U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

30–786 PDF WASHINGTON : 2018

S. HRG. 115–282 

FORCE MULTIPLIERS: HOW TRANSPORTATION 

AND SUPPLY CHAIN STAKEHOLDERS ARE 

COMBATTING HUMAN TRAFFICKING 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, 

SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION 

UNITED STATES SENATE 

ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS 

FIRST SESSION 

JULY 12, 2017 

Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

( 

Available online: http://www.govinfo.gov 

(II) 

SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION 

ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS 

FIRST SESSION 

JOHN THUNE, South Dakota, Chairman 

ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi 

ROY BLUNT, Missouri 

TED CRUZ, Texas 

DEB FISCHER, Nebraska 

JERRY MORAN, Kansas 

DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska 

DEAN HELLER, Nevada 

JAMES INHOFE, Oklahoma 

MIKE LEE, Utah 

RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin 

SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia 

CORY GARDNER, Colorado 

TODD YOUNG, Indiana 

BILL NELSON, Florida, Ranking 

MARIA CANTWELL, Washington 

AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota 

RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut 

BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii 

EDWARD MARKEY, Massachusetts 

CORY BOOKER, New Jersey 

TOM UDALL, New Mexico 

GARY PETERS, Michigan 

TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin 

TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois 

MAGGIE HASSAN, New Hampshire 

CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO, Nevada 

NICK ROSSI, Staff Director 

ADRIAN ARNAKIS, Deputy Staff Director 

JASON VAN BEEK, General Counsel 

KIM LIPSKY, Democratic Staff Director 

CHRIS DAY, Democratic Deputy Staff Director 

RENAE BLACK, Senior Counsel 

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C O N T E N T S 

Page 

Hearing held on July 12, 2017 ............................................................................... 1 

Statement of Senator Thune ................................................................................... 1 

Letter from Call to Freedom ............................................................................ 137 

Testimony from Chelsea .................................................................................. 139 

Statement from Tiffany Wlazlowski Neuman, Vice President, Public Affairs, NATSO ................................................................................................. 139 

Statement from Nancy L. Rivard, President, Airline Ambassadors International .......................................................................................................... 141 

Statement of Senator Nelson .................................................................................. 3 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 3 

Statement of Senator Blunt .................................................................................... 143 

Statement of Senator Schatz .................................................................................. 145 

Statement of Senator Fischer ................................................................................. 147 

Statement of Senator Cortez Masto ....................................................................... 150 

Statement of Senator Klobuchar ............................................................................ 153 

Statement of Senator Cantwell .............................................................................. 153 

Statement of Senator Capito .................................................................................. 155 

Statement of Senator Sullivan ............................................................................... 157 

Ten City Study by Laura T. Murphy, Loyola University and Covenant 

House entitled ‘‘Labor and Sex Trafficking Among Homeless Youth ....... 159 

Article dated April 17, 2017 from the New York Times entitled, ‘‘Homeless Youth at High Risk of Human Trafficking’’ by Tariro Mzezewa ....... 166 

Statement of Senator Young ................................................................................... 168 

WITNESSES

Keeli Sorensen, Director, Government Relations and Public Policy, Polaris ..... 4 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 6 

Esther Goetsch, Coalition Build Specialist, Truckers Against Trafficking ......... 120 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 122 

Samir Goswami, Technical Consultant, Technology Solutions to Trafficking 

in Global Supply Chains, Issara Institute ......................................................... 123 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 125 

Tomas J. Lares, Executive Director, Florida Abolitionist; and Chairman, 

Greater Orlando Human Trafficking Task Force .............................................. 131 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 133 

APPENDIX

Response to written questions submitted to Keeli Sorenson by: 

Hon. Dan Sullivan ............................................................................................ 173 

Hon. Bill Nelson ............................................................................................... 174 

Hon. Richard Blumenthal ................................................................................ 174 

Hon. Catherine Cortez Masto .......................................................................... 174 

Response to written questions submitted to Esther Goetsch by: 

Hon. Dan Sullivan ............................................................................................ 175 

Hon. Bill Nelson ............................................................................................... 176 

Hon. Richard Blumenthal ................................................................................ 178 

Hon. Catherine Cortez Masto .......................................................................... 178 

Response to written questions submitted to Samir Goswami by: 

Hon. Richard Blumenthal ................................................................................ 183 

Hon. Catherine Cortez Masto .......................................................................... 184 

Response to written questions submitted by Hon. Bill Nelson to Tomas J. 

Lares ..................................................................................................................... 223 

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FORCE MULTIPLIERS: 

HOW TRANSPORTATION AND SUPPLY 

CHAIN STAKEHOLDERS ARE COMBATTING 

HUMAN TRAFFICKING 

WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 2017 

U.S. SENATE, 

COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION, 

Washington, DC. 

The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10 a.m. in room SR– 

253, Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. John Thune, Chairman 

of the Committee, presiding. 

Present: Senators Thune [presiding], Nelson, Blunt, Fischer, Sullivan, Capito, Young, Cantwell, Klobuchar, Baldwin, and Cortez 

Masto. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN THUNE, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM SOUTH DAKOTA 

The CHAIRMAN. Good morning. Thank you all for being here. 

Today we are going to hear from some remarkable leaders who are 

working on the ground to combat human trafficking and to help 

victims. 

Human trafficking is a heinous crime that often hides in plain 

sight. The coercion that traffickers use to manipulate victims is not 

just happening overseas; it occurs right here in the United States. 

As the National Human Trafficking Hotline details, cases of human 

trafficking are annually reported in each of the 50 states and 

Washington, D.C. It is estimated that human trafficking is a $150 

billion industry globally. 

Our hearing today will explore the role of transportation providers, who are fighting the growth of trafficking in the United 

States, and their ongoing efforts to reduce forced labor in the global 

economy. Our witnesses have been asked to testify about the challenges and successful strategies in combatting this horrible crime. 

Human trafficking takes on many different forms, and the perpetrators use a variety of tools to recruit and control their victims. 

Victims of human trafficking are often lured with false promises of 

well-paying jobs, stability, or education. Others are manipulated by 

people that they trust. 

Because the ways in which humans are exploited differ greatly, 

the responses needed to disrupt and eradicate trafficking also differ. Solutions involve cooperation among industry, the government, 

and NGOs. No single entity can tackle this problem alone. 

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In the Senate, my colleagues Senators Cornyn, Grassley, and 

Klobuchar have been working on legislation, including the Abolish 

Human Trafficking Act of 2017, which increases the scope of training, targets organized perpetrators, and improves the national 

strategy to combat human trafficking. As a cosponsor of this legislation, I hope to see it move quickly through the Senate. 

Our committee also plays a role in helping solve this problem. 

The FAA Extension Act, signed into law last year, included a provision requiring enhanced training for flight attendants to recognize 

and respond to potential human trafficking victims. 

This week, Senator Klobuchar and I will introduce complementary bills that would create a lifeline—lifetime ban, I should say, 

for commercial driver’s license holders convicted of a crime related 

to human trafficking and improve education and outreach efforts 

regarding trafficking prevention within the transportation sector. 

I anticipate that both of these measures will be on the Committee’s next markup agenda. 

As we’ll hear from our witnesses today, greater knowledge, understanding, and awareness are essential for any forward movement in combatting this crime. 

Ms. Goetsch, from Truckers Against Trafficking, will discuss her 

group’s work to educate, equip, and mobilize the trucking industry 

to combat trafficking as part of their regular jobs. 

As consumers, many of us are unaware, I should say, of the potential victims who may come knocking on our door. As Ms. 

Sorensen, from Polaris, will testify, these victims can often be 

found in traveling sales crews, domestic work, and commercial 

cleaning services, just to name a few. 

We also may not realize that forced labor might have been used 

to harness the seafood we regularly enjoy. Mr. Goswami will testify 

about the Issara Institute’s efforts to assist those who are trapped 

at sea and oftentimes working without food or pay. He will discuss 

Issara’s efforts to work with corporate partners who want to ensure 

their supply chain, not only for seafood, but for all the goods that 

they sell is free from forced labor. 

There is also some significant work being done on the ground in 

my home state of South Dakota. Organizations such as Call to 

Freedom and Pathfinder are working to identify gaps in services 

for human trafficking victims and provide housing and support for 

victims to regain their lives and independence. 

Other organizations in my state, such as Native Hope, are on the 

ground working to educate and expand awareness during events in 

South Dakota. They are also working with state and tribal law enforcement to assist vulnerable communities often targeted for trafficking. I commend the efforts of these organizations and their 

leaders. 

I am encouraged by the partnerships and innovative solutions 

that our witnesses will highlight today. I want to thank you all for 

being here and for the advocacy and work that you’re engaged in. 

So I will turn now to Ranking Member Nelson for any opening 

statement that he would like to make. 

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STATEMENT OF HON. BILL NELSON, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM FLORIDA 

Senator NELSON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

This is a widespread problem that we need to put all the potential solutions on the table. We’re going to look today at how transportation, technology and the supply chain can help prevent the incidence of trafficking. Unfortunately, in my state, we know all too 

well the consequences. 

According to the trafficking hotline, Florida ranks third in the 

country for the number of cases reported in 2016. The Florida Department of Children and Families also said Florida received more 

than 1,800 reports alleging the trafficking. That’s a 54 percent increase over the year before. 

Obviously, this is shocking, but the stories are even worse, especially when we look at the fact that many victims of trafficking are 

women and children. Minors may be targeted because they’ve run 

away from home or have substance abuse problems. The traffickers 

promise these kids all kinds of things—money, clothes, drugs, housing—and they have no idea the price that they’re going to pay. 

Since the traffickers prey on desperate and vulnerable people, 

they seek out places where people won’t notice, where it can be difficult to intervene, but then help comes from some unusual places. 

A Florida truckdriver was traveling through Virginia two years ago 

at a gas station, and he saw an old RV that stuck out, and he noticed suspicious behavior that made him concerned for a minor female. He called the police. Later he learned that the woman he 

spotted was a trafficking victim. She had been coerced from Iowa, 

held against her will, tortured and raped. His quick thinking and 

attention definitely saved her life. 

Groups like the Truckers Against Trafficking train truck drivers 

to spot signs of trafficking and report the concerns to the hotline. 

Last Congress, the FAA bill included a provision which Senator 

Klobuchar championed to require that all flight attendants receive 

training on how to recognize and respond to trafficking. This Congress, I joined the Chairman and Senator Klobuchar on legislation 

to improve our response in the transportation sector by increasing 

awareness, training, and providing a new penalty to discourage 

trafficking. 

I want to thank all of our witnesses for being here. I want to 

thank Mr. Lares, who came all the way from Florida to speak on 

the work he does to combat human trafficking in the Orlando area. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

[The prepared statement of Senator Nelson follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. BILL NELSON, U.S. SENATOR FROM FLORIDA

Mr. Chairman, thank you for calling this hearing. 

Human trafficking is a horrific crime. 

It is a widespread problem that requires us to put all solutions on the table. 

Today, we will look at how transportation, technology and the supply chain can 

help prevent and respond to incidents of human trafficking. 

In Florida, we unfortunately know the consequences of human trafficking all too 

well. 

According to the human trafficking hotline, Florida ranks third in the country for 

the number of cases reported in 2016. 

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The Florida Department of Children and Families also said Florida received more 

than 1,800 reports alleging human trafficking. 

That’s a 54 percent increase over the year before. 

These statistics are shocking. 

But the stories of victims are even worse. 

Especially when we look at the fact that many victims of trafficking are women 

and children. 

Minors may be targeted because they have run away from home or have substance abuse problems. 

The traffickers promise these kids all kinds of things—money, clothes, drugs, 

housing—and they have no idea the price they will have to pay. 

Since the traffickers prey on the desperate and the vulnerable and they seek out 

places where people won’t notice, it can be very difficult to intervene. 

Help can sometimes come from unusual places. 

I’ll give you an example. 

A Florida truck driver was traveling through Virginia two years ago. 

At a gas station, he saw an old RV that stuck out and noticed suspicious behavior 

that made him concerned for a minor female in the RV. 

He immediately called the police. 

Later he learned that the woman he spotted was a trafficking victim. 

She had been coerced from Iowa, held against her will, and subjected to torture 

and sexual assault. 

His quick thinking and attention to suspicious behavior saved her life. 

Groups like Truckers Against Trafficking train truck drivers to spot signs of trafficking and report these concerns to the human trafficking hotline. 

Last Congress, the FAA bill included a provision, which Senator Klobuchar championed, to require that all flight attendants receive training on how to recognize and 

respond to potential human trafficking. 

This Congress, I joined Chairman Thune and Senator Klobuchar on legislation to 

improve our response to trafficking in the transportation sector by increasing awareness, expanding training, and providing a new penalty to discourage human trafficking. 

I thank all of our witnesses for being here today, especially Mr. Lares, who traveled from Florida to speak on the work he does to combat human trafficking in the 

Orlando area. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Senator Nelson. 

I’m going to turn now to our panel. I want to welcome our witnesses this morning and thank them in advance for their testimony, and ask them to, as much as they can, confine their oral remarks to 5 minutes, and any written statements will obviously be 

included into the completion in the record, and it will give us an 

opportunity to ask questions. 

But on my left, and your right, we have Ms. Keeli Sorensen, who 

is Director of Government Relations and Public Policy at Polaris. 

Ms. Esther Goetsch, who is Coalition Build Specialist for Truckers Against Trafficking. 

Mr. Samir Goswami, who is Technical Consultant, Technology 

Solutions to Trafficking in Global Supply Chains at the Issara Institute. 

And Mr. Tomas Lares, who is Executive Director of Florida Abolitionist and Member of the Greater Orlando Human Trafficking 

Task Force. 

Thank you all so much for being here. 

And we will start on my left with Ms. Sorensen, if you will proceed with your remarks. Welcome. 

STATEMENT OF KEELI SORENSEN, DIRECTOR, GOVERNMENT 

RELATIONS AND PUBLIC POLICY, POLARIS 

Ms. SORENSEN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Nelson, and other distinguished members of the Committee. Thank 

5 

you for hosting the hearing on human trafficking, one of the 

gravest human rights abuses in the United States and globally. 

I am grateful for the invitation this morning and to have submitted written testimony to you regarding how human trafficking 

impacts commercial industries within the United States. 

Mr. Chairman, I am the Director of Government Relations and 

Public Policy at Polaris, which operates the National Human Trafficking Hotline you’ve already referenced this morning. It’s a 

project of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We 

also operate the Polaris-owned BeFree Textline. Polaris also builds 

the capacity of other hotlines globally, creating an environment in 

which victims of human trafficking can safely signal for help anytime, anywhere. 

Mr. Chairman, my written statement outlines an overview of the 

human trafficking cases Polaris has learned about by operating 

these U.S. helplines, specifically noting the cases that are occurring 

in or facilitated by online technology, transportation systems, and 

the hospitality sector, all critical supply chain stakeholders. I ask 

that my full statement be made part of the record. 

With more than 10 years of experience assisting exploited and 

trafficked populations in the United States and internationally, I’ve 

seen firsthand how this issue impacts vulnerable men, women, and 

children. Working with the survivors in the United States specifically, I’ve witnessed the way that the transportation and hospitality industries have facilitated this crime. 

Thomas is a survivor I met years ago whose name I’ve changed 

to protect his identity. He had long dreamt of leaving his home in 

South Asia to work in the United States. He was approached by 

a labor recruiter who asked him for $5,000 to secure a lucrative job 

at a hotel resort in the south, but when he arrived in the U.S., he 

was told that the job no longer existed. Instead, he was put on a 

bus to the Midwest and traveled for 3 days with no money for food 

or water. 

He arrived in a small town and was told that he had to clean 

rooms for two different hotels for 15 to 18 hours per day at a significantly lower wage than he was promised. He was constantly 

monitored and threatened with deportation. He lived with several 

other men in a dingy single room and was driven from job site to 

job site with no independence. Thomas worried for his family and 

was unsure how he would repay his debt to his recruiter. 

Thankfully, he learned about human trafficking and his victim 

status, and he was able to seek help. He successfully sought redress, and eventually was reunited with his family. 

Thomas’s story shares commonalities with other cases of human 

trafficking, whether across the hospitality sector or beyond. In 

many cases, there are multiple opportunities for authorities and 

other stakeholders to intervene in order to prevent or stop the 

crime. To do so effectively requires a nuanced understanding of 

how human trafficking manifests across the country. 

Polaris recently published a report called ‘‘The Typology of Modern Slavery: Defining Sex Trafficking and Labor Trafficking in the 

United States.’’ The report analyzed 32,000 cases of human trafficking that we’ve learned about by operating the U.S. helplines, 

and identified a framework of 25 unique types, 18 types of labor 

6 

trafficking and 7 types of sex trafficking. Through this research, 

Polaris identified 2,894 human trafficking cases that had some 

level of involvement with website or Internet locations, 3,012 cases 

intersecting with hotels and motels, and 909 cases involving transportation systems. 

The typology lays the groundwork for tailored prevention and 

disruption efforts that can be organized by human trafficking type 

or by issue area that frequently emerge across types. We believe 

that supply chain transparency is one such cross-type issue area 

that requires increased investment from policymakers. Within the 

transportation and hospitality industries, there has been recognition of the problems, and there have been efforts to step up. 

We have partnered with Marriott International and Wyndham 

Hotels, the American Hotel and Lodging Association, and Delta 

Airlines, to name a few. They work to identify and respond to cases 

of human trafficking. Our hope is that we will expand the nature 

of these partnerships in this and in other sectors to increase basic 

supply chain prevention efforts as well. 

A full list of recommendations for your consideration have been 

submitted in my written testimony, but in conclusion, I’ll reflect 

just one more core thing. Congress has the ability to require mandatory publication of supply chain information across sectors. Federal legislation should build on the California supply chain— 

sorry—California Transparency and Supply Chains Act, and the 

more recent U.K. Modern Slavery Act and French law on corporate 

vigilance. 

Furthermore, Executive Order 13627 and the National Defense 

Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 both require government 

contractors to create compliance plans to prevent human trafficking 

in the U.S. Government supply chain. Designating training and enforcement within government agencies, which I’ve seen in the draft 

of the bill that the Chairman and Ranking Member Nelson and 

Senator Klobuchar are proposing soon would be an example of this, 

designating training and enforcement within government agencies, 

like the Department of Transportation, would provide an extra 

layer of needed oversight to ensure that compliance plans are effectively upheld. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman and the members of this Committee, 

for your attention to this critical issue. Polaris looks forward to 

working with you and to ensure that the U.S. Government continues to be a global leader in the fight to end human trafficking. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Sorensen follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF KEELI SORENSEN, DIRECTOR, GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

AND PUBLIC POLICY, POLARIS

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Nelson, and other distinguished members of the 

Committee, thank you for hosting this hearing on human trafficking, one of the 

gravest human rights abuses in the United States and globally. 

I want to thank the members of the Committee for the opportunity to submit 

written testimony regarding human trafficking and how it impacts select commercial industries within the United States. 

Mr. Chairman, I am the Director of Government Relations and Public Policy at 

Polaris, a leading anti-human trafficking organization that works to eradicate all 

forms of modern slavery. Grounded in data gathered from the lived experiences of 

survivors, Polaris responds to victims of human trafficking effectively and immediately, equips key stakeholders and communities to address and prevent human 

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1The data do not represent the full scope of human trafficking—a lack of awareness of the 

crime or of these hotlines in certain geographic regions, by particular racial or ethnic groups, 

and by labor trafficking survivors can lead to significant underreporting. Nonetheless, this information allowed us to expose the vulnerabilities in network business models and understand the 

ways that traffickers leverage and exploit legitimate businesses or institutions—such as social 

media, hotels, financial institutions, transportation systems, and government visas. 

trafficking, and disrupts the business of human trafficking through targeted intervention initiatives grounded in the data Polaris collects and analyzes about the 

crime. 

Polaris operates public channels of communication, including the National Human 

Trafficking Hotline (The Hotline), a project of the U.S. Department of Health and 

Human Services, and Polaris’s BeFree Textline. We also build the capacity of other 

hotlines globally, creating an environment in which victims of human trafficking can 

safely signal for help—anytime, anywhere. In doing so, Polaris contributes to the 

creation of a safety-net for survivors, connecting them to life-saving services, while 

also collecting data about the crime of human trafficking that is then analyzed for 

actionable insights aimed at disruption. 

Polaris cultivates and stewards trusted partnerships across a region, mapping the 

ecosystem and establishing response protocols with relevant stakeholders (e.g., law 

enforcement, service providers, survivors, etc.), building a safety-net that can effectively serve survivors and pursue tips. Secondary benefits of ecosystem mapping include a detailed understanding of where gaps in services and trained professionals 

exist, thus informing public policy, influencing the flow of funds to communities, and 

encouraging multi-stakeholder collaboration. 

Having responded to over 155,000 signals (calls, texts, webforms, and e-mails), Polaris now has one of the largest data sets on how and where human trafficking occurs in the United States. Recognizing that this data provides strategic insights for 

how to disrupt human trafficking networks, for the past three years, Polaris’s Data 

Analysis Program has worked to standardize our data collection, package these 

standards for other hotlines and organizations around the world, and create global 

data sharing partnerships. Over time, these data-sharing platforms and analytics 

will offer Polaris and the broader field a global map and taxonomy of human trafficking operations, informing collaborative and holistic regional response and intervention activities. 

Codifying and implementing a data collection process, while an important first 

step, will not alone flip the low risk/high profit equation. The analysis of the data— 

and more specifically, identifying, mapping, and naming the unique sub-types of 

trafficking—is what enables meaningful disruption. 

In March of 2017, Polaris published The Typology of Modern Slavery: Defining Sex 

and Labor Trafficking in the United States (Typology Report). This report identified 

a framework of 25 unique types of human trafficking, each with the potential for 

numerous sub-types. This framework creates a new organizing principle that lays 

the groundwork for tailored prevention and disruption efforts, providing actionable 

insights to critical stakeholders seeking to inform and spur systemic action, better 

enabling diverse stakeholders to combat the crime within their spheres of influence. 

The Typology Report analyzed more than 32,208 cases of human trafficking documented between December 

2007 and December 2016 on the National Human Trafficking Hotline and BeFree 

Textline. This is the largest data set on human trafficking in the United States ever 

compiled and publicly analyzed.1 Data from 55 percent of potential human trafficking cases are classified into distinct types. Case types range from escort services 

to domestic work, traveling sales crews to construction and landscaping. Some cases 

involve both commercial sex and forced labor. Some traffickers may use only one 

business model, while other traffickers may use several. For example, a trafficker 

sometimes may force a victim to engage in commercial sex in outdoor locations such 

as truck stops, and other times use an escort service model to force the victim to 

engage in commercial sex at hotels. 

The types tend to be more fluid in sex trafficking cases, and traffickers can be 

nimble and responsive to disruption efforts by changing their business models. Because many victims of labor trafficking are unaware that they are the victim of a 

crime or that there is a hotline to call for help, and because public awareness of 

labor trafficking is limited, the National Human Trafficking Hotline and Polaris’s 

BeFree Textline received fewer calls about labor trafficking than sex trafficking. 

Only 16 percent of the cases identified on these hotlines involved labor trafficking. 

However, it is important to note that, globally, the International Labor Organization 

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2http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_182109/lang-en/ 

index.htm 

statistics state that labor trafficking is more prevalent than sex trafficking.2 Polaris 

strongly believes that labor trafficking cases in the United States are chronically 

underreported due to a lack of awareness about the issue and a lack of recognition 

of the significant vulnerability of workers in many U.S. labor sectors. 

Of the data classified into distinct types, a range of sectors, both illicit and legitimate, were represented in the cases of human trafficking. The most reported type 

of human trafficking was escort services, a broad term used widely in the commercial sex trade, referring to commercial sex acts that primarily occur at temporary 

indoor locations. We received 4,651 reports of this type of sex trafficking. Following 

that type was illicit massage, health and beauty with 2,949 cases. This type of trafficking presents a facade of legitimate spa services, concealing that their primary 

business is the sex and labor trafficking of women. We received 1,643 cases of 

human trafficking related to outdoor solicitation for commercial sex and 1,290 cases 

related to forced commercial sex within residential brothels. We also noted 1,190 

cases of domestic or homecare workers providing cooking, cleaning, and caretaking 

services. 

Over the course of our research, Polaris noted the trafficker profiles, recruitment 

methods, victim profiles and methods of control unique to each type of trafficking. 

This research also enabled us to record the frequency with which human trafficking 

occurs in, or intersects with a variety of sectors. Some of these venues willingly engage in exploitation, but in most cases they unwittingly facilitate human trafficking 

due to a lack of oversight or a failure to understand the signs. Three key sectors 

that traffickers take advantage of include online technology, transportation systems, 

and the hospitality industry (hotels and motels). 

Human Trafficking and the Internet 

The Internet plays a significant role in the recruitment of victims and the advertisement of human trafficking. Between December 7, 2007, and April 30, 2017, Polaris learned about 2,894 human trafficking cases that had some level of involvement 

with website/Internet locations at any point during the exploitation. Examples of 

human trafficking types include: 

• Remote Interactive Sexual Acts 

• Illicit Massage, Health, & Beauty Services 

• Escort Services 

• Arts & Entertainment 

• Bar, Strip Clubs, & Cantinas 

• Domestic Work 

• Illicit Activities 

• Personal Sexual Servitude 

• Residential Sex Trafficking 

• Outdoor Solicitation 

• Pornography 

During this time, Polaris also received reports of 104 cases of cybersex trafficking—where minors and adults are made to perform sex acts in front of a webcam 

as it is livestreamed to consumers. 

The Internet has become a place where traffickers advertise commercial sexual 

services with relative anonymity, providing an easy and cost-effective way to reach 

a wide selection of customers. Polaris regularly hears from survivors that they were 

advertised for commercial sex on a number of websites. One website which advertises commercial sex services listed nearly 12,000 national ads on a single day in 

2014. In escort service sex trafficking alone, Polaris learned about 1,795 cases that 

involved victims being advertised online. For more than five years, Polaris has 

raised serious concerns about how sex trafficking victims have been advertised online. We have served victims sold on websites in our programs, and we received 

nearly 2,000 reports of likely sex trafficking cases involving advertising websites 

through the National Human Trafficking Hotline. There are numerous online sites 

operating programs advertising commercial sex and we suspect that many of those 

advertised are sex trafficking victims. 

Polaris also received reports from 693 victims who specifically stated that they 

were recruited into their situation via the Internet. However, we’ve also found that 

victims are using the Internet to reach out for help, as in the case of the National 

9 

Human Trafficking Hotline reporting webform. From helpline victim record data, 

Polaris learned that 679 victims had access to mobile applications and social media 

during their trafficking situation. This access can and should be leveraged to help 

victims find assistance. 

Organizations assisting at-risk populations have also built online education tools 

to better protect individuals from severe exploitation. A close partner to Polaris 

called Centro de los Derechos del Migrante collaborated with internationally recruited migrant worker leaders across Mexico and the United States to build 

Contratados.org, a website that provides migrant workers with a space to share and 

access previously unavailable information about recruitment and employment under 

the H–2 visa program. The project makes the recruitment system transparent and 

gives workers and advocates access to a Yelp-like review that migrant workers write 

based on their personal recruitment and employment experiences. Creative tools 

like Contratados can help transform the Internet from a place of potential exploitation to a source of education and empowerment. 

Furthermore, Polaris encourages law enforcement to bring charges against online 

platforms that knowingly create content that facilitates the sale of minors or adults 

being sex trafficked. In 2016, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations published a report describing evidence that Backpage had edited or modified 

ads before they posted them—sometimes in order to conceal that commercial sex 

acts were being offered for money, and sometimes even to conceal the sale of someone who was a minor. It’s been suggested that that’s proactive facilitating behavior 

and negligence by Backpage, including clear knowledge that they knew sex trafficking was happening on their site. These are alarming findings and require immediate additional investigation. 

Hospitality Industry (Hotels & Motels) Intersection with Human 

Trafficking 

Between December 7, 2007, and April 30, 2017, Polaris operated hotlines identified 3,012 cases of human trafficking that intersected with hotels and motels (at 

some point during the course of the crime) including: 

• Traveling Sales Crews 

• Outdoor Solicitation 

• Escort Services 

• Hospitality (labor) 

• Begging and Peddling Rings 

• Arts & Entertainment 

• Construction 

• Domestic Work 

• Commercial Cleaning Services 

• Residential Sex Trafficking 

• Illicit Massage, Health, & Beauty Services 

• Bars, Strip Clubs, & Cantinas 

• Personal Sexual Servitude 

• Restaurant & Food Service 

• Pornography 

• Illicit Activities (labor) 

Hotels and motels are the most commonly reported venue for sex trafficking situations involving U.S. citizen victims. These sites allow for buyer confidentiality, since 

buyers can park at and enter these establishments without oversight. These locations also allow for traffickers to function without being responsible for facility 

maintenance, enabling them to move between locations avoiding detection. Of the 

5,199 escort services cases Polaris learned about operating the National Human 

Trafficking Hotline and the BeFree Textline, 2,225 of these cases were based in hotels and motels. Stopping this type of trafficking is heavily dependent on eliciting 

the support and intervention of hospitality staff. 

