whether to pay the fee or pass up the job opportunity. A study conducted by Centro de los Derechos del Migrante found that a staggering “58 percent of the workers sampled reported paying recruitment fees.” Furthermore, as the Trafficking Hotline reports, the median amount of money necessary to pay off these recruitment debts amounted to $4,000, which would take the average H-2B worker 270 hours of work to earn, which is nearly 34 work days.
Homeless Youth and Children in Foster Care
Apart from immigrants and temporary workers, labor traffickers often target homeless or foster care children. In fact, 60 percent of child human trafficking victims have a history of child welfare involvement. Because these children lack stable home environments with guardians to look out for them, they are especially vulnerable to trafficking. Coerced either by the prospect of earning money or lured by the false promises of a supposed caretaker, they are then forced into exploitative working conditions. According to the Association of Farmworker Opportunity programs, “there are approximately 500,000 child farmworkers in the United States. Many of these children start working as young as age 8, and 72-hour work weeks (more than 10 hours per day) are not uncommon.” Furthermore, as the Government Accountability Office reports, “100,000 child farmworkers are injured on the job every year and children account for 20 percent of farming fatalities.”
People with Low Levels of Education
Individuals lacking formal educations are targeted by labor traffickers who promise lucrative job opportunities and financial stability. These traffickers exploit vulnerabilities by offering false assurances of good working conditions, educational opportunities, and fair wages. It is imperative to recognize that labor traffickers target those who have few other options left. Whether it is people who entered the US desperate for jobs, children who have no one to look out for them, or people with low levels of education struggling to make it in the US workforce, labor traffickers exploit their vulnerability. They “swoop in with false promises of good jobs and a better life,” often posing as legitimate employment agents promising high-paying jobs or educational programs. Believing that they are entering legitimate professions, these victims are then lured into labor trafficking.
Lydell, whose home rests on a quiet street in Bonn, Germany, is currently a junior at Brown University studying English and Political Science. As an aspiring writer, Lydell not only appreciates the beauty of language, but recognizes its extraordinary power. It is through reading that many of us learn, and so it is through writing that we can educate and tackle the complex issues that pervade the world around us. Especially given his background as an African American, Lydell is passionate about facing modern iterations of slavery, and dismantling the injustices that populate our landscapes.
