January was National Human Tracking Prevention Month and as the month wound down the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division updated the public about its continued effort to combat labor trafficking.
According to a release on Jan. 24, the division is supporting the updated U.S. National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking through collaborating with law enforcement. It is offering investigators training on human trafficking around he country, which enhances their ability to identify human trafficking indicators.
“The Wage and Hour Division is engaged in the fight to prevent and identify human trafficking and is committed to ending the exploitation of workers,” Acting Wage and Hour Division Administrator Jessica Looman said. “The Wage and Hour Division works with its partner agencies to combat the crimes employers commit to increase their profits at the expense of the dignity, respect and, in many cases, freedom of workers. The Wage and Hour Division is determined to end the cycle of fear and intimidation.”
The Wage and Hour Division shared several stories about why its work is so important. Trafficked migrant workers are often abused and intimidated by employers looking to exploit their labor. In one case in Georgia, farm workers were exposed to unsafe conditions and paid an unfair wage, while being forced to live in unsanitary housing provided by the employer.
In Florida, an employer was part of a multi-state racketeering conspiracy where farm workers had their passports confiscated and were put in isolated areas living in despicable conditions. The employer threatened to harm the workers’ families if they didn’t do what they were told.