As discussed in Polaris’s Typology Report, labor trafficking is both present in the 

hotel industry’s workforce and in its product supply chain. Since 2007, Polaris has 

learned about 124 cases of labor trafficking taking place directly on the grounds of 

hotels and motels. Traffickers have included hotel management or those who manage labor recruitment agencies that subcontract with hotels to provide cleaning or 

groundskeeping services. If the trafficker is a contractor, the hotel may not be aware 

of the abuse. Most commonly, workers were recruited with job offers that misrepreVerDate Nov 24 2008 11:05 Jul 25, 2018 Jkt 075679 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 S:\GPO\DOCS\30786.TXT JACKIE
10 

sented the working conditions, wages, and the ability to safely leave the job. In 

other cases, workers were recruited via other fraudulent promises. Most victims are 

women and men from Jamaica, the Philippines, and India, and typically they are 

told that they will make lucrative wages to support family back home. Most victims 

enter the job with an H–2B visa, which restricts visa portability, tying victims to 

their abusive employer. J–1 visas are also used, though less frequently. U.S. citizen 

victims have also been reported. 

In addition to labor trafficking happening in hotels and motels, one lesser known 

type of labor trafficking that is extremely reliant on the hospitality sector to maintain operations is traveling sales crews. Polaris operated helplines identified 605 

cases of labor trafficking occurring within traveling sales crews, which rely almost 

exclusively on hotels and motels to house their victims. Sales crews move between 

cities and states and go door-to-door, often selling fraudulent products such as magazine subscriptions that customers may never receive. The young salespeople (onethird of which have been minors) sell from morning until night and are controlled 

by traffickers who deny them food and restrict after-hours activity, including their 

sleep arrangements at hotels and motels. Data shows numerous linkages between 

sales crews and a larger national business network. It can be challenging to find 

these links because many organizations, particularly those with a long record of 

fraud-related complaints, frequently change their names and operating locations 

while remaining under the same ownership. (Please see Knocking At Your Door: 

Labor Trafficking on Traveling Sales Crews for more information.) 

With the input of survivors, industry leaders, and subject matter experts, Polaris 

has developed a set of recommendations that we believe can help raise awareness 

and, in turn equip and empower hotel owners and employees to help put a stop to 

human trafficking. Those recommendations are as follows (from Hotel Industry Fact 

Sheet): 

Recommendations for the Hotel Industry 

1. Formally Adopt A Company-Wide Anti-Trafficking Policy: Adopt a policy that 

articulates your company’s commitment to combating all forms of human trafficking (sex and labor, adult and minor victims, U.S. citizen and foreign national 

victims) at all levels of your business. The Code of Conduct for the Protection 

of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism and the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, are good places to 

start. Once adopted, the policy should be clearly communicated and implemented at all levels, to ensure there is no human trafficking on-site, within your 

workforce, or within your company’s sourcing/procurement supply chains. 

2. Train Staff On What To Look For And How To Respond: Training is essential 

to identify and respond to human trafficking in your business. Education should 

occur annually, at the point of hire, and include staff at all levels (property owners, general managers, and line staff), to identify when a suspicious situation 

may be human trafficking. Trainings should incorporate internal processes and 

protocols for how to respond to and report human trafficking. 

3. Establish A Safe & Secure Reporting Mechanism: Frontline staff, franchisees 

and vendors/suppliers need a safe and secure method to report concerns as they 

arise without fear of retaliation. 

4. Develop A Response Plan For Your Business: Concerns of human trafficking or 

severe labor exploitation need to be taken seriously, investigated in a timely 

fashion, and remediated as quickly as possible. Develop an internal process for 

responding to and reporting human trafficking when it is suspected on-site, 

within your workforce, or within your supply chains. 

5. Directly Hire Employees Whenever Possible: It is well documented that the 

more removed or tenuous an employment relationship is, the more vulnerable 

workers are to abuse, including debt bondage and forced labor –two forms of 

human trafficking that have been found in the hotel industry. If it’s not possible 

to directly hire, know your subcontractors and their recruitment practices well; 

don’t tolerate abusive practices. 

6. Work With Suppliers And Vendors Who Responsibly Source Their Products: 

Human trafficking can occur within your hotel’s procurement or vendor’s supply 

chains. Whenever possible, strive to purchase from businesses using fair trade 

and responsible sourcing models, such as GoodWeave, The Fair Food Program, 

and Servv. Hotels can start by switching to fair trade certified coffee, or inviting 

these alternative businesses to attend your next trade show. 

7. Contact The National Human Trafficking Hotline (1–888–373–7888) and 

BeFree (233733) Texting Helpline: These national resources are available nationwide, toll-free, 24 hours a day, with tele-interpreting in over 170 languages 

11 

for help or to report a situation of trafficking. Our trained call specialists are 

equipped to assess, provide safety planning, and refer to our network of trafficking experts across the United States for a targeted, victim- centered response. 

Polaris partners with leaders in the hospitality sector who have taken strides to 

tackle this issue, including Wyndham Hotels. Of particular note is our partnership 

with the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA), Marriott International, 

and ECPAT–USA to make available a co-created training that addresses the issues 

of human trafficking as they intersect with the hospitality industry. The program 

defines human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children, helps employees identify individuals who are most at risk for human trafficking, builds an 

understanding between labor and sex trafficking specific to the hotel sector, and explains the role of hospitality employees in responding to this issue. 

Moving forward, Polaris recommends that—at a minimum—hotels, franchisees, 

and smaller independent lodging establishments mandate trainings including the 

identification of victims and establishing and enforcing policies for obtaining goods 

and services free of forced labor. 

Transportation Industry Intersections with Human Trafficking 

Almost every type of human trafficking, at some point in the recruitment or exploitation phase of the situation, involves the trafficker or victim using transportation routes. Victims find themselves taking buses, taxis, trains, and planes during 

the course of their trafficking experience. It is therefore imperative that transportation industry actors—bus operators, train conductors, toll booth operators, highway patrol officers, airline staff, and truckers take every step possible to educate 

themselves on the signs of human trafficking. 

From December 7, 2007, until April 30, 2017, the National Human Trafficking 

Hotline and the BeFree Textline learned about 909 human trafficking cases involving the following transportation systems (non-cumulative, some cases involve multiple systems): 

• Buses: 407 Cases 

• Taxi/Commercial Driving Service: 142 Cases 

• Train/Rail: 76 Cases 

• Train/Metro: 42 Cases 

• Airlines: 317 Cases 

• Cruise Ships/Cargo Ships: 21 Cases 

Of these cases, 24 represent labor trafficking cases directly occurring within the 

transportation industry (e.g., trucking, shipping, taxi drivers, cruise ships, etc.). 

As mentioned above, there are several labor trafficking types that rely heavily on 

mobile contract labor also known as ‘‘crews.’’ Crews tend to be transported frequently from one worksite to another and are often found in human trafficking 

cases related to construction, landscaping, forestry, commercial cleaning services, 

and home health care. While we lack sufficient information on what exact modes 

of transportation contractors use to transport victims, it’s clear that they rely on the 

infrastructure of streets, tolls, tunnels, bridges, etc. Carnival crews, while they are 

not sub-contractors, engage in regional travel as a core component of their business 

model and are at high-risk of trafficking. Additionally, Polaris has noted 142 cases 

human trafficking for domestic work that have connections to transportation systems such as airlines, taxis, buses, and trains. These systems were accessed at every 

phase of the trafficking situation: to facilitate a victim’s entry into the exploitative 

situation, used during the exploitation (we often see domestic workers take taxis 

and public buses to grocery shop and run errands), or to escape a trafficking situation. 

Traffickers are also dependent on transportation systems and roadways to facilitate sex trafficking. Between December 7, 2007, and April 30, 2017, Polaris identified 1,179 cases of trafficking in the escort delivery model, whereby traffickers deliver victims to a buyer’s hotel room or residence. We also identified 1,079 cases of 

street-based commercial sex and 667 cases of truck stop sex trafficking. Cases of sex 

trafficking related to illicit massage businesses recruit many victims from Southeast 

Asia who often intersect with airline services when coming to the U.S., either at the 

start of, or immediately prior to being trafficked. However, further research is needed to determine which percentage of these interactions act as entry points to the 

trafficking situation versus a new location. There is anecdotal evidence of traffickers 

using interstate bus lines to move women between illicit massage businesses. More 

12 

research is required to understand the level of involvement, if any, that these companies and/or drivers have with the traffickers. 

Buyers also engage transportation systems to access victims of forced commercial 

sex services. For organized residential brothels, limited data may suggest that buyers are using taxis and other commercial driving services in their visits to brothels 

in order to conceal their identity and not expose their license plates to possible detection. 

Thankfully, the transportation industry has acknowledged the presence of human 

trafficking in this sector and is taking steps to address it. Polaris has worked with 

industry leaders to improve awareness about human trafficking. We consulted as 

key advisors to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s ‘‘Putting the Brakes on 

Human Trafficking’’ campaign, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s ‘‘Blue 

Lightning’’ campaign, partnered with taxi associations to identify trafficking in the 

City of Houston, and partnered with organizations like Truckers Against Trafficking 

as they engage truckers across the country, to name a few. Many of these partners 

encourage victims or those reporting tips to contact the National Human Trafficking 

Hotline. As a result, the Hotline continues to receive an ever increasing number of 

reports from victims or those wishing to help intervene in a situation. 

In 2017, Polaris launched a partnership with Delta Airlines to highlight and increase general awareness about the 25 types of human trafficking and how the airline industry might be exploited or used illicitly to facilitate it. Delta also established a special SkyMiles program offering its customers the ability to donate 

SkyMiles to Polaris to provide airline tickets to support survivors of trafficking to 

travel to their home country, to receive critical services, reunite with children or 

family, or engage in survivor leadership opportunities. 

To date, much of the private and public transportation sector engagement has focused on building awareness about the issue and increasing victim identification. 

However, it is common on the Polaris operated helplines to engage with victims and 

survivors who lack transportation to shelters or other critical resources. For example, the National Human Trafficking Hotline managed a case of two male labor trafficking victims in a rural town whose closest access to shelter was a three-hour 

drive away. The men had no money to reach the shelter. The Hotline had to work 

with local police to drive the men to the shelter. Where possible, we would encourage the public and private transportation sectors to identify ways to increase costeffective or free transportation options to connect victims and survivors with critical 

resources and services. 

Conclusion 

In 2016, reports of human trafficking cases in the United States to the National 

Human Trafficking Hotline jumped 37 percent, reaching over 7,500 cases for the 

year. The Hotline received almost 27,000 calls in 2016, up 22 percent from 2015. 

In just under a decade, we have seen calls to the National Hotline increase by nearly 650 percent. 

As awareness about this issue grows, Polaris expects human trafficking reports 

to increase. It will be critical for Congress to continue to provide adequate financial 

assistance to direct service programs to ensure support for the brave individuals 

seeking help. The Senate has introduced two complimentary bills: S. 1311, the Abolish Human Trafficking Act of 2017 led by Senators John Cornyn and Amy 

Klobuchar; and S. 1312, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2017 led by Senators Chuck Grassley and Dianne Feinstein, which among other things, reauthorize 

critical funding for victim service programs through the Department of Justice and 

the Department of Health and Human Services. Most significantly, both of these 

bills reauthorize the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 in a bipartisan, 

uncontroversial manner. Polaris urges Congress to continue working to ensure this 

legislation remains bipartisan and focused on consensus-based ideas aimed at combating trafficking and most specifically, assisting victims. 

Congress should also make every effort to build a comprehensive understanding 

of the ways that this crime manifests in the United States. Polaris encourages congress to authorize funding for a holistic national prevalence study to try to determine the true size of the human trafficking issue in the United States. Making this 

a priority will provide both government, private sector, and advocates with an accurate account of the crime so we can best direct resources to prevent and disrupt it. 

In the meantime, Polaris continues to work with other international and national 

organizations to build out new datasets on human trafficking. One such initiative 

is the Counter-Trafficking Data Collaborative (CTDC), led by the International Organization for Migration and Polaris. The CTDC, launching later this year, will provide an open source, multi-stakeholder repository of data on human trafficking. Initially, the dataset will comprise information from IOM’s global victim assistance 

13 

database and Polaris’s data. Anonymized datasets will be available for download 

and will be compatible with analysis software. We encourage Congress to support 

data efforts like this wherever possible. 

Private industry sectors should make every effort to ensure that their supply 

chains (made up of labor services and procured goods) are free of forced labor. Congress has the ability to require mandatory publication of supplier information. This 

should build on the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act and the more recent U.K. Modern Slavery Act and French law on corporate vigilance. Furthermore, 

Executive Order 13627 and the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 

2013 both require government contractors to create compliance plans to prevent 

human trafficking in the U.S. Government supply chain. Designating training and 

enforcement within government agencies, including the Department of Transportation and others would provide an extra layer of oversight to ensure that compliance plans are effectively upheld. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and the members of the Committee, for your attention 

to this critical issue. Polaris looks forward to working with you to ensure that the 

U.S. Government continues to be a global leader in ending human trafficking. 

14 


712TYPOL1.eps

The 

Typology of 

Modern 

Slavery 

Defining Sex and Labor Trafficking 

in the United States 

·Polans 
15 


712TYPOL2.eps
16 


712TYPOL3.eps
17 


712TYPOL4.eps

The 

Typology of 

Modern 

Slavery 

Defining Sex and Labor Trafficking 

in the United States 

March 2017 
18 


712TYPOL5.eps
19 


712TYPOL6.eps

Table of Contents 

13 Health Introduction OS & S.auty Servict'S 38 

Methodology 07 14 Construction 41 

15 Hotels Type Profiles 09 & HOJpitality 43 

01 bcort S.rvict-S 10 16 l.and5caping 46 

02 Illicit Ma"Ssage, 17 Illicit Health, & Beauty 12 Activities 48 

03 Outdoor 18 ...... Solicitation 14 & Entertainment so 

04 19 Commercial Ruidenttal 17 Cleaning S..-vic.s 53 

OS Oome1tic 20 Factories 

Work 19 & Manufacturin.g ss 

06 S..rt., Strip 21 Remote Interactive 

Oubs, & Cantina$ 22 Sexual Act1 58 

07 Pomography 24 22 Camivals 60 

08 Traveling 23 Forestry Sale-sCrews 26 & Logg;ng 62 

09 Rntaurants & Food Service 29 24 Health Care 65 

10 Peddling 25 Recreational & Begg;ng 31 f.acillties 67 

11 Agric:utture& Animal Husbandry 33 Next Steps 71 

12 Personal Sexual Servitude 36 
20 


712TYPOL7.eps

Introduction 

l=or th• Jau 1S y•arc, peopl• in th• modern ;anti-tra~. 

fdlng rleld h&ve strvggled to identify and disrupt hum6n 

uaftlddng networks in the United Stat~s. This movement 

to stop l'riOdern slevery h&s confronted n'l;!lny challenges. 

and one of the f't'K)St significant has been the absence of 

data that shows hO'N human trafficking operates. 

To erad•cate human trafftcking networks and help survivors, we must Mable to ick!ntify and distupt the tnanifeatatcons of trafficking in our comm.~n•tles 

From sex trafficking w;thin escort services to labor 

ttaffd.ing of fatmwotker$, thew•y$humens are exploited 

dcffer greatly. Each type has uncque strategces for recruit· 

lng and controlling v~lims. and concealing tM crirn.e. 

For years, we have been stating at an inconv!ete chess 

game, moving pieces Without se-emg hidden squares or 

fully understanding the power relat.tonships between 

players. Many efforts to combat traffiCking have genet· 

eli:tt<:l tCrO$S too many types end created ove-"ly generic 

resources and responses. Fat exampfe. i-f an anti-traffiCking 

group is prov1dlng a tt.einmg fOt h01ek, generic "Hurr'!M 

Trafflcking 101" training is less effective 'han ttai:nrng that 

focvses on the types of tr.e:ffteklng Ul:n •cu .. ally vse hotels 

as part of their business model. 

With The Typology of Modem Sl•vel)l, our blurry 

understJncling of the scope of the etl~ •s now coming 

into sharper focus.. 

Polaris analyzed more than 32.000 cases of human 

traffcklng documented between December 2007 and 

December 2016 through lts operation of the National 

Human Trafficking Hodine and BeFree Textfine. This is 

the largest data set on human ttafOcking in the United 

States ever compiled and publicaUy analyzed 

Polaris's r•c•arch t•am ~nalyz•d th• data ar.d d.v.f. 

oped a dassdlcation S)"$tem that ldentlfle-s 25 types of 

human t.ramcking in the United Slates. Each one has its 

own bv$inen model. u.eJOeker p rofiles. recru1vnent strat· 

egies. victim profies.. and methods of control that facili· 

tate human trafnck•ng. 

Case-s of modern slavery are diverse and involve com· 

plex situations. and many cases lacked sufficient detail 

to be easily ci•Mified. We 1nvlte 1nput from survM)t$, 

experts and practittoners in the field to help refine this 

cl•»lfic.atlon system and moke it even mOte a«:uf:ate 

From sex trafficking 

within escort services 

to labor trafficking 

of farmworkers, 

the ways humans 

are exploited differ 

greatly. Each type 

has unique strategies 

for recruiting and 

controlling victims, 

and concealing 

the crime. 

Th.• Typolo9}' Of Moct.rn S .. "*'Y 
21 


712TYPOL8.eps

Polaris's data-dnven Typology segments the market 

of human trafficking beyond d1e oXJs.ting categories of 

sex uaftlcking and labor trafficking. revealing the dozens 

of rnanifem1tions of how trafftckers control t~~nd exploi·t 

others for profit. Breaking up modern slavery into types 

eflows us to expose the vulnereb1ht10S. 1n networ·k bus.iness models and understand the wa)'s that ttaffldcers 

ltver&ge and expl01t legitimate bvsintS$CS <x institutions 

• s.uch as $0Ci-ll media, hotels., finonciil instilulions., tta.n:.· 

portation systems, and g~rnrt"'ent \fisas. 

With this greater understanding, 'Nt can begin to 

develop strategic campaigns to spur systemabC action. 

unite dispereto efforts. allocate limited resourGM. and 

facilitate effective interventions to combat the crime. We 

can d~ pol.ey loopholes and adopt safeguards thlt 

make it more diffiCult for bad actors to abose vulnerable 

and at-risk populations.. Ottes and convnun1ties that want 

to tab action c.an better understand which of the 25 types 

are present in their area and design mOfe t.vgeted cam-

~gns. Re<:ogniting the heterogeneity of the survivor expo· 

rience al$0 creates more pathways fOt meaningful engage· 

ment of lived experlenc::e '" each t)'pe. Smart, targeted 

int«Wntions can bto coordinated and &rected at spK"iftc 

types of traffic:king. reducing the chance dut human trafftd<ing (Ontinues to be a low·ri$1c, high..proftt eri.ne 

The Typology of Modem Slavery offers a map for tak· 

ing the next $teps. in ereating .a WOrld without sl~ry. 

The Typology 

of Modern Slavery 

offers a map for 

taking the next steps 

in creating a world 

without slavery. 
22 


712TYPOL9.eps

Methodology 

The data uled to d•velop the 2S types. in The 

Typology of Modem Slaveryc.ame from calls. emails, and 

webforms received by the National Human Trafficking 

Hotline, operated by Polans, as well as texts received by 

Polans's BeFree Textline. 

Be1ween December 7, 2007, and Oec:ember 31, 2016. 

Polarls--oper.ated hotlines received 32.208 cast$ of 

potential hu~Nn trafflckJng and 10,08S potential uses 

of labor exploitation in the United States. 

Expanding on the traditional broad categories of 

sex trafficking and labor uafflcbng. Polaris used this 

new data to identify 25 unique types of trafficking. Our 

research team studied tht> systems and tKliCS that 1nd1· 

vidual trafficking networks use to conduct their busi· 

n~s. a.nalyzing six principal factors for each; business 

model, trafficker profiles, recruitment Pfattices. victim 

profiles, methods of control. and geographic patterns. 

Data from SS percent of potential human traffldc:ing 

cases and 60 percent of labor exploitation cases is classified into distinct types. 

The remaining cases could not bto dassif~d for rea· 

sons such as caller safety, privacy considerations, or 

hm1ted data. FOf example, when Pola1is hodme staff 

receive catls from VICtims in crisis Sftuations with hmited 

time to reach out for help. 5taH fo(.'U$ on the .;aller'5 

safety and assisting with urgent needs such as emer· 

gency shelter or law enforcement asSistance, and not 

on detJifed infOfmation about the victim's traffle~ing 

experience. lndividuCifs are never asked questlon$ spe· 

cit'leally for data collection purposes and an~ asked to 

share only the information that they are comfortable 

prolliding fot the purposes of helping them get help 

and stay safe. PolaJis-operated hotlines abide by strict 

confldentialfty policies and w;u not release identifying 

inform«hon, even to law enforcement or servioe providers, Without the caller's cons.ent, except when we sus.-

peC1 child abus.e or if we have reason to believe that the 

catler or others fa~ imminent harm. 

The .,form~lion c:ont~f.,ed in t.hb document W3~ 

obtained through Polaris's interactions with individuals 

rontaC1ing the hothMs, as well as some additional public sources, and is not the result of a proactive, randomize-d survey of the landscape of human trafficking. Such 

a survey is not currently possible with the l1mited data 

available to the human traffic~ing field and the hidden 

nature of the crime. 

Between 

December 7, 2007, 

and December 

31, 2016, Polarisoperated hotlines 

received 32,208 cases 

of potential human 

trafficking and 10,085 

potential cases of 

labor exploitation in 

the United States. 

Th.• Typolo9}' Of Moct.rn S .. "*'Y 
23 


712TYPOL10.eps

Some human trafficking tnvolves both commercial 

sex and forc~d l.abor. $.om~ sex traffickers may use only 

one business model, while other sex traff.ckers may use 

several For example. a trafficker sometimes may force 

a victtm to engage tn commercial sex tn outdoor loca· 

bons such as truck stops. and other times use an escor• 

service model and force the victim to engage in commercial sex at hotels. The types tend to be mOJe fluid in 

sex tcafficiOng cases, and traffickers can be nimble and 

responsive to disruption efforts by changing their busi· 

ness models. These statistics are non-cumulatJve. Cases 

may refa<ence multiple victim populations, and in some 

cases demographic informatton was not provided. 

Polaris staff also analyzed c.ases of potential labor 

exploitation repOJted to hotJmes. In these cases, work· 

ers endure a vndeo range of abuses that put them at high 

risk for labor trafficking. These abuses include wage and 

hour violations. contract violation.s. sexual har&ument. 

dtsc.rimination, child l•bot violatjon$, and unsafe work· 

lng conditions. We did not hear of explu:it indicatou of 

force, frtud. or coercion In these eas.e.s, •nd thus they 

wete not clanifled a.s labor traffleking Individual callers' 

work experiences range from fair, compensated labor 

spattered with isolated or minor violations. to more sig· 

niflcant exploitation or wage theft. and finally to systematic or extreme conditions tMt meet the definitions of 

labor tr6ffld<:ing and slavery. 

Becbu$e many victims of labor traffi<;king are 

unaware that they are the v•et•m of a 'rime, Of that there 

is a hodine to ~•II for help, and bec•use pvblic aware· 

ness of labor traftcking i$ timited, the National Human 

Traffteking Hotline and SeFtee Textline received fewer 

calls about labor tta.ff'lcking than sex HafOcking. Only 

16 percent of the cases identlrled on these hotlines 

involved labor trafficking. However, lt is important to 

note that. globally, forced labor is believed to be more 

pt"evafent tMn sex trafficking. Polans strongly believes 

that labor traff.cking case~ 1n the U.S. are chronic.atly 

underreported due to a lack of awarene$$ about the 

IS5ue and a lad< of recognition of the 5ignificMt vulner· 

abilhy of workers in many U.S. labor sectors, 

Trafficking cases are divecse and complex. While 

Polaris tecognizes that traffickers use a wide variety 

of methods to exploit their victims, 'Wf! have created 

these 25 classifK.ations based on the data, determining 

the most common and distinct models that have been 

reported. We invite input mto this classification system and hope it furthers our joint efforts to end human 

trafficking. 

We have created 

these 25 classifications 

based on the data, 

determining the most 

common and distinct 

models that have 

been reported. We 

invite input into this 

classification system 

and hope it furthers 

our joint efforts to end 

human trafficking. 
24 


712TYPOL11.eps

Type 

Profiles 
25 


712TYPOL12.eps

01 Escort 

Services 

Escort Services is a broad term used widely in the 

commercial sex trade, referring to commercial sex 

acts that primarily occur at a temporary indoor location. The operations are often described as "outcall," where traffickers deliver victims to a buyer's 

hotel room or residence for "private parties," or as 

"in-call," where potential buyers cycle in and out of a 

hotel room where the trafficker has confined the victim for extended stays. These cyclical business operations repeat once the trafficker relocates the survivor to another city where the demand for commercial 

sex is booming. Over the years, there have been fluctuations in popular online advertising platforms for 

commercial sex, but the most prevalent online marketplace is Backpage.com. Though Backpage closed 

its U.S. Adult Services section in January 2017 due to 

rising pressure from the U.S. Senate, Backpage has 

accounted for more than 1,300 cases of trafficking 

within escort services and remains a driving force in 

global sexual exploitation. 

225 5% Adult 2762 59% u.s. Citizon 2120 46% 

Femal• 43SS 94~ 

--

Minor 1986 4~ Foreign National 445 10'lr. 

----- 34 <1% • 

10 
26 


712TYPOL13.eps

Trafficker Ptofllt 

Tr4ffitker P'OfiiO$ range from a :oingle trafficker 

txploiting thtlr victim (often their intii'Nte panner) to 

coordineted netwotla oluaffiCkets .effll~ted with Ol'genized 

crime. AJI tr.-f!'tckers employ force, fr•ud, and coercion, 

Recruitment 

Victims may be tt1c.ked into a situation through fraudu· 

l~nt job offers, such as fake mod~ing contracts.. Traff.ckers 

may t l$0 recruit vic-tims by pretending to !\ave a romanticimcrc$1 in th-e vl:~;-tim « foi$Ciy promi$ing thol they c;on 

provide shelter, ftnancial support. or other beneftts. 

VIctim Profile 

The vast majority of the sur\fivors of "escort Stetv1ces'" 

are U.S. citizen women and girls. ahhough men and boys 

also make up a small percentage. LGBTO youth are also 

v..Anerable, as shown by the Urban Institute's 2015 report. 

"'Surviving the Streets o£ New York"', l.n wt.ie:h homele$s 

lGBTO youth reponed trading sex through onfine ads 

and SO<:itl media, et hotels, ond at cvsto!'M'rs· rHiden«s. 

1 M•,.Olh Otnk •t .t., SI.Pr.-t'Mgt"'-Sc!'MtlolN.-v YQf\: &ptr~e«· 

es of LG8l0 Youth, YMSM_ .and "f'W9N Eng.god., SuMYal Sex. 

(WM!f\910'1! Urben lnt!Jtl./1•, 201S)c - .urbon.orgl•tftldefauftl 

fi1Wtlfretee/publie61.10tt·pdfsl2000l1~·Survrvlf'09·t:h•SttHU~f· 

N"·Yollc.puf 

Mothods of C011trol 

Excromt phys.lc.t and ~xu•l violence. often aecom· 

panied by weapon$, is common, a$ ts coefcion i.n the 

form of ui'H'I'\Ilnagetble quou•s, doba. threau of ~rm or 

pohce l.nvolvement, exce-$$Ne .nonitoring, gang intil"'''lda· 

t;on, social isolation. and conJtant surveillance. Traffickers 

often o:>n6tion vic-tims ~o beli-eve they are tho only (l('les 

who are for them. t'Ninipu1ating .an attachment bond that 

make-s the decision to leave tht' traffdcer exuemely ciff-cvlt, 

Victims may be 

tricked into a 

situation through 

fraudulent job 

offers, such as fake 

modeling contracts. 
27 


712TYPOL14.eps

02 Illicit Massage, 

Health, & Beauty 

Illicit massage, health, and beauty businesses 

present a fac;ade of legitimate spa services, 

concealing that their primary business is the sex 

and labor trafficking of women trapped in these 

businesses. Although they appear to be single 

storefronts, the majority are controlled as part 

of larger networks - with one to three people 

owning several businesses at a time. Research 

suggests there are at least 7,000 storefronts in 

the U.S., and possibly far more. 

51 2% Adult 1606 54% U.S. Citizon 97 3'l(, 

Femal• 2195 14~ 

--

Minot' 3SS 1~ Foreign National 1243 42% ---

G• nder Minoriti.s 0 0% . 12 
28 


712TYPOL15.eps

Trafficker Ptofllt 

On·$1tc rOOn&ger$ tend to be womon of the '~une eth· 

nicity and may hove been ~raftkked ~hemulves in these 

bu$ineue' before becoming pare of che larger ttaff"teking 

networt The $imelarity in 1ge 1nd ethnleity of manag· 

e-rs and women who are man.agers·in·training can make 

it diWwh to distinguish potenti•l viewns from potenti-111 

controllers at a glane.. This can 1dd co che level of con· 

ttol and coercion that ttafOckets have over ~heir v1ctims. 

