Human Trafficking and Forced Labor

Human trafficking involves the smuggling, kidnapping or unlawful retention of persons across national borders for sex slavery or labor exploitation. In the case of the latter, it also results in unpaid wages and inhuman working conditions, illegal under both federal and state employment laws.

On February 12, 2013 the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) issued a damning report documenting human trafficking for sex slavery and labor exploitation occurring in 118 countries and involving 136 nationalities.  A majority of the victims are women, though the number of children is also increasing.  One third of the victims can be found in North America, with Asian victims being the dominant nationality being trafficked into America. Seventy percent of the victims in the United States are trafficked for forced labor. They can be found in the nation’s restaurants, massage parlors, farms and homes.

The full 102 page report can be found here. A pdf copy can also be obtained from our website under published materials.

On February 3, 2013, the Huffington Post reported that National sporting events including the Super Bowl can be a major source for human and sex trafficking. “The Super Bowl is the greatest show on Earth, but it also has an ugly underbelly,” Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott told USA Today in 2011 when his state was gearing up to host the event. “It’s commonly known as the single largest human trafficking incident in the United States.”  The full article can be located here.

If you or someone you know is a victim of forced labor in the United States, please contact our office immediately.