Preliminary re~arch suggests that busiMss owners may 

h.ave a variety of rac.al and ethnic pt"Of4es; as noted. bust· 

Re$$ owners often own several Illicit massage businesses 

es part of a larger netWOtk. 

Recruitment 

These necWOtks are connected to large-r ope-rators 

~hat assist with recruitment of WOr'l"'oen in their home coun· 

tty Of women who are searching for work in the United 

States as immigrants with limited English, 

Victim Profile 

Most victims or illicit ~$age businesses are women 

from the mid.· thirties to line fifties from China and South 

Korea. In other llhcit health a.nd beauty businesses. 

labor ttafftdting survivots are typically younger females 

(mid-twenties and older) from Southeast Asia. 

Mothods of C011trol 

Survivors are controlled through c:oerCtOn, including 

txtteme intil'niclb;ton, threats of skame, isolation ffotn 

the ouuide comn-...ni·ty, debt bondage, exploitation of 

communication barriOf"s. and eJq>hcit as well as impned 

threats. Women ate typically fOtced co live at the bU$i· 

neu or In another location wYth their n'IOYernent con· 

uolled between work and horne. Day·to·day acti0tl$tend 

to be monltoted by a manage.t, who watcM$ the store ln 

person or off ..me with a CCTV camera. 

Most victims 

of illicit massage 

businesses are 

women from the 

mid-thirties to 

late fifties from 

China and South 

Korea. 
29 


712TYPOL16.eps

03 Outdoor 

Solicitation 

Outdoor solicitation occurs when traffickers force victims to find buyers in an outdoor, 

public setting. In many cities, this occurs on 

a particular block or at cross streets known 

for commercial sex and often referred to as a 

"track" or "stroll." In more rural areas, outdoor 

solicitation frequently takes place at truck or 

rest stops along major highways. 

64 4% Adult 834 50% u.s. Citizon 691 42% 

Femal• 1 S48 94~ 

--

Minor 844 S~ Foreign National 55 3% 

----- I 12 <1% 

,. 
30 


712TYPOL17.eps
31 


712TYPOL18.eps

Tr•fficker ProAie 

TheM tndl'hduals t~ tooper1to more tndependendy 

r~her thM 1n MfWOflc$ w.-th othef tt.tf"*en. 1tlhough 

some domhtc ~ rnftuencH h.tYe been doa.lmtflted 

Roa"•t""'•r"lt 

Traff.cbrs frequently recru•t victims by po~o~ng es a 

rom.ant.c p.tttner or eJ!f>lon•ng an exi5ung •nt~mlt• ret.· 

bOnsh•p Tr1ft'lckera often recogntZe s.peaf~e vulnetabihties 

and modtfy their recrvitrnen~ efforts to e.xplott thOM ftc· 

~Off by lt'1111ell1 (lffertng e.;..;o•'\IOnW. •"d c•nollO•'•' auppor1 

Victim Profllt 

Accor~ng 10 Polans-ope:rated hotltne dlt•. SUM· 

vors are CPJerv.t,eiiT'IIngly U.S citJzen women •nd gl(b 

Add<UONily, 'I porcont ol LGBTO -,outh ~., 

~"!! tM Scro.u ol N"" Yort• roper-' Mdong 

custc:wners fOf COn'lmtroal sex on lhe strHt• WOf'rllln 

end g•rls of ~ot are also cispropon.con.ttt-ly rtpttHnted 

'" tht d~• Whole vtetJms represent d•verM tlCptfttnces 

tnd SOC:totc""om.c backgrounds, a review of the d11t1 

found that cert1in Inequalities and societal fi~Oft m.y 

makt panlculer mdMduals etpec:iany V\ollnttablt. Theu 

IKCOfS include htstories of trauma and abuse, •ddi(tton., 

chronic Mental health issues. and econoMic hflrdshtp 

such at hoMtltllt'le~S or unstable holiSing R:untwly and 

hornetess youth •re par1Jeulirly vutner1blo 

Meti'Ofls ' C... •ol 

H«l~ deta h.IIS ~ thaot uaffackors I"'''If't fre· 

qu.endy tJW phyt;K.at Ytete.noc. 1n etndoor sokttt\IOR than 

in ocher types of MX tr.EAcbng. but al.so •xplolt thttr tnb· 

mate relluons.t11p, Lsolat1ng them from wppott netWOfks. 

a11d 1nc:IUC1ng or elCplottlng subsfance abl,..w iuues Ver~l 

abute •nd other type5 of manipulation •re also common. 

Trafndcers often wnflscate a viccim's enure eernlngs, aet 

unutaltshc nightly quotti, and deny food and aheher n 

pun~thment d the qvota it not met 

t .,.. · ~ • flit'" ~--·""SJNStN«tol,....~~ 

- "'(.a.TC) Yot.il\ "YI'S.\1 rod 'M'Wtt E"99PCC .. s.,.., s.. A ~U<'brln-..2015):~~.._., 

·~~pdif112()01)ll .. ~ .. StrMta.d· 

""• 'rOII!pd 

J ,.,... ntot~...._Cf9'f«bt!ee~q-h0'111 

4 UhCif'II•IMttO..lJt..l-br•ryc• $jOW/dol;.,-pdftSf111094fltTo~"''l+ 

''" .pql 

16 
32 


712TYPOL19.eps

04 

Male 99 8% 

• Femal• 1219 94% 

G•nder Minoriti.s 7 <1% 

Residential 

Sex trafficking can occur within organized 

residential brothels run by a network of coordinated traffickers or within private households used more informally for commercial sex. 

Residential brothels that follow the first, more 

formalized model tend to cater to commercial 

sex buyers from similar ethnic and/or language 

backgrounds, advertising through word of 

mouth or covert business cards. Advertisement 

for the second model varies but often includes 

word of mouth, and Backpage.com is emerging as a frequent source. 

Adult 820 64% u.s. Citizon 432 33% 

Minor 617 48% 

-

Foreign National 304 24% 

-

Th.• Typolo9}' Of Moct.rn S .. .,.ry 17 
33 


712TYPOL20.eps

Trafficker Profiles 

In the f~tst mc:>del, tre~fflckers may be part of larger, 

organized networks, and in some eases may have formal 

or informal ties to organized crime groups .such as gangs 

or canel.s.. In the second model, re.sidefltial brod1els may 

be ptivate hom., wf<lere inter-famifi.ll or intimate partner 

ttaff.c.king Is taking place. 

Rectvitmont 

The flrst model tends to involve victims recruned 

throu9h foke romontic intcte:.ts,. fa.lu job offers, o.- ftoud· 

ulent immtgration ptomises Jn the second model, hothne 

data ind1eates that famlly members and intimate partners 

usually begin exploitmg victims within homes opportu· 

nistically due to extreme economic hardship. 

VIctim Profile 

In more formal'lzed brothel$, vtetirM tend to be women 

and to a lesser extent girls, With many victims from lat1n 

America, particularly Mexiro, and from Southeast Asia, 

particularly Olin.a. Sex ttaffkking withm residences infor· 

mally used as brothels typically involves child victims, 

with boys makmg up a growing percentage. 

18 

Methods of C0<1trol 

In the first model. networked traffickers often employ 

physical Violence, lethal threats to vicbms and their fami· 

ltes, debt bondage, and extreme confinement and mon· 

itoring. As noted. the second model tends to invotve a 

htghe-r percentage of minor VIctims than other types of sex 

trafficking. Afthough forGe, fraud, and coercion may not 

be neces-sa1y. corrvnon methods can inelude confinement. 

inducing iflicit substances, threats to harm or expose. and 

e>q:>lohing the familial or intimate relatk>O$hlp. 

Sex trafficking 

within residences 

informally used 

as brothels typically 

involves child 

victims, with boys 

making up a growing 

percentage. 
34 


712TYPOL21.eps

05 

Male 139 12% 

• Femal• 1043 88% 

G• nder Minoriti.s 4 <1% 

Domestic 

Work 

Domestic or homecare workers often live 

within their employers' households and provide 

services such as cooking, cleaning, and caretaking for children and the elderly or infirm. Labor 

trafficking for domestic work may also occur 

within the cycle of intimate partner violence or 

forced marriage situations as a means of maintaining or exerting power and control. 

Adult 1039 87% u.s. Citizon 106 9% 

• Minor 97 8% Foreign National 1004 84% 

• 

Th.• Typolo9}' Of Moct.rn S .. .,.ry 19 
35 


712TYPOL22.eps
36 


712TYPOL23.eps

Tt~fRdctf' ProAl~ 

Tr.ft'lckertln thlttyp. h.vc divcrM ptOflet M.,y ,,. 

we.-Jthf •ndMdu..,s. SOf'l"''otllmes from tht' vkt•m't home 

country Oorne'lttc workers wtth A·l .tnd G-5 v.s.as .,, 

espealllly wlnttlble lO the •mbtllinCed powtf ctyn..m.c: 

.nherent m ternp«oll)' WOtt visas due to the ttlfficbt's 

eltvlted JlltUt II I dipiomft. 1'0)1 ... 0t ~gh•tMil•ng 

member of •n lnfluent••l interl\a'tlonll OC'glnlut•on Th11 

st1tut m~ke• tht fo•r of spe1kmg out even gre1ttr ll"'d 

c::.an 1llow ttlffickers to contmue exploitmg vlctum under 

t.he p rOtection of chpfomat•c immunity. F1mily member~ 

1nd int•l'nlte pattntrs I'N)' also be trlfnc:ktrt, though 

less commonly 

R.ecnntm• r1t 

In cnes reported to Pc:Uns-oper11ted hoc,net, tt"'IOt 

SUII'YIYOf'S ""*thew sauwon on a 8-1. A-3. Of G·S tempor.ylft'Ofk YIN FtMI<I with J.1 Au P•r Vts.s end. •ncr•• 

1ngfy, With 8·2 {tounst) 'Mas also o«:urt. Add.t!Onl11y. 

US ot•zens end fore.gn nat•orwd women on K·1 (fltnc:i>) 

vu~.s M11f t)l.perltnce labor traffidong fOf dom.lt•c work, 

VIctim Profile 

Hotline d.n1 rtf\ec:u that survi'VOls are predominantly 

m•ddle ... gtd to ~der·aged women from the Pt11hppinet, 

~~~e m1.ny lte US OIIMnS Ott SUMVOfS from L..M Amt"''· lncf.a. and numerous countnes s.pt.nn•ng Subs.Nt~n Afnc:1 Sutvwors"' thrs O.t1 c.,... from more 

ttw. 105 c:ountnn Ma&e 'YlCbml W'l'ft ,..f>O'"d tn 12 per· 

¢tnt of the """ ~chid w:bmlltl 8 pwcent 

Mothod•ojc-ol 

llbof tr1fflcbn.g YtC1iMs in domestic wor1t commonly 

wotk 12·18 hOYrs e dl)' (some .s much •• 24fl) for httl• 

to no pay Thty mt)' eiCperience extreme isol811on end 

conflnemenl ftom the outside wortd. $e)(Uol horoument. 

tugh levels of monltonng. debt bondagt, extreme w•ge 

tht"ft, c:onftteat1on of critac: ... docutl"\\tnts 1uc:h t.s pass· 

ports, tnd restncttd acc•ss to food end med1cat care 

Trtff!Cbn often lnt•nt~y ... ow the v.ct•.m's "'"' to 

expte and us.t the MWfy utM:Iocumen\fd "'tut to crt~te 

ftlf end OstMt. ~ .. ~to even s.rtiW IU~S!Orl 

8eatnt olthd.lebor ttlfftc:lang of domes\ltc ~~ un 

often list fOf yt:lfS Of even deeidet. 

5 U.~. (A l~M'It:'9 M'ld !mm•Q"81JCI'I ~ (2010. H 2A f~p> '•!)' AgllCultvrtl Wol\•f'l.- R•u•...,.Q from· -.~o~tc••·P'"OI'II · 

~ng·u1'1+1•6•tfliMA.,.,portry·wor\tt'llh·2•t«npo1et)'·"91lCU1tu• 

•l·wol'li•rt 
37 


712TYPOL24.eps

06 Bars, Strip Clubs, 

& Cantinas 

Human trafficking in this type fronts as legitimate bars, restaurants, or clubs selling food and 

alcohol while exploiting victims for both sex and 

labor behind the scenes. Victims are forced to 

provide customers of the cantina with flirtatious 

companionship to entice them to purchase highpriced alcoholic beverages that often come with 

an explicit or implicit agreement for commercial 

sex acts as well. Polaris has identified several distinct business models within this industry. These 

include bars and cantinas that are entirely run by 

organized human trafficking networks. However, 

at other locations traffickers have agreements 

with the business owners that allow them to operate prostitution rings out of the bar or cantina in 

exchange for a portion of the criminal profits. In 

addition to the cantina-like businesses, many strip 

clubs and go-go clubs are associated with this 

type of sex and labor trafficking. 

35 4% Adult 551 70% u.s. Citizon 248 31% 

Femal• 756 95'91> 

---

Min« 276 35% 

-

Foreign National 292 37% 

----- <3 <1% 

- 22 
38 


712TYPOL25.eps

Tr1ffickor ProR1t 

tn tome of the c.nt1nn, org.,.zed lwm.n tt1ftldung 

MtWOf\s run the opertttOnS Mal~ _.d ferNie trafrtcl•rs 

bM.ed m M•x.c.o Of <Antral Ametiel optftte « coopet· 

ate W11h crlfTW\III netwotb to susutn complic•t.-d. mufb. 

re-w suppty ,,., of new 'lictlft"d and to et~S4.1telh.tt vtetll'l"a 

comply US otJz.ns ~ also be tr.tf<kllfs 1n th•s net• 

worSe In some c.nes. ua(fide:f'S directly cooperate w.th. 

or ~re members of, cartels o r U S.·bued str .. t genSJS. 

Traffickers may•l$0 b. mat~: partners or fam•ly mem· 

bers o f their VtCt!tYI$, Owners of the canUnas or batt may 

b. direclly•nvolved In the traffickjng .nd expouatton. 

or they tT\IIy not bt ~are of th•s ltt•vlly Trafflckttt ~o 

use strip dub$ •• typteally less networked t.ha.n tk.t c.n· 

t.na-M:e bustn.ues and un often be 1nhrNie ptrtners of 

the vtetlft'W Some links wth Eastern Europun Ot~Md 

cnme htw eme'9td *'Ct mem more reselfdot 

Recry tmr·tt 

Vict•ms 11e dtcetWd and ent1ced With prOtnltes of 

b-etter job oppottYnlties. romantic relabonsh•ps. and ufe 

m•grat•on to the US 

VIctim ProRit 

BlltS and Clnhnas frequently vict•m.z. women •nd 

girfs from MtAico •nd Central America 19td 1• to 29. 

and the clientele,, normllly lirYWted to men from locaJ 

launo COIT'W'nUI\Itles Most traffdang m go-90 dub$ and 

Slnp dubo"""""'" US aw.n women ond gorh, 01 _. 

n some from Eastern Evrope Mile ~ct.,.,. h.we .elso 

been repcwttd 

Methods of Control 

A a.tgnlflcant de9ree of violence Is often reported 

In these GISH, wrth women and girls s.evottly beaten 

Into submls$ion, exually assaulted. and threatened 

wrth weapons and dtath to their f•millos tf they do not 

compty They frequently 1re trapped due to 1nsurmount• 

able dtbls to thttt tt.tffckers tn addit•on. VIC'brm un 

be e.xpbttd (or labor when they .,. forc.d to w•t,..s' 

torne·omes fOt elriitt$.$1W how's wM no brt•b 01 P'1 
39 


712TYPOL26.eps

07 Pornography 

The National Hotline has documented cases of 

family members, intimate partners, and individual 

sex traffickers earning profit from distributing a victim's non-consenting appearance in pornographic 

material. The related issue of "revenge porn" is 

also a concern within relationship violence and 

can be considered high risk for sex trafficking. For 

cases involving webcams, please refer to Remote 

Interactive Sexual Acts. This type also includes the 

production and distribution of child pornography. 

The National Hotline frequently receives tips via 

our on I ine reporting tool linking to suspicious websites that may contain child pornography. While 

the hotline records data from these reports, the 

hotline is unable to investigate such links to verify 

the legitimacy and therefore forwards all potential 

child pornography tips to The National Center of 

Missing and Exploited Children. Please visit the 

center for more information. 

97 16% Adult 260 42% u.s. Citizon 223 36% 

Femal• 490 8~ 

--

Minor 377 61% 

-

Foreign National 78 13% 

---

G•nder Minoriti.s 3 <1% 

--- • 

24 
40 


712TYPOL27.eps

Trafficker Ptofllt 

Due to limited datOJ, llttlo i$ known "bout typical traf. 

fder proftles. e)(Qtp1 that in many c:ues trtfflckel$ may 

be intimate pertners or f,emily rnert'lbets of their victim$. 

TraffiCkers within formal pori\Ography production com· 

panies have flso bun recOtded In Polari$·Operated 

hotline c:ue-J, but datt is thin. 

Recruitment 

Dve tolltniled dat•, lit tit is known. except thet uaff<k· 

C>t$ may c-lo.ploit e-xi$ting ro..,...nti(; Qt famili,.J rc-latio<l$hip$. 

Victjm Profile 

While somo tips of sex ttaf&k:ing in pornography 

supply limited data due to the caller's d1stance from the 

situation. in hodine cases where enough infOtmation was 

provided to establjsh high indic.atots of s~x t:raff~eking. 

data has revealed that survivors tend to be U.S. CJbzens. 

Wh•le mo~t s~.~rvivors in these eases are female, the rate 

of male victirni.zatton is four times. the rat~ in other sell. 

traffleking types. 

Mothods of C011trol 

An exist1ng intimate partnor may uso manipulation. 

"'gas!ightiog." threats of h.:um, and svbsta()CO atx.se to 

coer~ or defra1.1d advlt victims into por-nogr•phy and 

subseqvently sell the explicit coruent to web$ites or inch· 

vid1.1al buyers. In some cases, traff.ekers ~y force a vic· 

tim to eng&ge in commercial s..x. fllm the sex tct, and 

the!\ sell or threaten to sell the content Ove to limited 

dau. little is known about methods of eonttol in cases 

that may involve moro formal pornography businesses. 

The rate of male 

victimization is four 

times the rate in 

other sex trafficking 

types. 
41 


712TYPOL28.eps

08 

Femal• 

Traveling 

Sales Crews 

Traveling sales crews move between cities 

and states and go door-to-door, often selling 

fraudulent products such as magazine subscriptions that customers may never receive. Young 

salespeople are rarely fully compensated, they 

sell from morning until night, and are unable 

to leave due to fraud, manipulation, and coercion. As a result, sales crews find this business 

model of labor trafficking financially rewarding and low-risk. Data shows numerous linkages between sales crews and a larger national 

business network. It can be challenging to find 

these links because many organizations, particularly those with a long record of fraud-related 

complaints, frequently change their names and 

operating locations while remaining under the 

same ownership. 

:M7 64% Adult 381 66% u.s. Citizon 312 54% 

305 53~ 

---

Minor 182 3~ Foreign National 46 8% 

G•nder Minoriti.s 3 <1% 

- • 

26 
42 


712TYPOL29.eps
43 


712TYPOL30.eps

Trafficker Ptofllt 

TraffKkers may be Grewman,&gers 01 bu$1ne» owners. 

Tht$e e'ews arw:t bus.ines.s.e-s are highly networked, with 

m.lmetovs tonneetlOt'l$ &mong different businus ownets. 

Recruttment 

Recruitment occurs through social media, online dassitleds, posters at sc,hools. and person-to-person contact 

{most cof'M'IOO}. Fraud is rampant in the hiring process. 

and crew members rovtinely note tNt working eoncft· 

cfons o nd Hol<¢s commi$$101'1$ •~ $igniflcontl)' mlsr¢Pf1¢• 

.s.e-nted in advertisernents or during recruitment. 

28 

The victims in 

Traveling Sa les 

Crews are 

overwhe lmingly 

U.S. cit ize ns. 

Victim PtOfllt 

l1afnckors in trevehng wles CrCW$ Will s.pe-eifkally UH· 

get teens and young adulu fl'om marginalized 1nd -t<»· 

norriea.lly dis&dvantaged ¢(N'I'I('I"'unities. Although MO$t 

ertws claim to h•rt thoM who &rt it le.ut 18, l'l"'inors as 

young JS 15 ean be involvt"d Unlike other types of labor 

traffl ki~. the victims in this category ere ()11-trwhefm· 

ingty U.S. citizens. 

Methods of Control 

M•oog¢r$ w nuol n'¢orly oil CIS.p-.Kt$ of th<¢ liv¢.$ of 

crew members and drivers while they are on the road. 

and l.so1ate them from wider s<X:lety by i mposing 

long work h~rs, moving frequently between regions. 

employing intense peer pre$$ure and public shaming of 

worker$, and connolllng after-hours ect•vity. Manager$ 

may deny ett!:W members food. confiScate their driver's 

licenses, or threaten them if they do not meet their daily 

nle$ quotas. Victims ne typically p.aid a $tipend of SS 

to $20, the rest allegedly covering "debts'" fOf lodg1ng 

and lfansportatton. Victims who wish to leave the crew 

.are often abandoned in remote and unfamiliar areas. 

with no belongings or mean$ of 1eturning home as a.n 

"example" to other crew members. to keep them ftom 

complai ning or seeking help. In nearly a quarter or Ga~$e$ 

reported to the Poleris·operated hotlines. eellers lndi · 

cated that managers Of fellow crww membefs physically 

assaulted salespeople who wished to leave. Se xual 

assault was reported in numerous cases 
44 


712TYPOL31.eps

09 

Male 286 55% 

Femal• 311 59% 

G•nder Minoriti.s <3 <1% 

Restaurants 

& Food Service 

Labor trafficking within the restaurant and 

food industry has been documented in nearly 

all kinds of food service and may involve bars, 

clubs, buffets, taquerias, or food and ice cream 

trucks. People working as cooks, bus staff, 

and wait staff may be exploited, with traffickers often taking advantage of language barriers between exploited workers and patronsand in some cases other workers at the same 

restaurant who are not being abused- to help 

avoid detection. 

Adult 417 80% u.s. Citizon 35 6% 

I Minor 95 18!!. Foreign National 433 83% 

- Th.• Typolo9}' Of Moct.rn S .. .,.ry 29 
45 


712TYPOL32.eps

Trafficker Ptofllt 

Wrth this 'Y~ h can be difficult for even $Urvivors to 

decrpher who their primary traf(lcker is $in« the links 

between the $tnugglers. re-cruitert. and resteurant n"'an• 

agemetu ace $0meti!'nH unclear 81'\d I'NY be defibec.-tely 

obfuscated by the ttaffder to help avoid deteaion. 

lnfon"'''.&tion suggesu that in some ease-s a single actor is 

Pfimaray responsible. while In other e.ases multiple ac:tOI'S 

with different roles may be WOtking In collaboration to 

exploit the workers, 

Recruitment 

In rna.ny eases, victims are recruited using false ptomlses and charged extremely high fees by smuggler,. to 

ensure ufety wt.ile migrating to the U S. and a bet• 

ter-p.aying job, only to end up trapped in a rt1taurant 

and trafficked for their labor. 

Vlctlm Profile 

Data has indicated that foreign natlonaJ men and 

women from E~t and Southeast Alia, Mexico. and 

Centtal Al'r'ltrtea tend to be equally victimized. Hov~er, 

vic:tims from almost every region of the WOtld have been 

uafficked in the U.S. While a significant majority of ..,;c. 

tims are adufts.. nearly 20 percent of cases of potential 

labot trafficking in restaurants repotted to the Polaris· 

hodlnes involved minOf's. Of the Individual victims iden· 

hfied in hothne cases, nearly a third ......ere undocumented 

immigr•nts. Hodine data ako .shOW$ rn.any use$ of labor 

traffiCking in restaurants inv<>lving the s4m~ primary vie· 

tim popul&ttOO$, but on J.1 and H-28 work v•s.as 

30 

Mothods of C011trol 

Victim~ can be confined at the rct:•taurent •rovnd the 

eloc:k or be isoleted in • neerby holl'lt provided by the 

uefnekets.. Sltu•tions become more exploitative YAlen the 

emplo:;er ~trois employee housing where victims are 

charged wed-above-market nltes for etowded, substan· 

dt~td fiving c:ondi1ior"tS, food • .and ttanaportatlon, which can 

increa$t their debt and further pr-event them ftom leaving. 

Vic-tims who do attempt to lew. or repon abuse rna:y fa<:e 

lethal threats to their famUies bad¢. horne or be threatened 

wnh deponauon Victims on H-26 and J-1 vn<tS face S4m· 

ilar irrmigration and •bladhting" threats due to the lade. 

of"'" portabifity and ~tre subjected to poor hou.s•ng con· 

ditions. wage theft, excessive hours. and di:s.amination 

Victims can be 

confined at the 

restaurant around 

the clock or be 

isolated in a nearby 

home provided by 

the traffickers. 
46 


712TYPOL33.eps

10 

Male 279 56% 

Femal• 243 49% 

G• nder Minoriti.s 0 0% 

Peddling 

& Begging 

Forced peddling and begging is a well-known 

type of labor trafficking globally, but Polarisoperated hotlines tend to receive fewer direct 

reports from victims of this type in the U.S. due 

to a limited number of victims willing to speak 

out. One peddling scheme revealed by hotline 

data involves traffickers who pose under the 

guise of a seemingly legitimate charitable or religious organization claiming to provide trips and 

enrichment services to "at-risk youth." In fact, 

these rings exploit young U.S. children by forcing them to sell candy or baked goods, or solicit 

"donations" on streets or in shopping centers. 

Adult 159 32% u.s. Citizon 190 38'3(, 

-

Minor 304 74% Fore tgn National 78 16<)(, 

-

Th.• Typolo9}' Of Moct.rn S .. .,.ry 31 
47 


712TYPOL34.eps

Trafficker Ptofllt 

Due to limrted data, little ili known Some cMe dbt& 

h.u $hown familial hnkswith th,ffieker$ forcing their more 

vulnerable femily l'l"'otmbers into begging. 

Recruttment 

Due to limtted data.llttfe is known. 

VIctim Profile 

These vichm demographics lead to the potentia) for 

tncreued vuln•ubtliti•c .and popul.arionc r.anging from 

foreign national men, women. and children with an unsta· 

ble Immigration status (such as an undocumented i.mmi· 

grant whose trafficker is the temporary U.S. sponsor) to 

foreign and U.S . citizens who h~ physical Of intellectual 

disabilities and/or beha~oral heahh concerns. 

Mothods of CoMrol 

Although data is limited around elements of force, 

fraud. and c~rdon, information suggests that traffickers 

monitor and intimidate victims from a distance. compel 

excessivework1ng hours. take most of the earn1ngs. ins-till 

daily quotas, and ~ny victims access to education, food. 

or transportation. 

32 

Some case data 

has shown familial 

links with traffickers 

forcing their more 

vulnerable family 

members into 

begging. 
48 


712TYPOL35.eps

11 

Male :MS 86% 

Fe mal• 72 17% 

-

G• nder Minoriti.s 0 0% 

Agriculture & 

Animal Husbandry 

Traffickers exploit workers in the agriculture 

and animal husbandry industry, from corn fields 

to orange orchards to dairy farms. Some crops 

such as tobacco require much more intensive 

labor to harvest, making them more susceptible to forced labor or exploitation. Tobacco is 

the crop cited most often on Polaris-operated 

hotlines, accounting for 10 percent of all agricultural labor trafficking cases. Others frequently 

mentioned are cattle/dairy, oranges, tomatoes, 

and strawberries. Often an agricultural contract 

will promise an hourly rate but then pay on a 

piece-rate basis, which severely limits earning 

potential and further entraps the victims. Abuse 

and exploitation of agricultural workers can happen at multiple levels due to the complex labor 

supply chain of recruiters, managers, contractors, subcontractors, growers, and buyers. 

Adult 376 89% u.s. Citizon 16 4% 

I Minor 35 8% Fore ign National 387 9 1% 

• 

Th.• Typolo9}' Of Moct.rn S .. .,.ry 33 
49 


712TYPOL36.eps
50 


712TYPOL37.eps

t~fRdcef' ProA l~ 

Worbrs un find rt d•ffiCUit to dtterr'nlne •uctfy v.+to 

d ~lor the eng"' d the t.port ... on, duo tO d .. 

COtl"ffltx auppty ctw.n In some uses. lhefe rrt11f bt a ~ 

<J• or"*" ualf-""" has- d these roles...., .. "' 

othef caMS e~t~~uon trWf •I'I'II'Oive n"UUttple act~ 

Recr~o~itment 

Rectu•tmftlt usvatly features a fT'IOfe fon'NI lppn>Kh 

thin 1n other lndt.n:tttes, with l'eCf\llters thMglng vidtmi 

r"t<t\lltnwnt •nd tt•Yel fOO$ tM~ "'"e•te ;.,...,rn•tourit•bl• 

debt, ewn though th&M <OSt.s J:re the respont!biltty of 

lhe empl¥r under U S visa regulations• fOf H· 2A hok:l· 

•rJ Lus ., known 1bovt ~itmrtt~t of undocumented 

workets Of tlokl.r~ of othe-r vis4 type-s. chou9h aMCdoul 

hoclinot UMt IY$9flt thlt te<:ruttet'S tnd teer\111ment. ,.., 

rnwt be PftMnt .,.. some uses. 

VIctim~ I~ 

Aocordong to ..,.. ~ to Pol.,._,tted 

ho1ilt\t"'S, turvr.ors ot th11 type of lalbot tt1Hdlng lfl cMproportlonttely LIMo tNie migrant v.<OrkefS. mo~tly from 

Me»co and Cen,ll Amtria, on w.-sonal H·2A 'MIS. 

South Afne~~n men on H·2A visas rank a dsttnt MCOnd 

Latanas and uNCCOt"'"'plf'fied foreign minors are 1110 V'lc:tU"nized HO'NtY•'· tlw. data appears to ciffer from tM flnclings 

of l•r-ot I<M>cKy 9fOUP'o '""'ch .,_ teportod 

MMng t'r'IOidy wot1cers on othef 'VIW type$ and undocurnre-m...cl v.a,.. 

Methods ol Control 

If • \IIC.'tlm ~ ..... , an lbuliw WOtk Sol~. they rn.ay 

losethewsmus,andsomotrolld<o<>..pc.ttl>oslad<dponal>ky to ..... ..... - dopoRa1>0n Of_ ...... $UW$. Tl'llffcbrs ., ~ lho iSdlt• 'Iiams .n rurll 

pons d the countty- litM 10 no means d accessong 

oomn"o<.oMy "'PP""' Dosprto the H·2A J"'9'""' ._,.. 

rnent t"'-t emp1oyeott tuppty workers ....;m wiuble hous· 

•ng'. ttafflckm hive tho bHn known to $U~ vi(t•rm to 

squafid rMng cond•bons, oft1n denying them even b.r.lc 

necesSiticts such IS bl<ls lnd Indoor tOilets. Victims are ~10 

freque-ntly deMKf the ptotecwe gear to do th.;r jobs.$1fely 

This •s most evtdent In tobacco fields. vdlere despte the 

nsk of cCN'\trK11ng g,..... tobtcco Sldcnes.s (GTS)', tob.c:co 

worlters on Po1~1t.cl hotJ.nn hq.tencty repon.ed 

thatu-e~cidi'OI ~ thomwothecp-t """ .. noot100'Y- d-'1 honclong tcboocolo- and po1IK>Cies. Oftt...,.. modocal care,. dolibemely delayed 

<w not offered f()( even the most s.evete wottcptace ll'lf'H'el 

Of iiiM$St!S By far the mos1 corrmon ~thod of control 

'" agriOJiture, as tn rntny Othe-r types. tS economic abuse. 

indud!ng wage theft. iompfOplf deducuons. and payment 

at pfctce rates rathtor than houtly rates. 

6 ubot ~fc~<:t'l ,.-""' ., r.,.por•ry Agna.ltu,. &...pio, 

1'1'4t!' 1t1 IN Urt tifd CO.i•" tl 2A 'o\Qri.M). C2010~ P•t~.cl ~ 

--..dr.gow't.g ~,·c. "'i().01~S1Sd27508dd 

Ot1832,~~~~~.3.1b5S.b 

7 ~.,t~'ollbo('I\·111'4~~MtiQ.Q01». 

-..2kr_..p:w-..,~E.nl~al~.-.~ 

O'~hfn -dolpllflhdt-9~h.2&.~ 

I c;....-bo--c.cr.t-ool...d,....,tlCW'I.Q015) ~T~ 

co Sd:PI--ltetne..ed tlgrn -.c.X-phl-nltcpct/~~ 

boxooo<Ju,.,., 

_1)-_0f_......, 1S 
51 


712TYPOL38.eps

12 

•• 

Personal Sexual 

Servitude 

With cases of personal sexual servitude, the lines 

between trafficker, recruiter, and buyer are blurred 

and largely depend on how the victim views each 

perpetrator. Personal sexual servitude takes various forms, and the payment is not always cash. In 

addition, the line between ongoing sexual abuse 

and personal sexual servitude is complex, and different survivors may define their experiences differently. Personal sexual servitude can occur when 

a woman or girl is permanently sold, often by her 

family to settle a drug debt, to an individual buyer 

for the explicit purpose of engaging in periodic sex 

acts over a long period of time. It can also occur 

within a commercial non-consenting marriage situation, primarily involving adult foreign national 

women and their families or U.S. spouses. In some 

of these forced marriages, the survivors can possess K-1 (fiance) visas. Some victims are forced to 

do domestic work. Runaway homeless youth and 

LGBTQ minors without a third-party facilitator may 

also be victims of personal sexual servitude when 

they are coerced to engage in sex on an ongoing 

basis in order to receive basic needs such as shelter, food, and medications . 
52 


712TYPOL39.eps

Male 62 15% Adult 

-

Female 351 87% Minot 

Gender Minorities 4 <I"' - r,.afRcket' Pl'o~l• 

Traffttker profiles vary W\dely and may indvde mem· 

ben of OC'g.aniz:ed crime lyndieotes.. smugglers.. int7n'\llte 

pattne.-.. family members.. and htndlords. 

Recruitment 

As noted, this form is heterogeneous, and rectuit· 

rnent varies. In some cases. victims may be •sotd"' by 

a family member to a trafficker, In other cues, rec:tuit· 

ment involves the e)(ploiter posing as a benefK•or for 

the victim or misrepresenting the living Ol trangement or 

reiOltionship, Additional cases. include exploitation by 

intimate ~nners.. 

Victim Profile 

Victim pt'Oflles vary significantly. In most cases 

reported to Potaris-operated hothnes, victuns ate U.S. cit· 

izens.. Runa<w.ay homeles-s youth and LGBTO minors are 

partleularty vulnerab1e. Aduhs facing economic hacdship 

and unstable housing are blso at risk. Foreign national 

vi('ti.rns are ptedomintntly women arw:t girls ftQm Me)(i«> 

and Central America. though victims (rom Southeas.t Asia 

have also been repotted. 

299 74% U.S. Citizen 158 39% 

123 3()1(, Fo,..ign National 147 36')(, 

- Method• of Control 

Exploiters. uJ.e ongoing sexual a~aults.. phys.lc.ellbt.l$t, 

confinement ai'M:t i$01ation, thre~ts.. svbstMC. abvse, •ndl 

or withholding food~ $he-Iter. or drugs as forms of abuM 

or punishment 

In some cases, victims 

may be "sold" by a 

family member to a 

trafficker. In other 

cases, recruitment 

involves the exploiter 

posing as a benefactor 

for the victim or 

misrepresenting the 

living arrangement or 

relationship. 
53 


712TYPOL40.eps

13 

Mal• 70 24% 

-

Femal• 268 91% 

G•nd•r Minoriti.s 0 0% 

38 

Health & Beauty 

Services 

Labor trafficking and exploitation has been 

known to occur in businesses such as nail 

salons, hair salons, and health spas. Though 

workers interact regularly with customers, providing services such as manicures and facials, 

due to language barriers and intensive monitoring, it can be difficult for workers to reach 

out for help. 

Adult 244 83% u.s. Citizon 

---- I Minor 36 1~ Foreign National 232 79% 

• 
54 


712TYPOL41.eps
55 


712TYPOL42.eps

Trafficker Ptofllt 

Due to lirrited dbta, it11o b knewn. but trafftckets prt:· 

dominan;ly ~ an e~r· relo;.onship >Mth vie1ir'l'l$, and 

l'r'ltny arf:frem Vtett~amor China. In a Sl"'"''allf:r wb$et of ~S. 

the troffecker wa$ a victim's intimate partnf:f or$~ 

Rocruitmont 

Uttl~ is known du~ to l1mited data, though Pfelimi· 

n-ary information from hot line eases suggests that reauit· 

ment can tnvolve htgh levels of fraud and deceit such as 

miue~ecerui"9 w~ge-s. working conditione, ~nd immi. 

gration and educ.atJonal ben~frts. This recruitment fraud 

is also a form of control. 

Victim Profile 

Hotline deta indie.tes thJt most surviVQfS •re from 

Vietnam or China, whh a smaller portion poss1bly being 

naturalized U.S. citizens. tt's woMh no1ing, however, that 

many of th&se hotline ease'S 61'et reported by community 

members who may noc have direct knOWfedge of \ftc· 

hm or ttaffteker demographtcs. For ~xamp1~. external 

research has shown a substanti;~l subset of South Korean 

wo.-kers within the industry, and they .are not prorriMntly 

rellected '" hotrine data. Polaris dat• indicatesth .. t most 

victim$ ase adult women, while men ere victims 1n neatly 

25 percen; of c.ues.. MlnOt victims htve been referenced 

ln ft'Wer then l'lve pC":rcent of eii$C':$ 

•• 

Mothods of C011trol 

Vic-tims are of;en not "WlUO of tho pouiblo "mtctrn" 

periods. wtten the':y W¢rlt extensive h01.us fOf no wage 

and are lucky if they gf:t to kC":ep tips, in cash Exposure 

to harsh chemlcab: without ptoper ma$kS a~ glovf:s Is 

another concern, as Is frequent movement betwee.n 

salon$ tO further hinder victims from e$tablishing support 

or accf:»ing help. Victims ne-ver remain in the same': city 

for a stable petiod oftlr'l"'ot, and they arC': huvily monitored 

and tend to rJW' solat~d w;thin the business or rely solely 

on traff1ders for transportation, making 11 almost 1mpos· 

sibte to escape conttol. AddtionaUy, many vic-timto remain 

tn their abusive $1'tuadon hoping for PfOmt$Od 1mmigra· 

tion and educational ben~frts that never materiahz~. 
56 


712TYPOL43.eps

14 

Male 124 86% 

Fe mal• 20 14% 

-

G•nder Minoriti.s 0 0% 

Construction 

Victims of labor trafficking may be forced to 

work in the construction industry, usually within 

small contracting businesses completing tasks 

such as roofing, carpentry, welding, electrical 

work, and masonry on both large commercial 

construction sites as well as in private homes. 

Employers may misclassify workers as independent contractors, thus limiting their access 

to worker protections and benefits. 

Adult 123 85% u.s. Citizon 21 15% 

Minor 25 17% 

-

Foreign National 120 83% 

- Th.• Typolo9}' Of Moct.rn S .. .,.ry 41 
57 


712TYPOL44.eps

Trafficker Ptofllt 

Bec:au$ct of 'he complicated na,ure of the labor ~upply 

chain and the roles of direct employet$. recruttets, con· 

tractOfs, end smugglers, in tNnye&S.$ victims are unable 

to identify who l:s responsible for their exploitation. Some 

vafftehrs deliberately obfu$C.fiU! the labor supply chain 

'o avoid detKtion. 

Recruitment 

Wotkt'rs een enter tht'ir expfofUitive shu-at Ions through 

for~! job off<e:t$ •nd mi••·ept~M'n1cd viH wntr.oo~t•. ll'l 

f.OMe cas.et. wo&ers may be eho&rged illegal and exor· 

bitant recruitment fees, which may be a method o{ con· 

ttol 'o keep workers in •busive situations. Recruttment 

~Y al$0 begin throu-gh an abusive migration journey or 

through WOtd·of·mouth referrals 

Victim Profile 

The majority of labor trafficking surviv01sln construe· 

tion are men from Mexico and the Northern lriangle 

{EI S.lvador, Honduras, •nd Gul!tem.ola), rr~$t of whom 

have H·2B visas or are undocumented. US. citizen sur· 

vivors ho&ve also been forced to perform construCtiOn 

jobs under the control of fraudulent rehgious otganlza· 

tions, unseruputous residential and drug reeovery programs. and individuals posing nlandtords exploiting a 

victim's homeleuneu . 

. ,

Mothods of C011trol 

Vic-tim wag~» ~n~ dr&$tiea11y dcduc:tod, and many 

experience withholding of all payment .&s .& means of 

control by their ttaff-oker$. Hotline data also $hOWS that 

victims ate kept in their tr.&fft¢1<:1ng situation through 

threat$ of deponation a-nd threats to blacklist the worker 

from future U.S.]obs if he- leaves Q( repons his situation. 

Survivor' have al$0 reported experiencing verbel abuse, 

hara»ment and denial of nectssitie$ suc:h as w.flter and 

safety equipment. 

Employers may 

misclassify workers 

as independent 

contractors, thus 

limiting their access 

to worker protections 

and benefits. 
58 


712TYPOL45.eps

15 

Male 57 46% 

Femal• ss 69% 

G•nder Minoriti.s <3 <1% 

Hotels 

& Hospitality 

Victims of labor trafficking have been found 

in hospitality businesses such as hotels, motels, 

resorts, or casinos working as front desk 

attendants, bell staff, and, most frequently, in 

housekeeping. 

Adult 109 88% u.s. Citizon 18 15% 

Minor 6 4% 

-

Foreign National 101 81% 

I 

Th.• Typolo9}' Of Moct.rn S .. .,.ry 4.) 
59 


712TYPOL46.eps
60 


712TYPOL47.eps

Trafficker Ptofllt 

TraffKkers m&y be in hotel mM&gcmen' or with a 

l&bof recruiter/ltbor broker cha' wbconu.as with che 

hotel to pro-.1de l•bor.lf the traffld<.er is a contractor, the 

hotel tr~ay not be &Nate of the abu$-e, 

Recruitment 

Most commonly. WOfkerswerere<:ruitedwith JOb offers 

tha·t misrepresented the wocking conditions, wages. and 

the ebilrty to utely leave the job. In other ease$, workers 

~re re<:t vlt«< vi• other ftevdulcnt p tOr'l'i$oC$ 

Victim Profile 

Most are women and men from Jamaica, the 

Philippines, and India, and typically they are told that 

they will make lucrative wages to support family bade 

home. Most victims enter the job 'Wtth an H-28 visa. 

which restncts visa portability. tying victims to their abusive employer. J.l visas are also used, chough len fte· 

quently. U.S. citizen victims have also been reported to 

the hothne. Adults made up the vJlit me}ority of vk c!ms 

reponed to Polaris· operated hotlinet 

Mothods of C011trol 

Deb\ bondag6 and other fOt"m$ of ecooomie abuse. 

sueh as withholding or e<>nfls.eating payment. wete the 

moSt e<>IY\I'I"'In ;ypes of control re-poned in hotline ease-s. 

Other probtetn$ included <Onfine,nent to the hotel prop· 

erty and constant monitOting, altered 01 fake contracts, 

phys.ieal abus.e. and sexual hara.S$n"'oent, Ove to the laek of 

vi$a portability. threats of deportation and pollee involve · 

ment often keep worker$ from seeking help. 
61 


712TYPOL48.eps

16 

•• 

Landscaping 

Victims of labor trafficking in landscaping are 

responsible for maintaining public or private 

grounds, gardens, and nurseries. Landscaping 

is the most commonly referenced type of labor 

trafficking and exploitation involving H-2B visa 

holders in cases reported to Polaris-operated 

hotlines. H-2B visa holders are not eligible 

for federally funded legal services, making it 

extremely difficult to secure services for victims 

in landscaping . 
62 


712TYPOL49.eps

Male 103 92% Adult 101 90'lt. U.S. Citizen 5 4% --------I Fomal• 12 11% Minor 

• G•nder Minorit ies • 

r,.afRck•t' Pl'o~le 

SupeM&Or$ 1nd owner$ of lat~dscaping companies. 

and s.vlxontr~tors ate ohen the e~ohel'$, tho1.1gh d1.1e 

to limited hodine data, linle i$ known Jbout traUlcker 

demograph.1et;, 

Recruitment 

Most victims were recruited through job offers that 

turned ovt to be fravcMent or throvgh Other false ptOm· 

ISH or mi1repres.ented WOtk contrKtJ.. Some twutters 

~Y ~ be responsible for the abuse and trafficking, 

though In ~ses.te-poned to Pol~rl.s~operated hotlines.. this. 

W4S signifcandy le-ss corrmon than fraud by employe-rs. 

Workers may be 

forced to pay rent 

to their employers 

at rates much 

higher than market, 

despite sometimes 

not getting paid for 

their work. 

12 11% Fo,..ign National 103 92'lf. 

Victim P.-of;l• 

Sbcty•three per«:nt of hodine case$ involved men 

from Mex;co. Some of the WOfkers were from G1.1 atemata 

or were U.S. citizens. Cues invol\ling women and chit· 

dre-t~ ~re tMe. according to Polaris-operated hotlines 

Mttthods of Control 

E.xplottation in landscaping sheds tight on what ls 

mo$t problematic about the H-28 .aystem, which allOW$ 

employer'$ and rectuiters to exploit vic-tims. with f1 ttle 

regard for s.tandard worker ptotection laws. Watkers 

may be fotced to pay rent to their employets at rates 

m1.1ch higher than market. despite somettme-s not get· 

ting paid for th•ir work. Threat$ to bl~<:kliSt victim$ to 

prevent them ftom auaining employment in the U.S. in 

the future are not unc:omrnon due to the IKk of visa 

portabiltty. Additionally, in many cases reported to the 

hodines, victims' wages VMre confiscated o r withheld to 

keep them from leaving. Vietims also experienced varioi.IG threats to themselves and/or their families tf they 

SOI.Ight help. 

Th.• Typolo9}' Of Moct.rn S .. .,.ry 47 
63 


712TYPOL50.eps

17 

Male 

Female 

Gender Minorities 

•• 

Illicit 

Activities 

Criminal syndicates in illegal industries can exploit 

people for profit with the same levels of force, fraud, 

and coercion as in any legitimate labor industry. Polaris 

has seen this type of trafficking most frequently with 

street-level drug distribution businesses and cross-border drug smuggling, along with general domestic 

gang activity. Based on hotline data, traffickers have 

also exploited victims in the hazardous business of 

illicit drug production and in the isolated marijuana cultivation industry in Northern California and the Pacific 

Northwest, though limited data is available. Labor 

trafficking within illicit activities can occur in tandem 

with sex trafficking business models, as evidenced by 

the additional 76 cases reported to Polaris-operated 

hotlines that involved both sex trafficking and labor 

trafficking for illicit activity. The accompanying sex trafficking usually occurs when a drug distributer not only 

forces an intimate partner to sell drugs but to trade sex 

in exchange for a supply. These activities often intersect with a sub-type of residential sex trafficking that 

occurs in private residences used informally as commercial drug distribution homes. 

68 6l% Adult 82 74'% U.S. Citizen 24 22')1, 

47 42% ---· Minor 30 27~ 

-

Foreign Nattonal 62 56% 

<3 <I'll. 

-
64 


712TYPOL51.eps

Trafficker Ptofllt 

According to hotline dat&, traffderr. in thi:i type 

Include vtetlrN' intimate panneri, fellow membets of 

domestic street gangs, independent drug dulers a;nd 

ptoducers, end highly coordinated Latino c.ettels. 

Recruitment 

Drug distr1butocs often recruit them intimate partners 

to sefl drugs. Oomestk gangs tend to target vulnerable 

boys and young ~n who are ~ng for prote"lon bnd a 

wrrogotc " (omily unit'" ond C.QOvinc;<; them tQ ~.;t o$look• 

outs and commft burglary •nd sometimes more violent 

crimes for profrt. Latino ca.rtels and other criminal entities 

are known to abduct people or fraudulently pr()l'l'llse their 

victims protection in their migration to the United States 

only to force them to carry drugs aetO» the botdet. 

Victim Profile 

Adult at~d mlnoc female lntim(ltt partners o f drug 

d ealers, both U.S. citizen and foreign national, are rouin~y forced to sell drugs. In tddition. domt$tic gangs 

t.erget young U.S. citizen boys. Fin.elly. men and vulner· 

able. un~mpa ied boys from Mexico end Central 

America are chronically uafflded tn c:arteJ-c:onuolled 

drug smuggling schemes. 

Mothods of C011trol 

Tr .tnckors v&e ~xtreme threatr. of violenco aga n~t tho 

viet1m end famify membefs, intimidation in the form of 

gang/c.ertel QOnnections. I'Y\$1'\ipulation, and inttn$t mon· 

itoring fO coerce and «>ntrol vlctJms. Phys,icaJ violence. 

often involving weapons, ls also very likely in dnJg distri· 

bvtion and $mug glu\g. 

Latino cartels and 

other criminal entities 

are known to abduct 

people or fraudulently 

promise their victims 

protection in their 

migration to the United 

States only to force 

them to carry drugs 

across the border. 
65 


712TYPOL52.eps

18 Arts 

& Entertainment 

Cases of labor trafficking have been reported 

to Polaris-operated hotlines in a variety of sectors of the arts and entertainment industry, 

including modeling, athletics and, less commonly, in performing arts such as acting, choirs, 

and dance troupes. The hotlines also have 

received reports of labor trafficking in exotic 

dancing. While the lines between sex and labor 

trafficking in strip clubs is often complex, if the 

adult victim is forced into exotic dancing with 

no accompanying sex act, this would be classified as labor trafficking. 

25 25% Adult 84 82% U.S. Citizon 38 37% 

Femal• 81 7~ 

-----

Minor 21 21~ Foreign National 39 38% 

---· G• nder Minoriti.s 0 0% - so 
66 


712TYPOL53.eps
67 


712TYPOL54.eps

Trafficker Ptofllt 

Traffickers include recruiters and e"ec:utfve$ in model 

management companies ranging from sn'\111 indepen· 

dent agencies to tt'rge c:orpCH'ate entities, a.s well as, indi· 

vidual "coac:hH" in ithleties,. Strip dub and exotic dane· 

ing dub owners are often culpable aetOts In traff'~tking,. 

though a s~niflcant number of cues repOr'ted 10 the 

hotlines involve • victim being uafncked in a strip club by 

an intimale partner not afflltated with the club, 

R4<n~itment 

In the rnodehng indu$tty, foreign and U.S. citizen 

women can be fraudulently reculted through social 

medit and online dJssifleds 'Nith ex.ggereted job offetS 

and fake immigtation benefrts. YO\Ing boys in athletics 

are recruited through an individual "coach" who con· 

vinees their families to pay outlandish recruitment fees 

with promises of a flourishing spons cateer and better 

odueation.al opportunities. Reauitmerrt in strip dubs c~m 

begin with a legitimate job offeror fake roiT'Irantk pursuits. 

VIctim Profile 

Young women (both U.S. and foreign national$) are 

often victimi~edin the modeling industry. Although mote 

data is needed on typical visas u~d by traffickers. fraud 

involving H-1 8 and B-2 tourist visas have been documerued. labor trafficking in athletics often involves boY$ 

and young men from latin America and We-st Afnc:a. and 

U.S. citizen women are tht~ majority traffiCked for labor in 

strip dubs. 

Mothods of C011trol 

Victim~ rn the mod•ling industry m"y be sexually 

abus.ed tnd haft$$ed, n01 F*d. or c~rged exorbhent fees 

for crowded housing, When victirm invol~ il'l athletics 

amvt: in the U s .. they are enrdled in COt"r''petitlve $Chool 

teams or uo~~veling leagues and sometimes forced to prac· 

tice and exerci,.. from moming to night, e1using exheus--

tion. Food .at~d hygiene are limited, .find victims never $ttl 

any of the prize monty from competlti0t1s. The most com~ 

mon types of control used to coerce victims in strip dubs 

are econornc abuse <pnmanly wage confiSC.abon and 

sometimes high fees) and emotional abuse and psycho· 

logteal manipulation. which c.an be p,a,rtic:ultrly c:oetrdvo 

when the trafficker is an intimate partner of the VICbm. 

Young boys in 

athletics are 

recruited through 

an individual 

"coach" who 

convinces their 

families to pay 

outlandish 

recruitment fees. 
68 


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19 Commercial 

Cleaning Services 

The National Hotline has encountered trafficking and labor exploitation within commercial cleaning businesses that provide janitorial 

and housekeeping services to multiple private 

households, office buildings, and other commercial businesses. 

We have not included 

additional dat.a in Typet #19·25 

dve to an 1nsufflcien\ number 

ofas.es. 

Th.• Typolo9}' Of Moct.rn S .. .,. ry 53 
69 


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Trafficker Ptofllt 

TraffKker networks are larg~ly unknown. but $0me 

data ha$ shown trefncker$ e.n be ehher busines.' owners. 

or f&mily l'l"'ttmber' of s.urvivOt$. 

Recruttment 

Fraudulent job offers or other false promises ate the 

most common methods of tecruttment, accOfding to lim· 

ited hotlin.e data Family pressure and manipulation can 

also be present. 

Victim Profile 

Though limited data is available, there is sufficient 

evidence that foreign national men, women, and unac· 

companied children from latm Amenca are most susceptible to Jabot trafficking within these businesses. 

Others are from the Philtppines and the Caribbean or 

are U.S. citizens. 

Methods of Control 

Common methods of exploitation include withhold· 

ing or conflscatmg wages, verbal abuse. exhausting 

hours, and exposure to hazardous cleaning cherricals 

wrthout proper protective equ1pment. The situation 

may becQ"ne trafflcking when victims are told they must 

work off a debt. the1r passports are withheld. or they're 

coerced with threats of homelessness Of deportation if 

they refuse to tontinue working . 

•• 

Foreign national 

men, women, and 

unaccompanied 

children from Latin 

America are most 

susceptible to labor 

trafficking within 

these businesses. 
70 


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20 Factories 

& Manufacturing 

Workers in food processing, clothing, and 

shoe manufacturing factories are especially 

vulnerable to labor abuse and trafficking. 

Polaris-operated hotlines have also documented labor trafficking and exploitation cases 

in a wide range of other manufacturing facilities, including factories producing electronic 

devices and vehicles. 

Th.• Typolo9}' Of Moct.rn S .. .,.ry 55 
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Trafficker Ptofllt 

More mformation on traftdr.or domogrAphia 1$ 

needed. but •• with most labor ttaff'teking types. direa 

wpervisors and middle !'Nn;a,gers tend to facilitate 

abuse. The National Hotline h.es .elso documented facnlly 

connec-tions between tta!fkScers and surviVOts. 

Recruitment 

While data i:s limited, txeliminary hotline data sug· 

gesu thlt fr-audulent job offer'$ are eoml'l'\On. Some \lie· 

c<nu ~"¢ repot"t'C'd being re(.fuit~d by f•mily n"C'mb<c:r~. 

Victim Profile 

H-28 visa holders are often victtms, but minocs 

also have been referenced in National Hotline cases. 

Nationalities are much mofe diverw than in most other 

labor ttaffkking types, but the highest concentrations 

are from Southeast Asia, Latin America, and India. 

Methods of Control 

Victims tend to be subjected to long hours. extreme 

survetllance, confiscation of documents, and threats of 

harm. Victims have reported being denied bathroom 

breaks to increase assembly hne productivity and being 

locked inside the factory. In addition to being a form 

of coercion used to control v.ctims, th1s confinement IS 

a s•gn1f1Cant safety concern. Accordcng to hothne data. 

workers also frequently experien« verb•l ebus.e and 

degradation as a means of oonttol, as well as e¢0nomie 

abuse such ~s the Withholding of wages or creation of 

debt.s to keep worker1 in abusive situations. Vic:tjms may 

also experience threats to blacklist them from future 

employment opportunities or to report them to immi· 

gration authoritiu. 

Victims may 

also experience 

threats to blacklist 

them from future 

employment 

opportunities or 

to report them 

to immigration 

authorities. 
73 


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21 

.. 

Remote Interactive 

Sexual Acts 

Remote interactive sexual acts are live commercial sex acts simulated through remote 

contact between the buyer and victim 

through technologies such as webcams, textbased chats, and phone sex lines. Because of 

the lack of physical contact between the victim and buyer, traffickers can frame this business during victim recruitment as a "low-risk" 

endeavor. However, as with all commercial 

sex, this business model becomes sex trafficking if the victims are compelled to participate 

under force, fraud, or coercion, or if the victim 

is under the age of 18 . 
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Troffickor Profllt Mothods of C011trol 

Uttle is known ab<x.lt trafncbr profile-. and network In some ca~s victim$ have reported manipulotion.. 

wueture for this type of sex uafftdcing. ehhough limht-d threats of violence, isdation, and/or debt to trefftekers 

hotline data $Uggests that a trafflcker"s reletionship to or recruiters. tho1.1gh dve to limited dbt•, little is known 

the victim ~n tange from a S~gnifle.e.nt Other to someone about t,XaCt details. 

a victim coMiders nothing more than an exploiter. 

Recruitment 

Recruitment tends to Involve poSing as a benefact<u, promis.ing lu(lalive earnings, p."Ofeuional modtllng 

opporh•nitiC'$, or folK- rom.ontic; imere$\$. I k>tline doto 

als,o include caSH where webcam website$ and phone 

l•nes are used as reetultment grounds for sex traffickers. 

Victim Profile 

In the limited number of cases report~ to Polaris· 

operated hotlines, U.S. citizen females are the most fre· 

quent victims; rrvnors are victimtzed in just under half 

of aU eases The same data ha.$ a lso revea~d a surpris· 

lng 12 percent of eases involve the LGBTO eommunlty, 

most commonly in regJrd to the identity of the victim(~. 

Causes for sud\ a high incidence of LGBTQ victims merit 

more research be~aus.e that rat.e is much higher than the 

common 2 to S percent of LGBTO cas" ln other types of 

huma.n traft~e ing. 

U.S. citizen 

females are the 

most frequent 

victims; minors 

are victimized in 

just under half of 

all cases. 
75 


712TYPOL62.eps

22 

.. 

Carnivals 

labor exploitation and human trafficking 

cases involving carnival workers have been 

reported to the National Hotline. Workers are 

responsible for operating rides, games, and 

food stands, as well as for assembling and disassembling carnival equipment for movement 

between cities. Carnival companies may contract with state and county fairs to provide 

rides and games, and a small number of companies and recruiters dominate the U.S. carnival industry . 
76 


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Tr afficker Ptofllt 

Formal IJbor recruhers Jnd carnlvol owner$ and $Uper· 

visort tend to be respot~Jibfe for abus-e and ex.ploiuuion. 

Data indicates that thes.e afc typi<:elly U.S. citizen men. 

Recruttment 

Formal H-28 labor agents dominate the recruit· 

rmont, falsely promising safe and fair working condl· 

lions tluoughout the season. Instead, some v;ctim.s have 

anesttd that they were mode to pay illegal reerutt!"M'nt 

f«$ for thC" job. vi$-Oo, •nd~r trOon$portotfon o.nd hod to 

sJeep in crowded. dilapidated tra1!ers, 

Sometimes workers 

are told that their 

wages are being held 

for them until the end 

of their contracts, so 

if they try to leave 

abusive situations 

before then, they will 

have no money. 

Victim PtOfllt 

Most c.:Joes involve men ~md women from Mexico or 

South Africa on H-28 viU:S. While $0me U.S. citizens have 

been d.xu~nted to WOf'k at carnivals, the extent of their 

potential exploitation is rehnively unknown. 

Methods of Control 

Victims h;we been known to stay a'Wake around 

the clock to set up. operate, and dismantle eqwpment 

bef«e traveling to the next city to repeet the exhausting 

pr<Xot-$$ Thi-$ l.c.k ol steep con Co6u$e $-oCriQ..,-$ WIOfkpl~ 

accidents due to extreme fatigue, for which victims are 

typieaUy denied medical service,. isolation from any sup· 

portive services is also com!'N>n due to the travel and '-eSc 

of Oldequate legal proteetiOfls for H·2B workers.. Workers 

have also reported threat$ of blackhs.ting or deponation 

and doeument confiS(.ation to keep them from leaving 

or reporting abuse. Wortcers may also experience wage 

the-ft, ex.orbitMt fees for housfng, bnd fraudulent pay· 

men\ deducttons. Somettmes workets are told that their 

wages are being held for them unttl the end of their con· 

tracts, so if they try to leave abusive situatiof'IS before 

then. they ~II Mve no money. 
77 


712TYPOL64.eps

23 

• 

.. 

Forestry 

& Logging 

According to data from Polaris-operated 

hot lines, trafficking in the forestry industry has 

included pine tree farm workers, reforestation 

planters, loggers, and workers maintaining 

woodland areas . 
78 


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79 


712TYPOL66.eps

Trafficker Ptofllt 

TraffiCkers aro typieally man.;o~nt or erew lud· 

ers within the fOrestry bt.~$lM$$, although •s in other 

eompli~ted lebor supply ehalns, victims sometimes 

haw a difficult tlrne ul'lderstandlng who is respol'l$ible 

f01 ~heir exploitation 

Recruitment 

Unfair recruitment practices are not uncommon and, 

es in other H-28 rea..,lnnent schemes, u,n Include the 

vic.ti•n b¢11"19 ~;horg¢d ¢XQrbito,,t •nd ill¢gal fe¢$, 

Victim Profile 

Survivors in forestry are almost exclusively men from 

Mexico and Guatemala on H-28 visas. according to cases 

reported to the National Hotline 

Mothods of CoMrol 

Case data shows that victims are not paid by the 

hour as required by law, but are paid per acre or tree 

they piant. drastically decreasing earning potentiaL 

Traffickers may withhold or confiscate payment to keep 

wotiters from leaving. In some hotline cases. workers 

experienced debt bondage as another form of economic control. Document confiscation by traffickers is 

also frequently reported, along wrth threats to black· 

l1st INOrkors from future jobs or threats to have WOfk· 

er$ deported. Even though H2·B workers in forestry are 

entitled to gove--nmel'lt·funded legal ser\fices. victims 

are often kept in isolation and are unaware what c•ty 

or state they are in, f'nalking it diffte:ult or imposSJble to 

access help or report abuse. All the while, victims may 

suffer extreme physical violence, heafth comp1ications 

from sle-epin.g outdoors and hazardous work conditions, 

denial of medical eare, and death threats to them or 

their families back home . 

.. 

Survivors in 

forestry are almost 

exclusively men 

from Mexico and 

Guatemala on H-28 

visas, according to 

cases reported to 

the National 

Hotline. 
80 


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24 

• 

Health Care 

Labor trafficking victims an the healthcare 

industry are primarily found in nursing homes 

and as home health aides, according to hotline 

data. The lines between domestic work and 

in-home health care can be difficult to ascertain, 

since some domestic caregivers are expected to 

provide medical services without proper certification. Because of the intersections with home 

healthcare and domestic work, it is important to 

consider both industries when crafting intervention and disruption efforts. 

__ Of __ ., .. 
81 


712TYPOL68.eps

Trafficker Ptofllt 

Wrth this 'Y~ h can be difficult for even survivor$ to 

decrpher who their pt'il'l'\aoty Haffieker is dve to the com· 

plic.ated reiJtioMhips •mong re-cruiters. $tafflng ~en· 

cies. and employers. In $0n"'e casu. the tr.afnc:ket may 

obfuscate these relationships to aVQid detection. The 

Haffte:l<er l'nby even be pert oft~ victim's famity. 

Recruitment 

The l"tt0$t frequent tecrvhmel'lt tactics are not known 

dv~ 10 limited ~to. though pr~imtnory hQIIin¢ doto 

suggests that misreptt$el'lttd job offel'$ and other feiJe 

ptomises are used, and that in some eases the trafficke r 

mty use a family relationship wid'lthe victim es e recruit· 

ment st.rategy 

VIctim Profile 

Mtgrant women from the Philippines are most preva· 

lel'lt 11'1 hOthne data, followed by We-st Affiean Immigrant 

women and U.S. citi~ens. Victims may possess H-1 8, 

H·2B, J.l. or H·1C (registered nul'1e) vi$6.$. Male ~rvi· 

vors ate involved in 23 percent of labor trafficking ~thin 

the healthca1e Industry. ao:ording to Polarl.s.·operated 

hotline easH 

.. 

Mothods of C011trol 

A, in domestic work, the overlappng method$ of 

c:onuol include e)(trerM isolation.. monhoring, ver~l 

degradati<lf'. threats of deportation Ot blacklisting. and 

document conflseation H•gh levels of fraud and misrt:p· 

reJentatlon of job eondftions were also reported among 

vi~ims on the hotrine-s.. Economic: abu~ is t~ mota fre· 

quent l'r'lethod of ~rc:ton and includes nonpeyment or 

undet~yment of w~ge-s. debt bondage. and !uniting 

access to a VIctim's own funds or bank acc:ounts. 

Migrant women 

from the Philippines 

are most prevalent 

in hotline data, 

followed by West 

African immigrant 

women and U.S. 

citizens . 
82 


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25 Recreational 

Facilities 

Do~a-ipdon .,nd Bustnos~ Model 

labor trafficking for work in recreational facilities has been reported to the National Hotline in 

amusement parks, summer camps, golf courses, 

and community swimming pools, though it may 

also occur in othersectorsofthis industry. Positions 

at these facilities include lifeguards, camp counselors, ride attendants, and food vendors. 

Th.• Typolo9}' Of Moct.rn S .. .,.ry 67 
83 


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712TYPOL71.eps

Tr•fficker ProAie 

t.Jrmed dtt1 pr~ ev~denee that tr1ff1ekera .,. t)'f> oc.lly,., oi!M '-·y·· _ .. -·..,..,... cos.s-~~ .... ..,.._.onc~_....,. 

Raa"·~-.-,, 

VK"t•rnl Ire ~JW.IJy msted With false ~mtnt con· 

~r~s PtOmll"ng free transportatiOn to at~d from work. 

f•rly pt•<ed hOUSing, and a living wage 

Victim Profile 

While V'tCtims of labor exploitation tend to be young 

adults on J·1 visas as part of the wort and trtvel pro· 

gram. nateon•l•ttH run the gamut from oountnts KrOU 

Eas~ern Europe. l1t1n Ametlca. the C..r.bbo.n, Eut and So..,._., AN. 1M Moddlo East. and own tho US Cobovt 

..,..tfwd ol uoffdong uw11. accordong tO hocloM data 

Medooc >of Convol 

Econetn~c 1buw, such as Wlthholdmg ~·s. w1s the 

most common method used to control WOtktt1, llong 

wnh tntenM monttorlng and threats to depott or bleck· 

ltst workttl. Verbal abuse and document conflKatlon tre 

atso not vncommon methods used to keep workttt in 

abusive s•tuetiOtls. Ahhough the J.t is one of th-e only 

wotk vts.s tk41t tiiOWJ portability, the process f01 $Witch• 

tng •l'l'lf'O)""t1 can be wrnbersome and confus.ngf01 Ytt• 

tlt'nl Mtbng to leaYe abusive~~ 
85 


712TYPOL72.eps

Next Steps 

The Typology of Mod•m 51.-W~ry tn th• U.$. l;ayc ttMt 

groundwork f01 Igniting a new type of 6Kvs.slon On how 

to efficiently and effectively disrupt and efiminate human 

trafficking netvi'Ofb by type Ctl a n.at;on.al $C.,Ie 

It allows stakeholders to begin to look I'I"''Ife predsely at 

e.eh c.ategory in 01der to take step$ to prevet~t end elimi· 

nate distinct forms of exploitation. Pr<YIIkting youth with 

education about hull'lan trafflc:king in school. for exaf'll>le, 

ean hel.p minot's 1dentify when they or theu pee1s are at 

risk of r~ruitment. 

This report shovldalsoencourage cis tinct st•keholdets 

to connect across d!sc:ipl)nes to develop acdon plans tMt 

addre$$ pofieies. and pr'lctloes. that fuel human ttaffiCklng 

across types. This kmd of coOaboration wiD enable diverse 

experts ""d comrt'V,..nity e<:1ors to tak.e c:olle-c-live $Ction en 

the most $igniflcant fattors drivi.ng human traffiCking. for 

example, federal reform and oversight of non-immigrant 

WOfk w..s to benet ptotec:t foreign nation-al temporbry 

workers woold help Joosen the grip of control and coercion that f'l'\tlny trbfflckers l~rage across multiple human 

ttafflcldng types. 

This. teport and th• disevcdon it inspires should h.tp 

the fi&Jd make sn'Wirter inveGtments that can NNe both 

deeper and wider effect on public he alth and safety. 

We enC04.1rage stakeholders to identify ways their 

unique experti~ can leverage thi.s material in order to 

combat huf'I"W'n tr.ft.ek:.ing, and we look forward to aC1ively 

participating in the development of strategies to address 

aii2S types in the month~ and years to com•. 

This report should 

also encourage 

distinct stakeholders 

to connect across 

disciplines to develop 

action plans that 

address policies and 

practices that fuel 

human trafficking 

across types. 

Th.• Typolo9}' Of Moct.rn S .. .,.ry 71 
86 


712TYPOL73.eps

Acknowledgements 

This report was researched and written by Brlttany 

Anthony, d"ta re:>earcher for Pot.os's d.eta anal)'$iS f)fO· 

gram; Jennifer Kimball Penrose, dirMtor of Polaris's data 

analysis PfOQram and Sarah Jaloel, chief program of fleer 

of Polaris.. Other Polaris staff, including Teua Couture, 

Sara Crowe, Megan Fowler, Rochelle Keyha.n, Keefi 

Sorensen, Bradley Myles, and Mary Ann Badavi contnb· 

uted to the te.xt. 

Add.tionany. we are grateful to the Carlson Famly 

Foundation, Google, and other donOfs for their gener· 

ous finanaal support. Most importantly, we would like to 

extend ou:r gratitude to community merri:>ets and SUM· 

vors of trafficking who have found tM cour~e to share 

their expenences wtth the National Human Traff~eking 

Hotline and Polaris's BeFr~ Textline, without whose tM· 

timony this report would not e>cbt. 

72 
87 


712POLAR1.eps

- KNOCKING AT 

YOUR DOOR 

LABOR TRAFFICKING ON TRAVELING SALES CREWS 

+ 
88 


712POLAR2.eps

ABOUT POLARIS 

sLwcs h> fi~.:~~.:dom in th~ U.S .. Pubris J.Ch ;" ;~ cato~J)"' h1 \)~tt:mk.1lly tiiuupt ch~ human u.1fficking 

ncr.\ <Irk~ th~u mb human bdn~::.~ ~,( 1hdr lire:\ ;and chdr frt:c.:dom. By w,,fking whh &(J\'l'rnmcnt l~~adcn. 

r..:pt•rt .. nd ps..:v~nt hunt.m t"'fficking. Our compr..:ht.:m1vc modd put~ victim~ 111 the ccnt<.:r of what 

we: dt-hclping \UI"\'i\·ors ~wrc thcir (n.:cdvm. ptc-\cnting more vkcims. and k\cr.aging dat.1.1nd 

·Polaris:== 

P0Boa¢6Sl23 

Ylashlnatoft, DC 2003S 

202·745-1001 

6nf~polariSpf~fCt.OfJ 

www polarlsprojMt,OtJ 

TO GET HELP. REPORT A TIP, OR REQUEST INFORMATION OR TRAINING, CALL THE NATIONAL HUMAN 

TRAFFICKING RESOURCE CENTER AT 1·888-373-7888 OR SEND A TEXT TO BEFREE (233733). 

ltNOCttmG AI YOU It C>OOR 
89 


712POLAR3.eps

- TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................... 1 

rntroduetion al')d Methodology •..•.•....•.•....•......•....•.........................•...........•.•....•.•..•.•.•..•.•..•.•.•..•• 4 

Labor Trafficking In 5.ale5 Crews ................................................................................................... 5 

Crew Operational Models ............................................................................................................. 7 

Item• Sold ........................................................................................................................ 8 

Recruitment ................................................................................................................... 9 

Force, Fraud, or Coercion ............................................................................................ 11 

8usine$$ Network Character-istics ............................................................................................. 16 

Shifting locations ........................................................................................................ 16 

Relationship Be twee-n llldustry Actors .......................................................................... 17 

Art Alternative Operating Mod<tl: Stationary Sales Crews ............................................ 18 

Attempts To Regulate The Traveling Sale$ Industry ................................................................... 20 

Conclusion and Recommendation$ ............................................................................................ 23 

Governments ................................................................................................................. 24 

Law Enforcement ........................................................................................................ 25 

Sj)rvlc• Organitations .................................................................................................... 25 

Businesses ...................................................................................................................... 25 

Consumers .................................................................................................................... 26 

.A.ppelldix 1: Resources .................................................................................................... 27 

EndnotM ..................................................................................................................................... 28 

ACKNOWLEDG EMENTS 

In addition to National Human Traff.cking Resource CAnter (NHTRC) and Polaris BeFree Textline 

data and o~n-soure. data, this report draws on th• • xpertis. of a numb4tr of individuals 'Nho 

1\a~ wori<ed to •xpose abuses on trav• ling sa~ c,..ws and to provide aid to former cr• w m• m· 

bers.. Th• authors would lik• to thank Detectiv• G• orge Dahl of the louisville. KY Metro Police. 

Reid M•ki of the NCL Child l.obor Co•lition, JeMifer di Nicol• of the N•tion•l Runow•y Sa feline. 

Bridget Wells of Periodical Watchguard, and Earlene Williams of Parent Watch for taking the 

time to speak with us and contnbute their knowledge to this report. We would also hke to thank 

lan Urbina for sharing his knowledge of the industry, as well as the many other journaliSts who 

have shone a spothght on the high levels of exploitation in this industry. f.,alty, we woukl l1ke to 

acknowledge Seth Hunt and the many other sales crew members vdlo haw found the courage to 

share their experiences with the NHTRC horline, Polaris's Be Free Te:xtline, the mainstream med'ta, 

or throtJgh onhne channels. 

'''"'"flPOLARbPROJI!CT.OaC 

+ 
90 


712POLAR4.eps

-EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

Labor trafficking is a form of modern slavery in which individuals are compelled to 

perform labor or services against their will by means of force, fraud, or coercion. 

The National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRO hotline and the Polaris 

BeFree Textline received 419 reports o f likely labor trafficking cases involving traveling 

sales crews between January 2(X)8 and February 2015. more than any other industry 

except domestic work. This report anal}'les data collected from these hotlines. as well 

as open source data from legal records, government documents, industry 

experts. news media, and social media. 

S:aln. crt:w.S tr:wd frequc:1UI)' :am""' )t.\tc lin(";\, must corn nm n ly 

wlllnt nl :ll~<~:f.inc.). Empi<J)'I1)Cftt by :11 rrom:llng $~Jes crew 

tnc. ~ tr-.tffiddng wi\C'r~ the cmployt"r uscs f<un, fr:aud. t)f 

cc.x:rci(m to nuintaln oorurol (Wc.T the: ulr.).pn)()n, c.m" ng that 

work•·• 10 lx-bc."'\' rtut hf.: qr )h.: h.~ no cfmicc hue u, u:~~y o.nd 

rondnuc co \\'Ofk. lnst..-.~ of rhc- promised rommiss.lon on 

).lit:\, cn:w t~t~rs I)'Pie#.lty kt'ci''c ~ d.lil)' ~llpc.-nd ufS 10 h• 

SlO to rcn'd' pnwn;al rom allod n'dh. E.unln~os bcyor'd ~ 

pmd nuy quiekl)' dis:Apptu to ro\'tf "<11.-bts" to the- t:ffW 

((If hCMu.ing J.l'ld nn~port;tti lll. c~ ma.n~'t"n m~)' rnanipu• 

btc, thn-21c:n , or :lhu!.t:' their crnpiU)'n':S tO p-rrtsutc them int() 

wOfklng h:ardu or r<• indm.d:nt' ch<IK' who wish 10 lo\'e ~bnt 

>&HI:Hion. If 11 cn:w nwml,.:r irui~tl un lt';wing. tht' ma.rugnm.ay :ah;lJldon hin• nr h~'f in an unf.unili.ar IO<' .. uion- oft~n 

without money or belonging;. 

~ u,wc:ling $ak'S busin<'$$ ~rc'~Y h~ :a poor ~puQrit"' d~l(' ro 

oastomcr compU.Ims and civil lawsuits auodng to tk p~tt 

of coruUini.'t fr.aud in m;an)' Mlo; CR'W$' op.ntions. )(1 dw: din-c1 

.sa.Jd.propk. often ~~ ~ romplim in lhis &.lud, lUt' in man)' 

c:t:k'S \i<tims of :a d&ni}"ffllf :111d highly abu.1.iw· indusuy. 

MAJOR FINDINGS 

Rc.auit ~cnr is a crucial asp«t of opcntion.s (or tHw-ling 

.s:.alcs c._'1'f:\O,'S duc to tbc hJa.h ro~. c oftumovtr ~rnons C'f'C'W 

mcn1bcu. Tr.-ffid:cts in s31o. ('fl"WS mal«- a high profit with 

llttk risk co thcms.t.·h"d b)' :~Jl;cting Jow.Jnro•nc.-. young propk 

within 1hc United Su.tn.. Pcr.M'ln •lO•p<'BOft rc-etuhm('nl, 

nc:w~p.aJ)l'f ~"'· ftkn p<~tcd on oolkg_t" atnpwd. or m'lln'lc: 

Job po._uin~ promising (un. tr.a\"C'I, :~tid high nrnin~ .an: :all 

1'11('1hOI,b n."W) U)t' 10 aunn new n'l<:rrlhcn. Whlk :'l'h'l"riik"-

menl~ m:.y '-pt.-dfy dut new t:ttw tncmbc:r:~ mrut be :.t kl..)l l8, 

reporu ind ~te upcr;uors do liulc: tt.l '"rif'y J~gt:S~. lhirty ~H 

p<'f«'nl f~ ~po ted co the NHTRC and 8-I:Frn-Tc.-xtline 

[n,·otvc porential minOfS.'Thitt)'·ninc reponed ClSC"S fcawrtWtH"kcn brought Into the U.S. through the.-J· l \'iu pfO!,..-a.'"· 

Y.•ho rhk ckpon.afion if tht')' k:wc "" abush'C' ~. 

Pot«, fraud. or cocrdon b ofccn U-sed in th.t tra"C'Iin$ 

~~~ .. indunry to p~n1 •alu crtw mcmbert fron1l~-aving 

tbdr jobs. Fuud is uup~t i*' W hiring procds, a.nd C'ti"'W 

membc-N routine!)• note th:tt ·working ronditioo.s .and snks 

C()m_m io ru ;lJC ~ignifieuu y mhn."J'~u.d in :~d,'\'rt M-mc:nu 

or during. t('(fUinucnt. ManJS<'rl (Ontrol n(';U'Iy aJI tipl"Cts of 

the li\'('$ or (;t('W member$ ;~nd dri\'('f'$ whik th-ey N\" on th-erwd. and bolatc.- Wrm from wider $Ode()' by impos-ing loog 

wOtk houN, mo'•ing f~uendy lx-tw~.'C'fl ns, <mplo)'ing 

"cult-lih:" peer prt'S$U~. and oontrulling aficr-houn- ac:tivity. 

M;,a,n<tgorn m:~~y deny crew rncm~ food. confiscate thdr driverS lice-nses. ortbt<'ltctl them ifdK')'dunot ma.'t thrir,.31es 

q\&Ot». AbMH)Qnment il:J k<')' dm::u from Op!."r.lfQf'$, with 2S 

pcr~:ent of r\'pQtl,) to the: NHTRC and BcFn.'C' 1n\VIving work· 

Cf$ kft bc::hind in unhmiliJ.t at('J.$ w itho u1 rrt('JJ1S t o mum 

homc-. ln n(';u-ly 24 p<>rccm o( <~ r\'1)C)nt-d to the: NHTRC 

Md lkfr«, nlkn; mdic.ncd th:.t m•Ng(u or ftllOW" cn:w 

n'lem~N phy~k.tlly as.sauh.:-d ~p<'Opk who wbhcd to c-~\'(', 

$txuaiii$UUil w.u also ported in douru. of C'ak'$. 

ltNO(tttuG AI YOU It C>OOR 
91 


712POLAR5.eps

The rcl~t ship• bft·wecn t:tlo c-rews indiCll.le numcroiU 

linkage' within t he busines;$ nc1WOtk. It C:'ln be dl.~lk·ngmg 

co fi nd chc::!.c links b«au~ m.Jny <trg~ni:uti<.ms, P"rti(:"l:uly 

cOOsc: with 1\ long rt'W!'d of ff:nxl•rchtc:d compl:~~intli. frcqu('nt· 

ly c-h.:m~'C their nAmes and opt.ncing Joations. while rtm.;aining 

under tht· .urnc uwn.;-rshlp. EVt':l\ when opnadr-tg ur'ldcr a 

w narne. chdr kttip b d ad\'tttis;ing rnacetial mar still bcLlbdcd with pi'C"Viow busines$ " an,N. 0 \'t't d'l(' pasc 24 )'C:In. 

s<>n\c l:uger rw:t'W(>rl:s h;n·c :u bst nomin:a.lly hmkc:n up. unl)' 

to he t1' ~ l>r ,.mallcr, mort" flc:xihlc c~. ) {·t NHT RC 

and IkFn:c (bta • al'ld ocher $Qnrtts • (l()ru inue t<t shuw .Wg. 

ni fiC~ t «mnC<tinn.s b<-tw« n dll: nc;W\'f ;and oldn bt1.$in($$(5 

b.urd upon chd dentilics o(bu,.Ul(')$ owfK'n <~ d cn-w m.;an;tg· 

M. as wd l as on linked bu.siness t«<rds. 

Oupice long~tanding recognicjon of che abuK$ rife wichin 

rhe wn"Cling~es indu.stry, numerou.s an cmpu 10 -addte.s.s 

abu..se a~ failed. \'('bc:thcr dassificd as. in<k-pt·ndmt con· 

uactoN ()r ouu.i<k sal~ workNs, UJ.\'Ciiog s:.1IN C«"A' memlxrs 

arc <'.l(('nlpt from num of ~ fcdeui iJ.bor ro ~x-ti oru afford· 

<-<1 tu d irt'Ct cmpiV)'<'t'S. One of the ftw n(lolabiC' suC('(:S.SCS in 

f'<lULI1ing travding u lc:$ ("ll:W$ cxcurrt'd at tM· .sue..- k"·el in 

Wisoomin. ;.,Malind<lll's l~IW," ~ in 2009, is n.tmed ftrl' 

oru: of thC' 'ictims of a \'a.Jl a«idnu which killed SC"'\'n t«'nat,'<' 

memlxn: t'l( <1 mag»:ill(' sales Crt"W Jk\U viJk, \'VI in 1999. 

RECOMMENDATIONS 

Then- an: a n u mlx"T of )fep$ th,n C(MIId rt'duc:c· labor tn ffi cking 

and ~rt: C'Xploiuti<m :.among f..\lt"$ crt:~ and nert·::t~ suppbl't 

f'ot trafficking victims within this indU:SU)'. Pk-.lk'" S« dw: full 

list of rccum.mcnd.uions on pp. 23-26. 

• Artwnd elK- F~r L01b<.1r StmdMds Ace (FLSA) in orlkr tn 

«Wo:r do<lf·tc>-dooc sa.ks WC>tkel"$. 

• Emuh' ;uk-quatc funding fl)r ,c: vi~Jo dcstgn<.'d to _,i~t 

vioUm (!(human traflk king. indudtnt:. vi" inu o( lalxH 

trafficking on s:tkscrt"v.·~-

• Hold Sl'lks crtw cmpiO)•tn responsibk (Of providing th¢ 

n-quirOO Form I 099-MISC to document ..-xp..•nditu.r<s. 

(lnccm3.1 Rc\~ll U(" Sm.•i«). 

• Jnvcscig,nc \llbttk 'S of ch..-J-I \'i.sa progr111n (IXpllutK'nt 

ofStJ.tc). 

Sc<tle Go...crnmcnb ld :adop1 $11'Un.gcr bW$ tO n:gullllt' 

i.-nlplo)'l~n-nc t:U ~di1i ) nn tr2\'t"lmgs-.aks ert"W'S, potential I)' 

moddi.ng chcm ate...., Wi.sCQnSin's JU«t'$S(ul n:gularion. lhcy 

~uld wmickr ddimns a priv-ate right,.; ::tcuon fC>r indivicl-

.~- s who h:nl: <'xp:rkoct-d lraffi c:king .sicunions. cmplormcnt 

tniW"bs$ificaclon. w~ viol.:ttiU•b. b r uth..'f .tbuSd (11'1 lr .. ,•ding 

J3les cro:w~ . .tnd highlight tilt' da.ngCT$ of r::~wling uld: 3.t :an 

o«up:.tiun. 

Law c-11for«.mror agenu mus.t look for signs. of uaffickins 

when .stoppin' OC'W mcmh<rs for traffic viobujoru. 01 fot door· 

t<Kiuor s.olk iuuion :md pursue .t('tion :.gainH th06e :u the top 

of the netWOfk f':lthcr thMI on cn:w mcmbct.s.. They co~.n :dso 

~nW::t. <" fr.aud (:IS($ in t known ab\1$h"C b\ISinnS<:'S. 

Scn -i«" organ ttlio .~o ~ho ld rea~i:~c 111:11 ~lks m-w mt·mbcrs 

can be: vk tinu ofUhor u..Jfid<ing r.:qui.ring M:n"mm Uke other 

hum:Jn ~ki g viccirn-5 do, :md bC' pn:pw;-d m ddrn~ $Uf\'i.-

·or).' imrn<"di:ah· ~ foe "hcKC•tt:rm 11hdttT a,nd cr.m$pwtadoo 

h<lm<'. 1h<y mun abo lx aw.ll't' that $0nlC $.tlrvivon. OOth m.tk 

;md fcnv.k. ba ~ had <'Xtt\"mdy rA :~ric. c:xperic.'flC\'$ of psycbo-

~iotJ control. ph~ ell muse. ~nd .st'Xull tis.lult. 

The pubU.sbi.ngind\lStry$1\ould ma.k("dfons wcnrutt'a 

transparent bus inC$$ supply chain in thc:ir mag.u.in< .s:d('-5 in or· 

dct h> prott'Ct th..-ir br:and n: ta u.t~s. Sinct· it is un.likdy chat 

publiJhm h:we the- resources 10 (1 ~I"S('(' s:ab :.gems. hoWC\'C'I'. 

th<y $hould :.ddidonally bt• prepared to coop<-r:uc with guwrn· 

mctH aultlc:s ln the (:l.~ cil vt"$ i¥,:l'don~ of b:.d :att<ll':\ within 

the door·ro.-duor (·J ind ustr)'· 

The hoed and lrAIUJ'Orra•ion indwtry .shl)uld 1,in 5U.tf'to 

r«ogni.-r the indt<::& M~ Q( U:l\'dingnl<:'$ (f'('w vit;tinu . :tnd 

$1\Me .ti .~- k rnour«s lik¢ the N:nkmal H11man Tralfid:ing 

R.csA>urc< Cc:nt4't e. dK' N:nion;al Ru a)' Saklinc. and 

mon:-. Both indumK-.s C>uld otlso patln<r with .s('n•ic< pr(wid· 

m co prcwitk hoed or u·.- ~pona ion vwcheN 10 ''ictinu. 

Com:umt'rJ JhC>uld be c:.uliow when burintt nCl or 

other it(·nu from salt-,; cr<:•w.s that at\" not dt'2r1)" affiiU!tcd wich 

:. locaJ wpoi:~.uion such \\Sa scbook ud be \lint to stupicious 

job :ad\'t'niscmcnu. Thcyc-.tn :a.ls.op'~ thc NHTRCor lkfh--c 

hotlinc numbt-N: m Jab Crt'W mt'fl'lbns who displll)' sigtu <If 

being :u risk for ~r.~.fficki ng. Coruunu·n. should ncu 3Ht'nlpt to 

fo:llow the- crew mrtnbct or intMx:ne dirtttly. 

+ 
92 


712POLAR6.eps

FORMER CREW MEMBERS SPEAK OUT 

At the time I felt like I didn't have a choice. 

They do a good job of convincing you that you 

have to keep up your sales and stay with the crew. 

- from Polaris interview with S. Hunt 

XNO(ItJHG Af YOU It OOOit 
93 


712POLAR7.eps

- INTRODUCTION 

AND METHODOLOGY 

Since Polaris began operating the National Human Trafficking Resource Center 

(NHTRC) hotline in December 2(1)7, and the Be Free Textline in March 2013, these 

hotlines have received more reports of labor trafficking on traveling sales crews within 

the United States than in any other industry except domestic work. Employment by a 

traveling sales crew becomes trafficking when the employer uses force. fraud, or coer· 

cion to maintain control over the salesperson, causing that salesperson to believe that 

he or she has no choice but to stay and continue to work. 

Tmvclin,& cs WOJkns ~n:- pvtieulvly vulnrr.abk to d'IOlt" :lbusc.-:s 

lx-oulic: tht')' :.m•t."Xt'mpt from nlCIS;t ~l :uul n<ltC' minimum 

W:lgl" n-qulrcmcnb, M'rrlimc limh:.don$, and odK·r cmploym<-nl 

prou-ction). St:ue-IC'ld n:gulatkm b b:unpcrcd by lhe Fa« tMt 

t~V<-Iing salt-s C'r('\\'$ m<Y>'t' fttqutntl)' from .state 10 m.te. 

Polar\$ r<.'<'Qg.ni'«s th;u kguim"tc dJXtr•U,.door ~" $i llC'$~ 

op<Ut~· throughout the United SlAt<'$. but due to the l.l<k of 

bl.bor pror«tions and oth<:r vuln<'rabiliti('$, man)' tta,~ling 

<:'$ Cf'<'W$ opC'Jadc.ms a~ ;t,t high risk ((II IJ.ho:w U".afficking:.' 

The NHTRC and the lkFrtt Texdinc r«ci,•cd 419 rcporu 

of likely labor cnffidO"' cases in\'ol\'ing tU\'\'Iint; sak$ CtC'W$ 

bc'twt."l"f'' Janu:uy 2008 ~d Fd>ruotf)' 2015. lhc lkcttr Butinc;:.u 

Bu.,.-.lu 61($ ~Y~~r (loll(' thoi&S.md com pb m~ ;Jix,m the: mavding 

We;'$ indu.~cry c:ach )'\".lr, indvding compi;Unu ~hl:l'.lt 11bu~iv(' 

bb<>r pr;~ k:~ c: g.~c.-d in by tbc:.se businC$5($, Hundr<'d\ mol'( 

complainu ~ av.1.ilablc on forums Juch u Coo.tpbinuBoord, 

com 1lnd RipO!'fR.c:pc>rt.com, and on fa«book, where f(lf'm(T 

m·w m('m~ ha''<' cndlk-d to h;~ving b«n •u.bj<.'C't(-d co for«, 

fraud. or OO('rdon whik ki~ on u;wcling $J.IC'$ crtW.s.1 lh<' 

N:uimul C)mmm·n l,r.11gue, the Nationa-l Runaw.11y S;~k-lin(', 

Grorgi.l Office ofConn u~r Pr()tc-Ction. P..l!t'nt W:.cch, 2nd 

oth<Y urg~ # .. ·nioc)n$ ~~ $imil.11rly i<knti..6C'd tr-.1\'t'ling $~('$ ~.._ 

om indu~try ri((' with work('r 1.b1.1s.t.'. 

Sources and Methodology 

1his report l.l'l.ll)"l,cs d.u:t rolkatd fwtn the NHTRC lmdinc 

:111d ch<' Poll.rU Bc:Fn"C Tc:xclmc:. as wdl u d.11t:1 from <>pen 

wur« C\"$("MC'h. Open sourtti coruuht"d ind~ dc k-gi\1 rtcords, 

~) 't'nlmC' t dvcumc-nr.<. indu~cry("Xpc'rllf , I'IC'W$ me-db. and 

$()(':j:.J nw..-di.a. lht·.sc sour« ·.,: wen.• of \';arying ~hbllhy indi· 

vidu;aiJ)'; accvrdirlt;l)'• infOJm;ation included in lhb f'\>pOn i$ 

limit\'<! to that which could b.: confirmed by multiple sourro:. 

i.ndudingNHTRC~d BtFrccdala. With this inform.uion, 

this rcpon aims to kicndfy cmersing nmds, major <halk'tlgt'S, 

promhing_ pta('ticc.'S, :'lild ~n.·.u of nc.'t'd in rhc l'cSponsc tu bbor 

mffiddng in tr.tvding s:lld acws ;la'US$ the Uniu.-d Stat('). 

Confidentiality 

Individuals aca-ssins the NHTRC hodi.n<' and lkFn.'t'Tcxdin<' 

may c:boc)w co pfU\•kk .u much or lU liulc.- dt•tu.il b ti'IC)' wUh. 

lh('~ :m- no t\"qtlin:'mC'flfJ u1 pr.-.widc i&:nrif}·ing deuJI\ a.nd 

momy individ1.111h <>pt (n rc:main ;m(lflynu.».J.S. C>nt~ with rhc: 

hotlinc is wnflcknli.11l ~nd thi$ R!pcm <'Xdudes all id<'ntifying 

infonn<~rion . AU m.tiscia arc rt-portcd in a~te with the 

utmo.sc Uf\" t.lk\'fl '" proc.«t th.: privacy .lnd safct)' ()(the: in· 

dividu.W who ac~X» our $('1'\'kc.-s, of oor lawc:nfora"fflomt and 

$Cnitt ptO\'id<'t partncrs. and of our •tafT. Additional d.m. ustd 

ta >uppft·m('nl chb n.-pon W.l$ from npm $<111~ itl<'luding 

bwino..\ '('Or~ lc-pl n:cufd.'<.lhc.- Bc:ncr Busine» Buft'.lu, 

('(lflt"~ nwr rompl1.in1 f'Omm5, no~.·""' nwdi~. and $rKi.&l mc.<dh. 

All qU<.lCl"$ (rum s'•n·ivofl v•·c:n- m:.ck .lY.li ~bk tO chi:- gcnc:r;al 

pubficb)'$\UViV(If$, 

+ 
94 


712POLAR8.eps

-LABOR TRAFFICKING 

IN SALES CREWS 

Labor trafficking is a form of modern slavery in which traffickers use violence, threats, 

manipulation. debt bondage, and other forms of force, fraud, or coercion to force 

people to work against their will.• Labor trafficking has been found in numerous 

industries in the United States, including the agriculture, hospitality, restaurant, 

homecare professionals, and traveling sales industries. Between January 2008 and 

February 2015. the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) and the 

Polaris Be Free Textline received reports of 419 instances of potential labor 

trafficking in sales crews. • 

While in m:~.n)' bb,.,- tr2ffieking shu;uion' the nu jmir)' o( 

"icdm.s art· fordgn n:uiorrals. tnffickt'fi wh-o run Cl1lVJ:lil~g 

sale$ Ch."W$ .uc~t mic-~1)' disad\'Mtt.tg_«< young people 

within the- United St:ttt"S. Tn\'cli.J1g saiN bw.incss.cs 3.1most 

C'Xdushx-1)• reauit unemplc:o:.'<'d or undcr-..·mplorcd rouns 

:tdu1u. promisin~ a fun job, U:t\·~-1 . and hit;h prOOu. lrm~~. 

reuults fn-q\•<:•UI)' find th.:nlsc:IW$ in .situarl<uu :u high ri.sk 

for bbor tnffidc.ing. Mafl2£:t"t'l for abu.si\'c <'l"t"W.S amlisotc the 

ntajurlty of \'kcinu:' C"Ltni;lgs. m;tking vktinu <kpel\dcm on 

tht.,TI for uruup(m;acion and homing. Abwhx· managm also 

UK' psrcbologk.d manipul.nion, ''i-okncc:, .scltu.tl hau:>$nl<'IH 

or wauh. and aNndonmC'm in unf>1miliat citi<'s to pra;S-ure 

\'ictim.s i.nto v•'Orking hl!dC'r and to intimidate thOtSC who wi.sh 

co 11.\lvethc-ir.situ-arion. 

As with other fc)rtf\.S of1.1bor trafficking. u;tffid.ing in $aks 

c~ is -a t\"l;ui''<'ly low-risk. hil;h·prolit crim<' f,)r 1M traf'· 

hckt'r, '«1hh Cr('W members r«ri,•ing. d dX'r a $mall fraction of 

the pwht from tht·n :uks Qr n<.>nc: :u all, the bul" of the prolit 

g(K":\ to m ·w m;,uugen :.nd b1uint'~<& llwnt'r$. Ft:w nun:Ji,"C.'r5 or 

bu~it~ <tWrK'n 3f(' t"\'t'r hdd :lt'c:OU1H:1ble for th.c:ir oimin.AI 

;Ktivities. Trafli(:k<f':l"-"ltplun thl: t~lnc:r.ab li ty uf •mg (R'W 

mt;m\x'f$. o~ affi)rded f('W L:g:Jl4.'fl1plr))'MX"nl righu. I() 

pn•n_·tu vic:tunf fr<>m .sttking ;l»h t;ann,•, 

CrC'W nl<'fllhc.·n :uc.- funhc.·r dt'wrn·d fn:urt ~;dtiltg "-"'lu:tntt b)· 

dK' fa<l that tlK')' an" typically not pl(wided with s.olidt1tiot1 

pennits. n1eaning tMt d\1.1'• instead of thci.r managers or dk· 

busints.s ownttS. arc likdy to g.<'t i.nto lc-pl uoublt if wori:C'rs 

repon the-ir si ~ricm to bw roforc..."ft\~.'111. Avoiding d«('('{ii)l1 

is relatiw·l)' t-.uy for u:t.fficl<crs, who a~ -advant• of th<' 

mobility of uks eh:W':S. which mrdy S-tay h1 the $:.line- juri.s.dk· 

tion for more- than a few da)"-· Additiunall)·· sill« thi,. is an 

unf.amili.ar model ofbbor mfficking. fottt, fraud. or (()(·teiun 

f..c:tor$ arc oftt'n nOt ob,•i()u> to l;aw t11for«·ment ()r lhc.· general 

public. (Jl.c....d mol'(" aboUt for«. fr.lud, and rocrcion on uavding$.21es mws on p. II.} 

JtHOCII114G AI YOU It t>OOit 
95 


712POLAR9.eps

FORCE 

• Physiul and/or sexu81 abuse 

FRAUD 

• Mi51epresentatlon of working conditions 

• Denial of wages 

• False promis,e, 

COERCION 

• High sales quotas and punishments for fai1ure to meet them 

• Verbal abuse 

• Psyc:llological manipulation 

• Threats of abandonment 

• Isolation and/or removill from familiar surroundings 

• O&ims that crew members ~ue indebted to the organization 

• Denial of food and/or adequate a.leeping conditions 

ROB'S STORY 

Re<entiy,a ctfW membtr n.am&d Rob 

rtached out for aM.is.Wnct &her bting ph11i· 

tally ~ulttd by his manager.Met spe.ak.· 

lngwlth Moptrat« at another hotlint. Rob. 

a yoottg.adult male,.was.conferwfd Into 

the Nitional Human Traffi<k:lng Resource 

Ctnter (NHTRC) hollmt . Tht young man 

t)(plaintdthatht joi.ned a bawling sales 

crew afterseetng an online advertisement 

for .a lumtivt job. 

But tho teahtyof lht ]obwasdlfft<tnt 

than Jdvettistd. Tht<lew ht joined sold 

mag.mne subs.crlpuons,andwalktddOOt 

to door frotn @al'lymornlng !.Mtll YfHY lat& 

in tho tveolng ""'Y day. Whtn the utw 

membtrs.complained Of did not mttt thtit 

dailyquoti:S, then manager prohibittd them 

from t.ltlng Of madt thtmsfttp on tht 

streetlnstt.ad of In th& hotel. Robw;)flted 

to INVt, but was unable tosance htwas far 

from homt and had no money of his own. 

Thf NHTRC C.ll Sp""h~ rtftrred lhf 

situillion to a nearby seMce provider who 

helped Rob find • pla<e to ~etp that night 

and transportation homt.ln addrtioo, tflt 

service l)fovider offered to perform outre.ach 

f01 tht rema.nlng crew members.lhe sti'Vi<t 

ptovldtr htfptd s.tYtt al othtW young meo 

CUSTOMERS: 

NOTTHE ONLY VICTIMS 

The uavoling sales busine<salreacly 

has a poor rep-utation: ros•omer 

complaints and civil lawsuits show 

that consumet fraud iHommon in 

many tlavtling salescompames. 

Yet low·level <rew members, often 

treated as complicitln this fraud, are 

in many cases v1ctims of a danger· 

ous and hrghly abuSI"' industry. 

According to former Benet Business 

Bureau presidonllom Banholomy, 

·customers aren't the only Yiaims .. 

The young salespeople are also 

potentially being taken advantage 

of by their employers and forced to 

work long hours, endure substan· 

dard fiving conditions and have 

their wages mthhekl from them.~ 

le"'e the sales crew and rtached out to law 

enfotctment agtnts who ulumittly ~rres.ted 

the m.anager.ln len than awttl:, all of the 

vlcttrm had rect•vtd bus ud:ets and sMtfy 

ttturnedto tM1r hotntto\'rf'\S. 

Tltl$ stOI'j J.S ftplf.SMI.dfJVt of tht lypt.S 

of c>lls rtcfl'vtd "r lht NatioMI Human 

frlifKiringRosouftOC..rM(NiffRC).op«Med 

"r Pol.,;, N•mesh""e heM dr.lngtd M>d 

-•lit identifying inf111mllion hM b.., 

omitted toP"'""' 1M <Wlfidonlialny of 1M 

peopl•sff>ed. 

+ 
96 


712POLAR10.eps

-CREW OPERATIONAL 

MODELS 

Reports of abuses within the traveling sales industry date back to at least the 1970s, 

and Congressional hearings in 1987 highlighted problems within the industry, many 

of which uncannily mirror those in traveling sales aews today.• Products involved, 

recruitment methods, means of controlling crew members, and the basic sales tactics 

of crews have remained almost constant for at least three decades. testifying to the fact 

that aew operators find the business model both financially rewarding and low-risk. 

lhc-b:u ~o ('rJti ;al mOOd oftr:t\1.'1iog$;lb m·w$ h;t( nc11 

chant,'t'd signih(:Jndy $intt th(' 1970s.. A«ording to tbc 43 

C'~ in wh1ch <«W .sir.c was p« (' , m'W$ ''at)' in .si7.<'. wilh 

:.pprnxim.ndy 10 co 40 JX'OP~ on most c-~. bm as many 

;u I no in Wf!l(: C1~ I Flg. II. CK\\' llll.'mlx-1'1 ~rC' pc Vbcd 

b)• dna:t m~ .Jgt·n.. "'hn aw in e-hug4:' ()( .Jeq••iring hou,Jng 

(til lh<' nlglu , nu king diJdplin:ary d«Uiwu for dK" new. :and 

nu.wing m«,· ~ irQm d ty to city 4.!\'a')' f<'w t·~.-b . MMag~r$ 

m i'llso ra:ponsibk for nmning morning :andlc:>r nightly c:n:w 

mcccing$, which m:~.y n: c;h tilt· worlc d.1ym 10.12 hours. 

long d<~ys on dK" ro»d arc 11nodK"t k'fioo,s dMg« for Cfl.'W 

JOHN'S STORY 

b<-fl, ~n l)(ccn operate crew X'hk~ (.,r c:xrt:ndrd 

p<Tiod.s of 'imc. kadin& co in.m<mioo and <'XhauHi(ln; othtt$ 

m;r,y dri'" with <Xpirc:d Of r('•ol.;cd li«run. Vc.hid nllR' 

oft<n in poor sN~. isk$ h;1.V\' led to $(fi()U$ <r~ in 

p-rn ·iou1i )WD, whk h is u n C' r.J l h C' (;:w w.ap (or ;r, uh-., Cn:o\\' tQ 

Cl:ln'W: h) loa.l mC'di.a :utcmion. Wi$("0n5in i\ cht: unl)' M;&IC' t hai 

rt~u ~ tr.l'<TIIng ,.:dcJ cn"WJ, :md It did W Jlfit-r dw l'nJ.I' u( 

OJ q n th;u k.illl:d $(..,"" crew mc:mbtor$l!Jld ju~ flvc tJW.)R' i n 

1999.' 1'tK-WiK<msin l;r,w, wmmonly c:.IJcd · M.dind.l:. lAw· 

Jicr om- of the- cf'.lsh \'i<:tims. hmitJ CI\"'W n~:m ' wQrking 

houn and Qblig_ct Ct('W$ 10 h;n-e \'C"hicb Jll:nl.ufy in.sp«c«<! 

the story of JohnEIIison,..asteported by 

thP A$1odated Press in 1978. could Yrithwry 

few alterattoMbe the story of many on sales 

crews today.•Responding to an ad, Ellison 

met with a re<ruitiM in Texas who promised 

tra'l!l, parbes, comfortablt housing, ar.d 

the opportunity to mal• money with aU 

ex~ <ovft"~ praCil<t, Ellison had to 

W<lfk fig!-< hou•S of 'fihng per d>y followed 

by a three·hour saiM meeting~ whith he 

and others who faded to make their quota 

Yl'<dd bt ridiculed. Ht SOJW lrttle to none~ 

ltlt promised<omrmssion on sales. He and 

othe-r members whowanledto le;wewere 

abandoned in louisiana witfl no money In 

an unfam1har plact.A forme• <tewmatMgt• 

also lntervle\Wd In !he article ind1<attd the 

tlementsof fOf<t and psy<hologKal cotrdon 

pces.ent on tht crews. COO'Imttllltlg tNt •tne 

crew d!itf be<omes mother, falher,mln1ster, 

guld¥Kt counselor and boss.- {He] makes 

his kids Into absolute slaves •.• and he kHps 

lhem hundreds of mUM~y from homE! so 

that they have tobf.pwoddng ... Eiements 

of fraud oJntf cotf'cion present throughout 

Ellison'< <tOIY "roogly "'990" th>t h>d tho 

fraH1<klng Virums ProcKtioo Act t)usted tn 

tht 197~. his Situation migh1 havt bttn 

das:sif1td as humanlrafftd:ing. 

ltNOCttmG AI YOU It C>OOR 
97 


712POLAR11.eps

ABANDONMENT OF SALES CREW WORKERS 

As soon as I told [my managers] I wasn't going 

to stay, they kicked me out of my hotel room and 

left me in a bad part of town without any money. 

I had to find my own way to the bus station and I had 

to ask around for hours before I got there. My mom 

paid for my ticket, but by the time I got home I 

was sick and hadn't eaten for three days. 

ln\t\':Ld ofth..,· commis. ... ;.>n Qn u.le$ prrJfni.$1.·d d11rins (ht" 

application proc<'$$. all but th(' hiVx-:sc·p«rforming $alnpeopk 

t«ci\X' ~ dail)' $tip<nd of $5-$20. whkh most COVN the c~t 

of mNl' :uad pmonaJ it<:nu. E.lrnin&S bq'Ond this f.tip<'Qd 

an: g<:ncro~llr kept .. on dK"" lwJOiu,M al'ld :~y qukkJy s>~pPf".ar 

m OIM.'r •dcbb-to the Crt'W for hou)ing and Cnrupon:uion. 

M<~mbcn. who wish co k.u't' dlt" crew w1lluften be.· pm undC'r 

$igni.li('.Ant m,s~1rc: w ~ur thro. ttH: ~·~ C>f ps}'Chologk~ 

;~.ni tl :ni , thn.~t.S. or ph ~ vi<-knre. If a m<mlx-r $Cill 

insi.sc.s 4.>1'1 k":lving, tlw: (lt'W will e>fu·n ab.md<m him Qr hc:r in 

an unfamiliar location wid)C)ut money or bdongi~o;s. 

ITEMS SOLD 

Ccn:ain indwtOO that employ ua"ding. ~N Cf(''*"'S .stand out 

as particular!)' prone to labor abuSot'$ and pot~·ntial hum;~;n tr.tf· 

6dting s.iwatiQn,s, 1\ro>rdi.ng to ~m W.ttch, an organi7.:uion 

d«< i<a ~-d 10 "IIS$-i«intt .su"·h-ors of abusiv<' .situations within 

tn\x•ling .sales cr<"W~. dM" m~t o:ploitatiff travding s':llles 

busind$(S &_-a) in magnin~ .sal('$, fuiiOW<'d .dimnd)' by those 

dC'aling in ckar)ir)g products.

10 This ~lm tc b confirmed b)· 

d;~;t;J f'r(lf(l dll.· N.ational HumM~ T nffic:king Rc.":SOuccc C<-mC'r 

hod n<'~ whk h shnws thu 64 pcr«nt f)( thc,o 3S7 c-<l..~'$ which 

s.pOO.Il<d items $Old rcfcrt"fl.« mag.:ttinc sak$, tS« Fig.. 2 on p• 

9.) 1ht- NHTRC hodincand dx· lkFtt'(" Ta dinc a~ r«ciwd 

sigJ~ fic-.tndy 1($$: tvidi.•nc\' of ab si~ activity in c.ra,·cling ck~.ming produ<"ts m ·ws, with unl)' 9 p.. .:c t of th('S(' cases dil'('(dy 

rt.fffl'nd ng chis industry. The remaining 27 pc,or«nt of reports 

·from Polarrs il'lterv1ew with 5. Hvnt 

FIGURE 1: SIZE OF CREWS 

Total: 43 <:.:154'$ teported 10 NHTRC ond BeF ree Text line 

.... ==~ ~ • 10 12' 

l ofer .. ~ 

rd'cctn«d thr- uk of ;my l.'thC'f t)'p<' of prodocc. indu.ding. 

otbook.~. cookbooks. or rouponJ. B.u<..-d on th< date.'$ of 

rcpom dhodln.c datil at~d on open source resc:uch, ~ tk;u 

1ha1 s;c>nu• ma~p1JrM' ,'o.llc-.J bu;,inc»cs h;m: lx-gun IU diw:nify 

thtir pwduru in IC('(:n l )'C."<ln., k"llin~ (oupOr'l$ (,u loal buc\i• 

nd$d, tC')(tbtx.k<. or d(·,<utit)rUI pllmphlcu chh"' in addltioo 

10 Of inSc t;~ q( ~pin('$. Thi,.. m;ay be: t:xpbinc:d in p.vt b)' 

th4; (:1Q 1h;ac chc; dii'C'Ct m<~~ga;dnc; ~' induwy ;a~ built ·~P a 

nc:g;ach-..· NJ)Ulauc:m whieh is now acm~ bk u) coru1.11'11C:B who 

W'&'!(;!.POLAAI~PkO)£\,:T.OlC 

+ 
98 


712POLAR12.eps

FIGURE 2' ITEMS SOLD BY CREWS 

Tot,l; 357 c.ases r•portod to N.HTRC and B.Fr~e Textlino 

·

0 """' --

c~/Ccd:'• 

0 0..N119Proclt.ICI• 

oc.. .... 

r:tn easily look up a c-s orpniJ.ation onlinc. Hov.'<"\'d'. for d-.c 

tin~ being. m;ag.u:inc crt•ws still !acrounc fM the m~otity of 

NHTRC hotlinc and BcFr«Totdinc cases rd:.tcd to tl':lffick· 

ing in sales crews. 

Door-to-door m~ sdling j<_."''t'lty ;md othd misMI..tnrous 

itmu. a$ ~u as peddling c~-s u:lhng rooki« and candy. 

ap~M to opetJ.K' stpa.racdy from th~ that sdl m:ag..vJnc and 

ckaning prod\lcts. \'('hilc thl" NHTRC h;u rt"«h~ *por..dk 

r((XI(tS of .o~bu)(' on nu:h s~n. crew~. dl<'S(' hu<~UlC'$)('\ cmplo,• 

ft."W of the txti(l wh.ich ~k.t the: m~i.nt' llnd ck•aning prnd· 

ucu. indu.suics rife with tr.lffiddng situ.nions. Jc"''<'lry ,salo;. 

propk tend to b.: older. retti\'C' hig_b¢-r oommiss.i()n) on uk:s. 

and often provide their own u\11\sporutinn from town to town 

- meaning that whil~· thi.s m*)' bl! a difficult :md low-profit jab 

with poccmial for bbor o:ploit:r.tion, s.aks.propl(' an: tt'lat1W~' 

dc~ndl nt :and dcn)C11(J or (ora·. (r.lud, l;lf cund(lfl :&n" lm 

oft('n prnctu, Th(' ri~k o( tn.fficking is ahn 0\\~r in cr('W$ 

p<'ddling c<~ dy or ronkK$, di.IC' co the (xc ch~t the minor• on 

thr ~WJ typk<~lly rt"tum hcNnC' .,'\'t'l'f night. h ,h,MJid ;ahn br 

noted that tn,·d ing ~ '"'"''~ and peddling rinp art' both 

.sC'parat<" rron1 grou~ affiliated with local $chools $C'IIing m:tg· 

.u.ii'IC'S and Otflcor itonS for fUndi'.A~$. Ug:itimau:- (undni~n~ 

(ut local $choofs will d~·.Arly ickflti(y the s.chooJ. and pM•id(' 

(OIII:XI in(ornllrion fC>r th£ (undrai~i g drh•('. 

RECRUITMENT 

ftt.qucnt r«ruiuncnt is aueiJ.I fur tra\'\-ling ~ab at"\\':S due" 

to dK- high ,-,u.._. o( tutnOI>'t'r :unong C"n:w members.. Cto.""'!o uiC' 

pcr~ui\ •CI)•pt *">n ll"<T\1itmcn1. ncwsp:apn :wh.., k~ pruuod 

On cclicgc pusa,. :l .n. d onli1lC ~» 1il1gs ph)RIWng fun. 

cr:a:,'\"1. ~d high t'lrninv co !LUDI.'t new nlcnthcn:.." Afly·si.x 

(:&SC.') n-pOrll.'(j to the NHmC hodme <W cht ikFA."C T .. -xcllnc 

ckscnlx R'Cruitm~Tit n)('th<l<b. :~.nd th<' mo~jorit)• of thnc Mtc 

th:at the crt'W$ h:Jd proad~ po11.·mi:.al .,.icurm dindy I Fig. 

3]. Acrounu on oolinr (urwru coohm1 dut this b 01 common 

r«ruiunct~t fllrthcxi. M:uty ffl-'YI'$ aUc111pt«< to ruh )U•mn 

h)dh·ldu:LJJ who wn~ un~ c co :.~ford )Ubs<riptiuru. O thtt., :~p· 

prouhcd ~bom in rcuil p.~tking luu. OJ f.bt food tnu nnt~. 

Onlmc rettuhl'llMtl w.u :abo rumnHlfl. "Aith an «l :~.l numhnufhoc.linc aut~ rd'<"rring co r«ruluncnt ocnming on ch le~' 

Cnigsluc (K Fxtbook. A ruinoril)• ofh.odiiM: ~ l\.fctt1'1oc:d 

1\·•cmiring attcmprs Qn Twittc'f or Qttwr onlmc $C,)llr(O. 

R«ruitA:I'$ tend tQ t.:.t.rg(C J'-.>UngCT,)QV.\'f•i.noon)i,' individu:a.k 

i\di.·C'Itismt~ts sp«i.fy tNt fX'W Cft'W mcmh<:I'J must lx at le-ast 

l8.11inttin m()S,t $U.(('$ll minor cmnoc &q;ollJ)'WQfk in tr.l''t'l:in~ 

~ due to the d.1ng:n (!(d)('" job. NoocthdC'$$. acoounr& from 

fUrmcr membcn: indiC'.Atc th:u mon m-ws do litd~ to 2.~uin 

whctl)(f applic.mu ~old enough to be ~.&11)• C'rtlpl'()),-d,, 1nd 

34 pttccnt or hodinc-~ n.fc.l'a'l« fX'«1niaJ minor m~mbcrs. 

fotnuT mw nlCm~"tS Mld cu•nmunity nk'nlbets ron~Mti"i :a 

h«lmc Of n.•ccxmting, chdr CXJ)('rlcno:s. oohnc: ~·~'t.'$1 th..u .wmc: 

CK\'1'5&..-lihl.·r;ac.;ty rocmh inl)fi~)'(King ll$ 15.Acmrdmg ~ 

c~ acrounu., lll:lfllt' m.11l:.t.gcts C'\'<'11 din.-ct mi.n(lf$ to lit about 

the-ir age md d.ai.m to be" adulu. 

FIGURE 3: RECRUITMENT METHODS REPORTED• 

Total: 56 c.asc,os rc,oportl."d to NHTRC and Befrc,oc,o Textline 

10 12 

·~~u•OMa••-..cUII'IIJ~.,.. ~"'.Yr•l.r-•""'-'tw>w• 

fn•lf-oo:kof~-OI'"'~"''I~t.t)p.ofillfol~" 

16 

XNO(ItJHG Af YOU It OOOit 
99 


712POLAR13.eps

JOHNATHAN'S STORY 

Atfr(tn1AI JMwaAmetiairwtSiigatJvt 

Oltidtht ights tho uo.yci Johnathan, a 

2s.,.tar·oldW&Re Hou~ st.wrY ..lolltlllhan 

was working at a Waffle Houst in Ohio when 

hewasrE'(IUited by some custome.s who ~pt 

tel ing him $l0fteubooc lhtfun they were 

h~VIngand moneytlwy wett maklngttawl· 

ngaroondthtcoun~:~yona ~ saits 

crew. The crew members wert so pMUasi\le 

that Johnathan quit his employment and left 

to,c:Mnthe aewwithout£1\'fn infOfm•ng his 

fam~ly. Weeks Jater,Johnathan's body was 

OO<.,. .. d In "'""ol in Maryland. lit had 

""'dosod on htt~n .tltlt <Uylng with tho 

crew-.thttnotet Instead of calhng911 or 

taking him to a hosp1tal, his <rew abandoned 

tim in the hotel room and too&: hiswalle4,. cell 

phone, and other belongings with them. 

RcNuirs ate typ;aU)' frocn Jow,·r-lntunlc h.ou.sdwkiJ.. but MJOO«Cinomic ~fl'm ds \'ary: r«ruhnM:•nt ad..' promise high 

min , and culkgc s.tu&..,,u from midd lc·incotnt ho nll.":t 

occ~i 1~ 1l)' j(1in the crew~ in ordN let'""_."' mom')' ((or tuh i(ln 

or C>th«r C'l(p<' ~'$. On<' form(•r cn.ow RK'Jll \x'r int('n•k'Wt'd b)' 

Poluis. ~ri c:d the c<.»u dro h~t f.t«d him w))l.•n Ill." fi n;t 

conucu,:d 01 cn:w :1ftt-r rt.':lding :J.hl)ut dw 1ob in J e-w~papc:r 

ad. His mtYC bC"r ar <'<~ him not tO join. b~ oo the- n<'S.lri\'<' 

MOri~ sht- h:ad h<.~tJ ;U,out UU\'t'Jiog s:1ks jo~. but Wlk"U ~: 

c:alk-d th~:n mbc-r listed in th<:ad. the r«ruitN .. .lltnUf;t ~00 

(himJ to join; prwni$ing 1h:u lwcuuld c-.tm up tu Sl5(1 p<-r 

d.ay v.'Mic h:wing:. grd t tirne 1nwd ing 11'1(" n >Uutry. bm giving 

him no ocl'lt'r ic,f<)rm:uion :~b<>u1 hi:s W(lfkic'g e<>nditi<>nll. HC" 

n:pb.mc:d. I wu dt.'Spnat<.'. I dtdn't h:m: .- jQb, didn't h:~se 

:1. (llf. This Kuuuli;d 1il«: ~, ing I ('Q4cld d<-. ~ It (l.t.lru.' 11.> 

11 ib(l(k. tu him wht-n the; cn,oy,· arrm:d to pkk. up thrir nC"W 

PEDDLING RINGS 

In addibon to 357 calls referenang tfa\~l g sales crews. 

the NHTRC has received 271 reports regarding local 

peddling fing.s. These rings differ from most sales crews 

in that they employ much youngeo minors and typ cal ~ 

do not trml. Whiltlheyohen operatt tn vtolation of 

child labor laws and local $0hcitation ordinances, there 

is a much lower risk for traffKidng in these situations, as 

minors genera fly return home after work and crew leaders 

have much less control over thtir daily activities. 

l'(('tuit: the drivt-'f .-nd nlll.l,~cr wm: drunk. l2 pc:t~p c Wl:t'C 

CT<lmnk-d inw ~ iinslt· SUV. d f nig.ht six pt"'plc: wcn:-

CXpc"(tf'd ru fit illf() Onchotd ruc)m.u 

While nll)S.t salc.-s. ON'S r«ruit Ank·riean <iri>:l'ftl. cxdu5iVd )'. 

39 eases reponed to d'IC' NHTRC ~~.t~d the lkftl't." Tcxdint• 

fa turc w(Kkcrs fron1 O'I'Cnns nM~t,lu into the U.S. on d1c 

J·l vha prog.ntu lAg. 4J. Or1c COf'l:lp:..ny employing worlcn 

on J·l visu n:cruits from the Bahic S..UC$. Anocbcr la'l,.--t 

<'ompany r«ruits from South America and dw rhilippin<'$. 

NHTRC and lkFA:e t<'poru indienc that if thtk workt'fS 

c:xprm dissat.i f:t<ti~.'n with wotking conditions. they may be 

tctmin:ut-d :~.nd ('vjetl-d ftUM d'll· pru-.·ick-d bouslng. whkh mi)' 

ilso ll"ad to their sponson.hip being dropped. ~ youog. adulu 

on J· l vjw, uss.ation of their :wuriation whh thcir spons.or 

r-c-nckn 1hd r v iJl \·~l . TI'INt' nnpiO)'rt'll hl\'t" reponed to tl)t' 

NHTRC thJt thdr c:mplo)'t'TS th«:.ten(-d chen) with <kp(M'ta· 

tioo wlx-n the,• opmS<."d a wit-h to quit. llti.s du~t constit'it($ 

uS<.' of oocrdon. sin<e it plam .signifiC;tn t pressure on the 

FIGURE 4, INTERNATIO NAL RECRUITM ENT 

Total: 39 "''e-s reported to NHTRC o~nd BeFre-e Textlinoe 

~fo'l\~ 

0 """"' 

o""""""" (Atft~ 

o--..,. 

\l''&'!(;!,POL ~PkO)£ ,:T.OlC 

+ 
100 


712POLAR14.eps

J·1 VISA PROGRAM 

Many foreign workers' experiences on t.ravelng sales ccews 

rellt<t crews· dlsr•gard for restrictions plac•don J.1 visa 

work programs. The U.S. Depa~ment ol State explidlly 

prohibttsJ·l visitors from working in positions that"are 

substanballycommission-based and thus do not guarantee 

that partJcrpanls wrll be paid at m!Nmum. the federal 

prtvailing wag@.~ •• 

individu~l to rompl)' with C'mpiO)'fllt'nl conditions th:at he Of" 

,.be would ochcnvi.c rd"mc- to ac«p<. 

tke;atnc chc ft'm•hn\C'nl pro«.» for CI'INC (J(•ws n .\oU (UJ'$Ciry, 

u.wding$3]('$ rompanio r.ud)• pt't(Ofm backgr(lund checlu an 

m<:mbcn. AC<'ordin~)'. fom1f:t m<':mb<n re-port thar amoog th(' 

nuny ~k:spocop c with no aimift:tl lt'«<rds. dK'ft" :art" mtmlx"fs 

with 1'\'oords that include violent t"tinx'1-.1

) While t.hif.' is a s.afcty 

ron«m for ooruumm who ma~· int'"'f.l<'t with thcsc indi\'idlt-

:tl~. it p<llln :a 1'1'\ut'h more k·rious rbk co other C1t'W mcmbcn. 

p2nkub .. rty )'Uungef f("(:tuits. Many (atmct mc:mtx-N tailing 

a hodii'e or writing onlmc: drsaibc K'\ttc pb)~i(al or ~"".ul 

:assault by man~Gc s or (dlow CI'C'W members with criminal 

r«Ofds for violent crim<"S. W~~ manag.:u arC' not dirt'Ctly 

resporui.bk (Of th<:K' crim<'$. thC' Ja.c:k of ~pncu$$ .s on mos' 

mws: for s:ueh aaivicy C'tdiiN :'1 cu u~ of a«<pt;tnC(' for ''i<>· 

knt bcha,•tor • inn "'"'~"' ccw members. 

FORCE, FRAUD, OR COERCION 

for«, fu.OO. o r rocrciQn an the mvdlng. u la indi~$U)' may 

be- initiall)• difficult 10 identify. since" indwidu01b tr.a\'t•ling with 

Cft'W) appear to 't' 1hc- fA't'dnm m la\'t' thdr ~itu;~ti n.ln 

nuny "ituJ.tlcm), huwn't'l', thh fr«>d(un to ln\>t< i$ iltu.\!Jr)' 

(If' p:uchl. Hocllnc c-.:.sci. ('Utrobot:ltcd by c!pm S011r« d.u.~. 

indic:m; tlu' w()rkcn :aN tc.>mpdkd tO remain in the: em-.·~ by 

mc:~ru o(iwlatiQn, ck•u:.ll t~f w~'("). rhn-:u.s., phyt.ital -u~uh. or 

:.band<>nmoent [Flg. 5]. 

Force 

FormN c~ mt·mb.."f'J d('Kriht: hmh working C'Ofldition.J on the 

mw.s.. indudmg long cb)~ spc-m w~k:ing miks through neigh· 

OO.hoods with limltro or no opponunlty for breaks, C'.UI)' mom· 

[ng and l.uc night ltll.ining K'!Sioru in addition to a nlinilnum 

cight houtJ of selling lim<, ;tttd lino fi>r mik'Ondu('t, H~\"\-.:t, 

If cn;w nkmbc:n wmpl:dn llbout chc.-K «>••dici(lru c>r ;u.:: not 

.mffi01.-nd)' ~U(ttf>)( l in dK"ir Joak'ji, thC)' may bet' pi'J"io.l tiC 

.K'Xu;t.l vir.*:n«. In flC'»Iy 24 ~em of~ tqH>fC...'ICI ro tlte" 

NHTRC a.nd Bc.•Ff'l.X h.c>tlilltl,'$., C;tJim indicatl-d ch;~~ m:.su~·n or 

(cllow cl't'W memb:n h.ad php:ic01Uy ;waul ted .s.tbptOpk- who 

-~rc pcrtti\'t'd :.u undcrpt:r(bln1c·u or "'ho w.shcd tu ln\-e. A 

fom.cr c:n:w mcmkr intcn•k'VI'\."<I h)' Pul.ub- t«aakd l«'ing ooc 

man from dw:mw (ollowc.-d by fourothN nkmbcn: ltuu a hoed 

mo1n wlu"R' htt• wu l)l"".Jtm u n(onsdold. 11~~: intcrvit-wtT also 

nou d th~c c::n:·w~ tcndt-d tO h2rbor lll)!.lility t<tW".ud~o C'n'W nlCm• 

ben who .,..-c:n: not b .,..'t"ll hkcd, due to being qui<'t (>r hctng 

pom &l.k~Jl'('Qpk. Whik- n<'\'\'f tb~t'-"'4'd with riokn« dii\"Cd)'. 

thi> memba n-poned th;at one o( hb tncnds on the at"Yo' wa." 

fttqucndy bullkd and th~.lttncd witll viokno: b«:LUS(' he- W;U 

not nuking t·no ugh ~;des. ... 

Freud 

Fraud is fft'qm·mly emplv)'<tl in broth t~ hiring proo.ou and 

in the ~munn.:uion of c~ m<Ctnbcn. Tht' hiring pfO<'t.'S6 ~ 

t)'pk.&lly r,~;pid: pil.h:'nu of crt"\'' m<mb<-ts ha\'C tq)Offc:d th.At 

thd.r s.on.s or d.luG-Iu~~rs kft with ttk· (f'("Yo' .almo.st inur.cdiatd~· 

.li'tcr bc:ing.I'\"Cl'~ t'--d• without infc.nming tlM.· f:unily until chC)' 

wm: ;~ re" .ad)' on the: rwd. M:mr ~U<:·n and c~w cncmbcors 

FIGURE 5: MOST COMMON METHODS 

OF CONTROL• 

Total: 419 CAMS r.ported to NHTRC .nd S.Ft-.. T.xtfin• 

TN"'"~~ 

_, 

.. ""'= __ 

\ ... ~ ........ ~====::::--.... 

·n..w ... ~-~¢Ye~!N'f..,.!•IW>t;•ll"<<ii>pp• 

rn.cNdo ol (lOI'<(rof 00 tn*f ,.., pr...-N 1)9• ~ .4--.a~~~OI'I 

ltNOCttmG AI YOU It C>OOR 
101 


712POLAR15.eps

wriling em line; c;xpn-5S thd r di"ln;ay UJ)(IR dUcvvl"fing ch:n 

orkin~ ocmdirion$ on cht> nles Crrw$ had h«n tniJ>r('Prd.c'IU• 

c;d in ad,·«hS<.•mmu <1nd hmt~g.ho~l t th<" Ct.lllClf)' applk.ltktn 

piC~«'»· A ronm'f (KW n'l«nber ed in AA imCJ\·i...-w wich ro .. 

bris thou be 6n.t rcali1.t-d du.t ~ ~ co gt'1 oft' dlC' crtw when 

he n-.1.1iu-d how d.:tngcrtt•n d)l· jub W.b. Cr't"w ~,llbc:rs wt-n: 

«Mnn~ed into 2 "chide and new r«ruib ut thuk" who had not 

madcn1ough ~t'S 'o\'<1'\"dp«h ."<i to:. sit in d'l<' hatch without 

.st'.:ttbelu.. 1hh CR"W .ll$(1 made :\ ;~ u o( dropping lm bc- ~ 

oil' in :trt'Ol\ofchio. whh high critn<: r:ud , rcog.ardlesso( :o.:tfccy 

e<>nttn,J, juni(ying the pr..ni('C by opl:aining th:tt it \'11~ 4.-~kr 

tQ srll ~~i <'$ in poor nrighbn,.h<XXI.s.r' 

New m;ruic.s a~ r.l.l1.'1y i.n(ormc:-d that ad V~:n:i&o~.-d u .l(:$ c;vmmi.s• 

.sioo:i onl)• rcflt'<f tbc amount th.n til<')' could ('Vmrually c-Mn 

b)' remaining on !he Cl~""" IOflj; moogh to fn()\ '(' into a ;Mior 

or ~'fl r mm~"t'm<'nt po$itioon. where C(lmmi»ion& -a.re m\l<h 

ig~r. Ln the meJntimc-, roc-mbt:rs .S« little- to nonC' of t\'m 

the Mnall commissions they roukl c-.u-n, si.n« ~ toutille'-

ly ('\'apor.ttc- once crC'WS cba.q;e mnnbtts for housiJlg 2nd 

tf;'U'l.sport:uion rosu. - cxpmsc.s which membrN :.rc not warnOO 

ofbc1ort joining.. A.dVc:'rti$C.'d ancL I bC>m.•J(Siik(WiM.' pm"<' 

Lugd y ~ma trlJn<~bk- di.K' co lh(' high numbc:r of J.u1»cripliom 

th.u would ~ to bcSoOid in orde-r to e-arn them. In the end. 

n1on m<'rnlx"N at< k-(, with oDiy a $$.20 dAily $-liprnd to h~ 

KEVIN'S STORY 

(If!. The; ronnCT nK"nlbc-r intcrvWw(•d by Polari:lo hJd n:«i\'t.'(l 

:l .supcnd of SlOper d:~y fc>r d..;· firit (cw :a)~· but n:cehT"<I 

nothing aft..:'r chat, with lh<" t\:Jllh th.Jt ~ "" "'with ut foe>d 

fOr days." 

In addition to misk..ding r~.·nuitmeru and financial fraud. 

many <a1kN rcpon dm the}• wmo not nfom1~ of the I('V('I 

of UC'S~ activi()'- ind uc:Hng drug uS<'. alcohol abu$<', and 

S(')(ttal harasS~n~.'ftt - regularly occurring on Cft'WS. A number 

of former rncn1bc.•rs rc diJron« ttcd by d~ misk·3ding or 

nl)' fr.tuduk"ftt .s:.t!N tactics of the Cl'l"Wtl. As one sOOpc-rson 

r~~:miH d in a publiC' bi<'S post :~~bout i.ne silk-,. CI'CW$. "'I 

wu trained to lie- my way inw a Sollc ... 11k" job wasn't by an)' 

mean.$ hon($t, Ho~~d I ad-~,· a dim«: doing thb . l w<)uld'Vf.' fdt 

t.:rribk taking ic. "1

' O ne fQrll\C'r member <om men ted in an 

imerview with Polaris •hac his <KW was ~nt into «onomkally 

dq>r('$$('d arC<» ofl.lt'S('r citk$ .md told tbat it \lo""Ould be ·eAji('r 

tt> u wbsc:riprions to people who don't kn()W any be-tter"-

refl«tint:. a disdain for bu)'t'N. of 0\'1.'1prk<d mag;u.iDC' .sub--

.scription.s and impl)ill{t thac cn:w nt('O_lbcn "''«~..' t'ltp«tcd tQ 

trick ('U.St011"-"JS intu putC'h:.uing these.» In -:addition. mt'mlx'ff 

oft('n r<.:p<m ha,•ing b«n 5\'flt into t•)wn.s to sell without 1..-gJJ 

p11'rmils. often withi:lut lxing told b)' the m;uugtT that the:)• 

n~ed $tt<h a pt•rmit. 

Kevin was recrul1!dbyacewmember 

wtlo umt 10 tws door selting~NgaDnes. 

WhtnKe'linteve.dthlthewfSt19fritrtt· 

log flnOil<laldifl'iaillt~lhe ""'k" offered 

Ki'rtnJjob¥M:IJslgniftgbonus. lhe uewlhill 

Kt'Mjointd WM undertht<ontiOI of $Mfil 

managt~ <Jwhom openlyboalltdaboot 

tiMif arrts~ watrc\MS, Thts& managti'S would 

frequoody compel the aew members to WOt1c. 

from eight in the morning ullbl afteJ mid· 

njgtlt. wouid require tt.em 10 reimburse the 

busln0$Sio< lodging '"d 9'' <OSOs,andwoold 

only P'Y mer1>bt" ~ they met 1htlr doly 

qu-. Membe~ .too pe<fooned pMtlaliarly 

wtllwtre l)'pdly paid In drug• instead of 

<3$1\and Kriln"""' saw tht signing booos 

ho had betopcomlwd 

they abandonEd him ~out1ttUrning his 

tdentiflatJon. Kevin w.s able to <Ofltact the 

1/HTRC lo< •~nee. •nd NHTI!C •po<loli"' 

wtre able to put Ktvin In COI"ltict with an 

emetgen<y $tM<t ptOYidtt. The ptOYide1 WM 

able to J«ange temporary housing and a loal 

jobf«hlm. 

Kevinreporttdtotlle~HTI!Cihaull 

the 1>01kets he intetactedwith.tllton the 

<tewsaid that theywantedtoSeM. Kowtvtt, 

they wett afrJld to do so btCJust of their 

m""agtrs' reputations. V.'orlcM who did 1ty 

to&eawweftO~ffl btattn st\'tttfy 1nd10 

somt tase< wertseoru.tllya,..ked by tither 

thtmanagtt «the sen~or$alespeopfe. ~ 

kt\'inhirnsetftritdtoSeM,()ntofthe m¥t-

•sttueatenedto k;lt himancf <oriiscated 

hhldtmifkatlondoornt"'. 

EYOfllually 1ht m"''9f'' dt<i4ed 1ha1 

Kevin was not mating enovgh s.alt$, so 

11t~S$f01y is ff(JI~#()UflVI of thttypfS 

ol calh rtctwed by dlt N,.oMI Hum"' 

Troffici;ng Resour«1 Centtt {NHTRQ, ope<· 

ared by Polan> 1/#nmhl'fe boon c/longed 

and pe!S01t,f/1y identilymg inlormatiofl hiS 

i>f<M omitted ro P'"IIY' dlt confidonti15ty 

ol lite (lfCp/tsff'(ed 

+ 
102 


712POLAR16.eps

Coercion 

M"''a&'CB Clofllnll t1o:-.1rJ,• ~~ ;t;..IX'(U t)f the lwcs of crt"W mcn1l;.crs 

:and drhx-n while the-)' a.rc: on tbto rOOtd. i.robting th<'m from 

tUmily And cho.· communiuo in whkh ch'-')' om: ~-lli ng by 

impming long work hours, moving frt.qUt."Rd)'. and contrullmg 

.Urtt·hou r$ ;lo(th·lty.tl O n aho.olw C'I'\"Wl. ~rdun be ;t.ISO 

fttq~Xn y Wl"Ci II) in«-nrivik h.ig_hn uln. Trpial rtW~ tuvt" 

2 ~k:s quou oi thlt'\" tu Jf:\'<'ft ub pct doy. a.xordtng tu both 

hotlinc ;tl\d upc-n snur« d:ua. F:uling 10 mttt cht• dAy:. quau 

often «:lulu in at IC':I}t vl."rb.~l :d>uM-. if not )'~C'AI :.~uh (.~<~."'C 

"Mroc.- p. 11). Propk c»nt:u:ring chc NHTRC hc.>dine or the 

tkFr« TClldinc: commonly KPO" th:u mm:.gro will foro: 

mw mt'ntbt-D who do nm milkc thetr quotou w C't'p on the: 

Aoor or will rdus.r to give them an :a.llowantt for food. 

F~qunu UA\'d hu the C'ff«t of rc••n•:Ning )'OUth who sisn up 

for the'$C ""'"'$ a\"Wl from F.uniliu $U t~mding:~ Cfl'WJ mo 't' 

to new cidN ·,~ry f..-w Wttks, with the- L'\'Suh that mcmbd> ha\'c no ch..an« to i;uniUa.tiTJ: th<mseh'CS with any local 

n.-sour«S th:tt mtJ:;bt bC' av.aibbk w thrm if the)• w;11n1 to lt-:i\'C 

SAMANTHA'S STORY 

the: crew. ll\i$ :a.l;o 1\K".a. ~ ch:.u mcn1lx·r. r.l.ll'l)' h:l\'~ the tlnu• 

ur ,p;acc t<• cumrnurnt:lt~ wilh f..n\11)' or fnnHls :.al hl>me. In 

55 <:Ai('$, indi,•idu.;~J~ CQnucting the NHTRC h~'~ Kp<H'tcd 

ch01t their oom mu nio.IIQn,s 'o\'(rt' closely m<lmto":d: m thrt<c 

c:ucs, poccnti.tl \'lctim~ could cmly contacc tht' NHTRC f'rom 

publit hbr;u)' tomputtt~ In 01 o\umbc:r of other end. rn.m· 

.tgm had ro 6S<:~ ct·d ur dc:nfO)'C'd td l phono bdOdtging tl) 

t'kW "'cn\bcrs. In 40 euo, ftl11\ "f:,'t'N h~ ronfijc.ttcd dth'\."N 

li M":"~ or CIC hrr dnoeu1ntnli, without which mr-mbcn. wcrcun:lblc tU bol:rd a bus or n:nt a cas to lel\'C. E\·m ln ~ht1: .tio t. 

where crew rllcnlhcrs h2~ rcbti\'l"ly nu)«' free-dom Ill commu• 

nkAt(' :l,lld h:a\'1;' cunHQI of th~·ir U11ll.'111$, they 21'1: (~U('I'Il )' 

unWk to lc.1n· for fin..m d~ n.-;uoru. Few c....-....· n~:mbcn )('\" 

more than a sm-all stlp.."nd at the end()( a \\ttk of saks, due to 

hlgh q uot.b ""d ch.u-gc:s for housing and tran•port..uion. I" :~d · 

ditiot~ . ln 40 ~. oUcD l''l"rt' culd tNt they could 1\ot bvt" 

tiu- C'rt'W due to being ln d.:bt fot hoo.Nng llnd transporutlon. 

Beyond oommunicati()n and icknrificuion cootrol, crC'W5 ~-x<n 

.significant ~)'<ho&o(;i<.aJ re to PIC\'Cnt some mcmbm 

SnM'!tha,a ~magazint<rtw 

WOiktr ulll!dt~o Narlonallbn"' lrafff<ting 

R""""' Cfnlf(~Odint(NHIRC)IO rtque<l 

~tip fb l>nglhtlltr. Samant!>a hod,.. 

spoodtdto a n""fl'pe< ad p<omlsfng •fuf\, 

woll·pay~ng job •nd •14>0 •91*'9 bonO< 

Not only did s.a~llttl•oewr see this bonus, 

but onctonthtcrew, shtdis<Mred thlttht 

crtwm&mbets wtte not paid either an howty 

or a commission-bas.dw.gt.lnsteild,tlwy 

.... <riy piOVfdi!da small <loly OJ pond for 

food and -<hargl!d f«a<«>mmodaliM 

and gasoline. Salespeop1e who could not 

sella dally quO!> of six wbwiplions bt<ome 

moreilld mOI'e mdtbctdtothecrewfot food 

...,lodging ""')'doylhey<ould not m•ke 

thtltquoto< 

8e<au$t this crew dtd not prO'Iidl help Samonlha gtt tlw ohelll<"" notded 

and 10 ml<igMt any logo! p<obltms rOSIAbng 

from the CJtldons. Howtwr,maoy othtr W!W 

mtmbtrs: remain unabk to lt.avt tMif crews 

or arthh with no resources when they we 

abandoned Bttter .WiltlfltsS of the problems 

i$SOCiited wcth trfVefJng salts <tews: ilmotl9 

W>M<t ptcwldetS, law tnfOfctmMC. and tbe 

genital pWilwn olp<onno<t yooogpe<> pit"'' Samanlh•..U. lht stM<O$ <lll)'nttd 

IU mtmbt~ ••~ proporsaltspe<mlls. 

Samantha was sooo dted for sohotation. Hfr 

<towltadtf tid alllhtp>ptfWO<krtlated 

'olhtwcitiltions and refused to al~het to 

te!\lrn torespoodtotheataUOtl$ ~a result. 

S'"'•ntlw begill>tofe.o tlwl s~omig~<'­

JrttSC wamnts Wld bt<ame ttii.Ktilnt to Juvt 

tht arw be<.wse it seemed to bt tht only 

t~ing pro<KIIng her &om bmgffrtlltd.Al 

las~, hGwevtf, she Nd oochoktbut to lta\'t. 

Ewntually she was fnjUII!d wl>lt on he< "I" 

rounds. In response,hPr m~rhred her 

•nd•bandofledhef. 

lnlllr"ast.IO<Aist""" P''""'•"' 

<al '~""'""' at the NHIRC. and loa! I.,. 

tnforctmtnt Wff8 able to wort togethtf to 

ltNOCttmG AI YOU It C>OOR 

This !.tory Js flptf$.MtltJV'I of rht ryp1S 

of c.olh r«eivtd by lht NMJo!MIHumlfl 

Traff1d.ingResourUt Center(NHT~. operared by Polan<~m.,hwe befn <h•nged 

•od persM•IIy •d<nlffy!ng inlormaricn has 

betnomrt<edtopre"'velheCOflfideno.bry 

o/rh#PfOP/tsffVed 
103 


712POLAR17.eps

from l.cl\'h g.. Fcwmc::r nwmbcn and d~ who ha\'t w<trb:d 

cxtc•uh·dy with viainu rcp<-:ucdl)' use the- m.~· "c ll lr: ~ 

co dt.'$C;rib<- the ~>cl <>f pt<.'$S" f\' cn:ws (')(..-rt on thd r m<mbc:"" 

Co ~•lwr)' morning or night mc.'t1ings i•woln: kcu•ra~, 

song)., and ch:um .about "poshh't' an.itudc.- "toughnm.- or 

"got..ld. wurtc rthie" - 'I'K~N tTbOl-d t.~n (:1'\"W'iC' )<X'illllfH•db 

aetQunb-while «cs.sful memhc-n Me C3.lk-d out iUtd 

J\::unt-d by dK" group. Crew :~.dc n. rt.~mo c tht- CW~b,'t.' that 

if crew wmbn~ only put mort: work in. the-y willlqin to 

nuke- big III'k')~ t1 The)' k-cturc lbOUI the "n:clfirlll• rJ,allcng• 

ing-lifc Mthe crcw. cont~rit gh with the$uppo$C<Ily hum~ 

drum. $1odjp• fife o(-thC J(lf\'C$('$" (~1 the: "9 ( 0 5 &dtmta<kS .. 

- tenn.s ux-d acruu the: tra,·ding ,..k':S indujU)' th.u cft'ate a 

S<>nsc of oS(':p:uadon lx.-ew«n crew m.cmbtrs and non~mc · 

lx'H:.u In M;\Jt)' ~-s.. CR:WJ. further build g.ruup cuhc ~ivcm~ 

by thtuwing pattk-s fur ' u(«j.jful.s:ale:sp«tplc 2fter hours. 

former "'""mbcr.s h2V(' ddcrihcd d'lt'!< p2nics :u. invohing 

ncDSi''C drinking :and drug .~ot·. with 30 c:tllcrs noting th:at 

:a.lrohol:and drup woe« pro\'idC"d b)' '"!'ln:&g<·n tO rc:w:ard cr<.-w 

me.ubcrs who nM:1 r1r $utp1S$4.-d 1hdr quot;u. llH!SC' p:trtk$ 

:tho Ji d CO R'XU.Ji fwa!>$mCnl rur (c-mak mem\x·n. whh 40 

caiJcN ( 10 p<"r«•u) R'fercndng S<'Xu.ll huassmcnt ot abu.SI: 

rd:ucd 10 after-hours :Ktivitie:s. Some formrr mcn1bers C'\'l'n 

~ri.he:. pr:w:c.kt- of "putting propk ow:r"- or p:a)'lng: \';:reran 

t«'w m(·•nben to .skx·p with new I'<'Ctuiu at chcsc p:u-tk":!' :.nd 

pottnti.tlly fOofm rd.uioo.ship!- in ordc:r to n~wipulue them 

intOM:a)ing.N 

Formc.•r mt:nlbrrs i.ndic.tK' that a.ny fonn of di»«u -.such as 

qtN.'$tiQning tf1. ~•ll:n~ s:d('$ pr-KtiC\-a;, Qpr.."&Sing ahau.$cion. 

b<:ing an willing co p.lrticip:atc- in at:W p.lrtit-.,., Clf wa.nting 

ro k~\·e d"' m·w - U u-rmed "nq;.uwity- by crt•w Qpc: ~t(m.. 

<'g~ i\xo" mcmlx-rsart:$tig:mati1X'<I b)' both a~ts and 

(It h..., t:rew mmtb<-r$. [){-~<.'<= iVC' Gc-:-orgt" O:~ l ofLoui$\"ilk. 

K('Jltuck)' dest:ribes the p$)'cholc:>ginJ ptc.'$$tlf'C' cx;c·rccd by c.rl"'\\'5 

as SOOlC of tht: mosc cxtft'mc lk' bas c.'1lrountet\'d in )'t'.trs of 

po k~ work. x If members o:prc."$S n~cmioos co k.lw: th<- mw, 

cocre <u~ cltcn bc."C(1mCl cw-n n 10re c.-vi ~-n t. Abush'C Crt"W'5 h:a\'C 

rt"ptat:ali<ms among mc:-mbel'l for asut•lting or :a.band(ming 

A.l('$p!."'plc: who whh t(l km:. 11~ implicit, or ofcm c:x.plic:it, 

thrat$ pre\-..·nt many nlt' bc~ from aunnpting t•l .:m~. 1hc 

ca~ r:i abandonment is particuiMI)' pow-:rful. sintt m<mlx•r$ 

FORM ER CREW MEMBERS SPEAK OUT 

Stay away from all these crews 

they ere nothing but modern dey sieve 

shops and bad news ... l would like 

to see these crews be banned and 

outlawed before other young 

adults or teens falls victim. 

-Posted on Facebook group, 

Abolition Movemetlt against 

Human Trafficking on Mag Cr&ws 

f«qut·ntly h.wt· IU) money kft on« thcit txtcnSi\'-' <kbu: to 

the crew are C.W<~n:d. :and whr-n :.h:uldonc:d. tl\en'lhn.s will fn., 

quctuty fi nd thC"mseh-n $Handed :tt ::a bus n.uion or :a.I(MIIgside 

the f(lOIC( without :a dclr;et or :l.ll)' tdc:lurtt.!o C<l buy one. 0 \'t'r 

25 pct<'-'1lt of :Ul cases f('p()ftcd to cJ'Ic" NHTRC and Befr« 

im·oh'Cd pott-ntial vktims who ~ bcxn abandoned in w 

unf.uniliu location b)' chrir Crew$. 

In $<»ne i.nsc.utm. mC'ITllxr:5 h.Jw a.ho bcx-n .vf\"Stcd r.,, vic>bc· 

ing: loc.t.l s.t.lC$ p<'fmit la.ws. making it C'\'l"n mor<' ch3lknging 

fOf them to lca.,·c dk' Cft'W ~fdy. Some- m:ws k"ave arro;tc.-d 

membc:-:rslx-hind. Oth<rs b;UI thc:m out of jail. H()l\\'('\·cr, 

fornu·r CR.'W u·m~l'll o n liYC' m:.jC)r t>nline forum$ tlut hwt 

$Urvhvr :lo(((ll,lnt' h;~\1,' ~o-d that it w.u rw)l \lnO)mmon (or 

mc-mlxn who had b(.,·n ::arrc."&tcd to be: oompdlc:d to c;clntintl(' 

10 :mod'lt'r dt)' with the cn..ow be-fore tht'ir ('OOrt d: ~.lc:aving 

behind an ouucandi.ng wa.rl'.am ~d <1 cr mi :~l record. 

W'&'!(;!.POLAAI~PkO)£ T.OlC 

+ 
104 


712POLAR18.eps

CULT·LIKE TACTICS ON SALES CREWS 

It was a freaking cult! We lived with our co-workers 

who took every opportunity to end your contact with the 

outside world beyond your door-to-door ventures ... 

We started every morning with JUICE (Join Us In 

Creating Excitement) chants, and were not allowed to 

drive our own cars to the work sites. When we came 

back after a LONG 8 hours of walking in dress shoes, 

we were not allowed to lean against the wall. I was once 

pulled to the side and told not to lean because it was 

a sign of weakness and it would bring the rest of the 

group down. The group was taught to ignore people 

who leaned or showed any 'negative' gestures. 

• PO$ted on ~lienee Project http>((IOrWWexnedeoceorojocr mm/:u arjegl 

Wrts-ReceorJy-Qo-A-Mag-Crewf46Q! 

XNO(ItJHG Af YOU It OOOit 
105 


712POLAR19.eps

- BUSINESS NETWORK 

CHARACTERISTICS 

Traveling sales businesses vary in size and stru<;tural complexity. Some operate as solo 

crews and others act as a central node in a network of dozens- in some cases as many 

as a hundred- separate selling crews. Business owners and managers rake in the bulk 

of the profits from sales made, while salespeople are often charged for transportation 

and housing. and then barely receive enough money to pay for their meals. 

SHIFTING lOCATIONS 

Tr;IIVding C'I'\'W$ mO'>X' f~tu:ntly from oc~t n to location. 

.somC'timcs rnnaining within a sing.k area fo>t st'\\:ta! "'"X'Cks, but 

r-.ud)' IJngering: for lon~r. Individual <«"WS within an ~.lni· 

u tiun usullll)' tr.u"<'l alont." bccauw it is more pro6labk lO have 

a mon<:>p(l.l)' on ~ks ~<: \'ity within a tt)Wn. h lt (()mmc>n f1>r 

rn:WJ t(l $<'0 in ~nnlkr citln :Jnd (QWn$ with m~ "t<'l)' $i J:d 

midc:nti:al ~M bor ood . Miliwy b~'11 \llld truck $f<.>jn ar.: 

also O<C';Utonally tM);.."'CU'd by crews}~ 

Ctcws l')'pically ua\'d in on~ or a ftt.'C't of full $i.'«'d vans, 

dcpt·ndlng on chr .size of thC' <'few. Surm~ ctt. w~ hll''<' b«n 

known co tr:tvd in full ·:sb.~.-d SUVs or .smaller vt>hide'$ u wdJ. 

Most N~ avoid opcratins in the notth during the: winter, 

bt1t n:«tu :.n:d)'KS d<• not indie~tc any :.ddltion:1l g~phk 

p;tttc·rn.) in chc flh)Wml"f'\t uf etc:m . OiHa.ntt bt-tvtttn OjX"fllt• 

ing: loc.niom appcan wlx-limitc:d onl)' by the di&t.lll«' a CI'C'\\' 

c-an feasib-ly tr.tvd in a day. and ic is common for a Ctl'W co 

nJ()\'C' $C "tt~ :St.ltC$ away in a :sint:Jt• day. 

+ 
106 


712POLAR20.eps

While on the l"())d, cft'wi typically SU)' 21 low• t(• midd ~t 

h<>tcb m m<ud.•, oftc::n u:uuming f.Ar nlon.- pa1plc m oeh 

mom than (he hott.'ls ;tllow. ln a f<.•w noelbk- cxocptiQnt, ar:w 

mc:mbc.•rJ h ;n·.; R'p<)ft('d chat if tl)l,')' dtd nne nu.k..· '"'IXIg.h 

money dunng the day. they would siC'I:p in the.- n ns. Ot-t. Dahl 

bbsct\'n du.1 C'I"C'\\'S often .tvold bw enforocn1olt C'IU.Antknl<-nU by ~i g botd• well (Juuidc dle j\1/Udl<cion of the 

polkt-drpattmC'nt working in thC' .m-JI i" whldl cbcc~·S21'(' 

upcr2ting.V lf l1d l:aw enforttmC'nl pickt. up o111hdr prt~· 

cnce in the :t~. (f('Wt. gt'ncnlly head r.,, another st:uc: due 1\J 

the filet 1h2t thar $:lldpct'l'k are r:lrdy soiJdci1\g lcpll)'• 

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN INDUSTRY ACTORS 

Rt,:bdon).hlpS bctw.:t·n XICCnti~ll)• ml«-d <'ntit~ whl1in 

chc hwinr:.» nc-rwflfk ~n ))C' a chal4·nt,'t" w uncangk. M:an)' 

u:wding saln companin. pankul.:uly thO$(' with :along l'(l;(lrd 

oHuud-rdJAed rompi.M.nu. ( h;mgc- thdr nliJnC$ ;md optt· 

ating IOClrions while: 1'\"HUining undl."'' th<C nmcQWncr~hip 

and m.t~nag<m<'nt. [n S(lnl(' C;tS<'$, hwin('$$('s will ~regist('r in 

another .sutc under anc>th('r nam<': in c>thcn. they informally 

!J)(' 311\lchtt ad,·.:ni~ng n:unc while ft'maining in lhc Wtl(' (ity 

:u ~ $.-llfl(' addr<'St.. The m:.p in Fig. 7 OWt :1 high oon«ntr.a• 

ciQn fbt~inru )QC:.d<H'~ in N(',•.ld1, Ariwm, Color.ido. and 

lndi:.n:a. Thnc c:onccntuunM are prn.ent in p:m .t.t· ~ach 

i:s the: honlC' ~utc: <•f at k';\~l •me tr.t~V('Iing uks ~>mpMI ' un&:r 

nu ny dJft"I.T~nt IUJllCS - oru· (;.L$C' prr.Kt•cuu:d h)' the- ~~<\do 

AttOfneyG('nt"r.al in ND\<tmbn 20 12 ag.tirut the Grt"atl...a.kt:~ 

Crcul:ui.,n tn:.e:.:t.il'lc: ~~ e\ ncrwurk for roruu•llc-t fr-.. ud In· 

vul\'cd I 0 dhtina cump,..ll)' nJ.nlN. all u( whJch Wt'tt' cnpgt"d 

l.n thr ~n\c- line- of busillc:u and run b)' the s::unr- two lndh·ldu,. 

:ds..'* M:~.~•)• formn nld.pcopk fmm tfw:sc nNworlu R'p<>rt that 

~'t.'n thC')' :~.re ruurcof thcCJl~£ n:~mc.:uftl'!c: oon1p:tny f1>r 

wt!Jch dk:)' h:ad worlred. 

Otdt.-r forms :~.nd roodpt$ h..tndcd. uut for tn.my of elide romp~­

nk:J ~t ~ ·dt·:~~ingbollSC"· .u d~e c:ntit)' A:$pomible (()( ('nsuring 

dt.lt (U$tOm('rs' Ofdc:N ~ fultilkd. Business m:ords indiC"J.t<' tJm 

tha<' ~Micd chringhouS<'$ M"t" often d~ affiliated v.'idt thl: 

~ romp;m)es. oft<'n ~b)' ml\-eling.s.ale'$ oomp~yowncrs 

or their n.•bth"n_. and f~umdy using me .s:unc addf<:S$(':t or 

phon(' numbtn at the sale'S romp.ll1)'· Expttu on :~e tra\'Ciing 

.t:.tks indus:ll)' .s~oes:t th;u W bycrin& ofbus.ioos ('ndtics U 

ll'fC'Ild<"d 10 pi'O'Vidc a bulfrt (h:u pto(~ts thusc-'" the highC"S( 

""'·ds Q( lhc network by pi'()Viding llu"fn ~u~bk &:ni::.bilit)' in 

c:I.$C' o( utivm offf<1ud or worlc.C"f abtl$4·. 

F1gu,.. 7: Publ,c buSine» rwcords .nd hodin• d•~ ind,~t• rh. locftJons of ~tttuld ~ling wf•$ bul!nctSM$~rt dM Urutod 

Sta!Hwith~ «<I'IC'MtratiOMin Nev.da.~.C~and~.ana. 

ltNOCttmG AI YOU It C>OOR 
107 


712POLAR21.eps

'do=M· ,·;=== ''::! • . . ,..,_ 

-· . 

-- ,. . .. ---... ~- -+ :=: ---+ :=: - I 

c--- i i i i i i 

/ . '-. / . 

--._. ---- ·•- o..• ,_ .._, .._o-o a-.-

,....,rog -.~blr I .. Oo#t•- b•oi OH«ul"busl- - wlh'oo.ogh'-.oiO•-..-diO<by-"-t..t-........--. 

M ..... -.-0< , ...., .. dof.et ul"' bulloti• SM$d-10b<t w"-g Ol'lb<tlwlf 

of "-Ot""':.oOt'l. oltt~n< .. litd• .. le~"~<._ er-.... ..,. •f'S~IJ...-.I-O floo'O to •<r~ cJ.p.t~6"EE OI'IIh.tote ol ch.erlhe qu(')cion of whid\ ac·w i.s :~ffili:ucd wilh whid' btuincS$ 

may b.: rl rctl~r complk~tcd by th(' f..(t th;u bu.sil1t;:$$1..'$ h;m: 

been known tv COOfX'rlUc: in~ :tm\S. Notabl)'. thn,_-c or 

fot•r brt;c nf!'fWOt'ks m-ay simu.luncously ha"c their ~lespt-opk 

d.Um co be rompcting fot ttl<· s:u'tk" t:Uh prin· )ponsorcd by 

:1 v.aguC', innoru/Jous.·.suunding org:.nil.uiun such :.as MAniotti<"in 

AW2rdsM or "Nafi(J.ft:L) S3l..-s AwMds." A numbc-t of rc:poru also 

incfiettt" 1h:1t (Ufft"rt'nt tr.wding ):1. ~ btt.~inc~ OCt".&.\i•)OJII)' 

CUOpt"r:Ltc: when 0 11\':t.\Sing dilft'rf':IH a~ che!'l rnutnc C•)m • 

j>eting with Ot)e :lrh)chcr when :<dl1ng in chc Uhk ndg.hb<>t• 

hoods. In at le.u:t thr« cas<'!~. crew mt'mbcn ha"t" rcpotte'd th:u 

espt-op e ha.'·~ b«n ·$Old" again.st the-it will to another CI'\"W. 

1lKo Jcg;cim.lt~· pub i~hing i.ndll$tr)' hu -a cornplkat<.'d rt'l..ltion· 

$hip with ck.lfinghouSC$ and tr~VC' ing u l<'$ oo pank~ Due 

to the b )'<'ting of the$~ indusuy, the pt-'1iodkal industl)' 

has limit<"d ins-ight into and control 0''« how mag.vJn('$ 

are 6old. Since 199~. dw f~r.tl Tr;Kie Commluion (FTC) 

h:u ttquii'N th:u publi$h<.-n cn-rdsc S()mt l("o-cl of ~'Might 

uwr who .sdh their m~a:t.irw:s. Ho.,.,'<.-vc:r, :lJ Bridgcc Wdl~ (I( 

P\•riodkl.l W:uchguud nott·d in ro.-a:nr int~ vic:ws with PQIW 

.md in 71N Atlnt~tir, a numbe-r .-;f publi$h<'rl ()nlr $tOn:' dw-

$1:.1ling romp<lny$ OM1\C and mpl y~r l<kntifiC<ltion N,1mb<-r 

(EIN) in ocd<"t co $0\tisfy th..• mQSt l»sic FTC rc:quit('mmu.l't 

\'(lcJJs K~ Mt\-d that m().!.t publishcn do noc: ha\'c- mourcu 

rf'lld1ly llv:lil~lc: 10 monitor all (>f 1hrir sdling .tg~;nts, p<~~t• 

li~u llrly when n.b busin<>SN Ragged :u :.busive will Jimp1)• 

ch.M~J;<: tbc:-it naml:' and t\-.. ~h: \'f in ;motll\'t su.re,,. Pvbl»hns 

J.bu ha\'\' ~\'<1 liC.'ntirwmcs n:g:wdjns tbe utility of 1M CTCW5. 

Some publi.shc.·n. go ro tar a.s to c.UI mag m'W~ "un;mthori1t'd 

:tgnlb •.II who t.aron th~ n:-puutiun of chc lg»J n~:. Mic'h...d 

l•.t!.hbr. former CXl'<'uth't' VP and Prn ldrnt tJf chi." ~hgarlnc 

Publislwr) AsSJOci:uion PA. ~i ilar y ~bim:s th:at ·:a lot (I( 

publhht·N have no d ue rlu t rt.dr mag:~~~.i o an.·lxing Mokt d1is 

w:.y. :al'ld th<:y would be $hockc:d:» By C()oHr.ut .• Wt"lls on~ in 

her tltmti~ inu:rvkw th:u some publi.shcn "'d(on·t t:~rc. :S(IIong 

as icS lll)l fuud.wJJ Fin.JII)'. pvbli$h('n ha\'C' n•> <Qntrc>l <~x-r 

coully (rauduk'nt sitvation.s i.n which unregi.stert.'d lt.lvdmg 

crt.·ws carry fake order forms fOf m~ifil.'$ which they c;annot 

l.n f:.et provide to dK rwton'lt't$. 

AN ALTERNATI VE OPERATING MODEL: 

STATIONARY SALES CREWS 

lhC' bulk of chi$ rq:>Otc has foxuS«< on U<l\X"Lin~ $a)<'$ Crt'W$-, 

m ...chief hallmark of wh.ich is thcir frcqut'flt long-<list:.mtt 

mO'\·crnc:nt 3.(1~ regions ft~ UnitC'd St.nC'$. HQ\\'t'\'Cf, mO« 

gw:t~g .JphKalfy ~t;~ ci llry \'.lriauon,; on this modc;l h:.,,·l,.:gun 

to opt•nt · in Florida. Kcntutk)·, New York, :&nd dwwh<-n.· in 

n:'«"f't r(·ar.s. >'ccording to inQ."rvi('\'I'S wich Earlene Willillms 

Q{J\trent W;atch>'nd Oc-t. O:thl. Borh '«'llliu.rru and Dahl 

indkatt: th.Jt thi$ may IX' p~t <~ a ~hifting <>JX-rating mode:! by 

dOC>t·t<>--door Wc-s busi»nSC'$. Crt'\\'$ appe.;~r ( 0 be: :utcmpt:ing 

co op<'tatC' at a Jo..,.,x·r profik th.m in pte'Vious )'<"JIS., dl)(' in filrt 

to incn:-:tS<'d aw~ C'$S of d~ d.lngm wilh s.alt's. CT<'W$, and 

also m a grcowing numlx-r Q( dvil fnud C:l$4.'5 brwght >'g:.tin ~t 

bu.>1n~s by ~>tau: ~)\'\'1'n wntJ. While in prt·\·iouJ )'('Q.fl th~: 

01<1\'t"'ltlt'nt rl cn:·w,; frQm town to tnwn prowd :~; cu•n-c·nient 

prot«tioo >'g:tin.~t loa! pt(I$('(Ution. the- u~&wl g ub indta_i· 

try h:'l$ llcquif'\'ld :~high )' cg,~cr.~ rtputuinn (c>r Q)O$\IIW.'I' 

frllvd . whkh h: t\ilected :.1 the Beet\'' SvsiJw."S$ Bun:au and in 

man)' (lth\'f online 60\lr.xs.. With 'his grt"ater k, .... J of information ;av-~ abk to tlk- coosum<:r, it i.s plau$iblc th;tt Cf('\\'$ tm~ 

found that being n<m·lot:al only raik:S questionf: whkh :'l.rt' 

now c::u.cllr ~w('n.-d by :. few minuu-J cJ( ~:ar(' . 

~s at ary O'C'Y>'S .stiU op<'t'.ltC' in a mann<:r thu puu 

cm~n at risk for l:'l.bor rraffi<'king. :~. d ()pc"l':ltc simil:ufy to 

tNI\'tli.ng m1g.a7.ill(' m'W'S t:tcx:pt for thC' fu<:t th:.t cl'te)' tmd to 

.>U)' in unC' l~tion foe 14'\X'I'<ll rnonthj :u a dtn<. frcqu<-'flt· 

\l''&'!(;!,PO AA ~PkO)£ ,:T.OlC 

+ 
108 


712POLAR22.eps

FORMER CREW MEMBERS SPEAK OUT 

Mag Crews are not ALL bad, but I will never allow my babies to 

join one. The bod ones ore great at brainwashing and making you 

feel like nothing, making you feel like you NEED them to survive. 

• Posrod on F•cebook g<oup, 

Abolition Mo.,.ement 8gainst Hvrncln Trafficking oo Mctg Cr(W4 

ly roopcr.ltc with loc.al uk$. ordin:mm. and CIJII't'nd y cmd 

co sell roupom fot loc;tl buJin($$('$ imtC'~ of nugarin<"S •H 

och('f produm. Crew man~crl nill nu.incain dOk" conuol 

u\'t:t poc~~ndal \'ictims. Williilms, D.thl. and formu mtm~rs 

descri~ slw:uioru i.n wh.kh CleW$ art' based <Nt of n('tw<)rlt 

OWJw.•r.' howe nr ngo~ crm hotd•, nfrcn m a remote l~d(tn 

Mun t ile' lltiU.kiru o(H,wn "•it 8 diffi<:uh fUr nlC"mh<n to 

ori<nt th~u.e:l'\•a. or get to a rrAA&porution hub. WilliA.Jll• :w~d 

O:ahl .J.bO both not~ ch;u du"te n:btivdy surion.lt)' cn:w.s .niU 

cmd 10 rdy on )'OMS wor·k:.,•r.s wh<1 at<' not originally from the 

area $0 that CK'W m<mbc:D .1rc usualty noc aw~ of roe>urcn 

:a.\•;Ulllbk· co them. 

Rec•nt business model shtfts 

Another cballcn&e in SOftin, out the b:td acton in thr tf.a\'C'ling 

S:kld industry~~ th:u ova the- p:A:St two co fuur )'d.n, s<mx-lvg· 

ct nC'fWOrlu h.avt: be..·" rcvbttd b)· smaller m:ws. '1'hese ('r~ 

3K' n\ut.:- fle.xJblt' in tctn~ of mv.'t'meiU. id~:ndry, :and m.atu~'t'­

mnn ~u ~tun:' dun tht' l:ugn. m<lft' wdl..ocllhli)hed D\'t' ~ 

;,,& l~l huflflO.'d. whith ccndcd ro dc~n1in:ltc the ;,,dullr)' 

bcr .... 't-m ch<: l??Cn nd .approximudy 2012 b).SC"d Qfl bCJ'!Iil'l-c 

d.at:1. and busin($s. r«ords. Acrordi.ng to> Wlerk· \'C'lllllflu. 

many .salt:§ c01npwy ownt"n wh{) Yo'<'~ fol"moC'rl)• as.soci.ul."d 

with pocc:nrial tr.tffiddng sitwtions.lu\'(" sonc into other lint'$ 

of \\'Ork. ftK::k:ls.lngly. tn:ws :uc being handtd 0\'t'f tu ~young· 

a gcnctatlon of m.an~cn. who do not h.a\"' a history ofbw-

.wlu o.r trlmi.nal t<'rords. lktrer Busilk'M Burnu rcporu :tnd 

unlirk' tumpta.ilu f0or n~ .:~ppc;u to cormburntc chi), )howing ~ 

$light r«iunion in oomplOlints abo1.n lar~ u-.wdingules net· 

WOfks.. Yn. WiiJiams also <b<:riba, the industf)' as lxing nt'.atl)' 

impossible to br<ak into witho\lt pi'C'-n:istUIS conn<ecinns. to 

th<: olde-r gOlcr.uion of door-co-door salt:§ busil\eS$CS, Hodine 

dau. and sinn;~ ft'cords likf:'wisc rontillut' w show coon«· 

don.\ bc-t:w('C'n rM..'W ;md old ro p:~~~ in, indudmg 'J.I.C' of 1hc 

totmC' bu~i~ u.dd.tr$.'0. JOd;~) n~nn«tiQ ' bctwcxn fotn"'n 

iJild C'Utrmt (l'o\'JW:n • .md ((1 \ljn~ cd U$C o( J:ald b1.1~~ n.-.rna. 

un n:«ipts. Thi.s infom1.1l oontinuity suggi.'$ti 1h at the: change' 

in ownmhip does not indicat-e 11 fund.amcm;al shift in op..•t· 

uing ph.ilo$0phr. bur is ~impl)' an ;utcmpt to build up a n-ew, 

c~ancr-looki g n('twork in mpoM<" fO incrc:-.t_~lf1g mc-di..l2nd 

law cnfot«m<'nt scrutln)' of the door-c<Kioor sales lndu.su)'. 

XNO(ItJHG Af YOU It OOOit 
109 


712POLAR23.eps

-ATTEMPTS TO REGULATE 

THE TRAVELING 

SALES INDUSTRY 

D espite long-standing recognition of abuses within the traveling sales industry, 

attempts to regulate the industry have proven difficult to advance. One challenge 

is that business owners are able to classify sales crew members as independent 

contractors or outdoor salespeople -segments of the labor population in the 

United States that are afforded almost none of the federal labor protections which 

direct employees receive. Both independent contractors and outdoor salespeople 

are exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which means that businesses 

are not required to pay them a minimum wage or compensate them for overtime. 

lhe atnendc.-d Title VII of d~ 0\•iJ Righu At:t of 1964 pi'O\•i<b 

protl"ttivn tu <·mpiO)'«S from dtmimin3.Cion <>1\ the lnsb of 

pregnancy and rd.ue<l Ml'td1tt6nJ<. but d(l("'o nut pn)\•i&.· d~ 

pr tl-et m~ for l'1hploytts with FLSA.ncmpt $t:uus.."' Simi· 

b.tly. 1nosr n.'Ud h:wc ll'WJ that p-tc..'•<'t'nt « npkJ)'\."D (rcl'ffl. ,;nlig 

emplO)'('I.'$ wbQ an.• injun:d un dw: jab d~J~: w 11x-ir tui<~; 

:~g.Un, inckpcnck·nt c.mtr.tQ.OB dl, noc n.-c;c.:i\'t' this pn,lt\'(li()n." 

Tt·n hmline repuus dOCTibc cn'W m<"mbm bdng abo.udont"<< 

without p:l.)' by W it CkW :lfld injuring thc,nscl\x'S, bt-roming 

ill, or b<roming p~nam. In .sc'\<t-nl more cases. a cws durg.td 

n1m1bcts who ..... l"«' prcgn2nt ot inju.rt'd hu,ldl'<.'ds of dollars in 

~h. udng fen~ ~<t t·ath mi~ cby of work. 

In dK" 1980s. dforl$ be-gan to addrds. abuses on .s;.alcs acws 

cidw-r dir«d)' or under tht- umbrdla of child labor abuS<.'s:. A 

bill pro~ b)• Rt-p. Ron Wydtn of O~n in 198S ~o~o<ou d 

h.aV(' ('&l':.blbhc:d a ·National Ck-.aringhousc on Frauduknt 

Yooth EmplO)•ment P'ranicl.'$ .. to O\Tn« door-to-door klling 

srouf$. among other C'ntiti('$, but rh<- bill dkd in cong~ due 

to in:~<kqu.ate support from t!x- 0<-panmmt of Justice. which 

argued tNt M)' action would be pn:JNture ghX"n that the 

..-xtent <» tM abu~s in the indusuy "'"'"not 6uffician.lr v.'t'll· 

known . .\6 Outing dk' 106th Coogre:ss. in 19'J9. Sen. Herb Kohl 

of Wi.sronsin propos.c:d the t:~Vcl .ng Sak-s Crew Prot«tion 

kt" inspired by proposed sut ..... tcvd tt·gu1ation in Wls.ronsin. 

No at"riun W1~ tJ.kcn c"' II"· bill during thi$ cclflgrns.ional5('lh 

s.i(ln, :and though n1odifk-d \'C'fsicm$ <1f the hill w~rt' pr ~d 

:u clu· 107th and 108th Con~. tbc legiduion dkl Mt 

f<N'ward ~· In 2003. Rep. T(lm Lantos <ICalifomia ~ 

tmdu~ the · yo,uh <~ rl«·r ProtC>CtiOtl Aer,· whidl s.pceifkod 

chat minot$ oould not be kgally nnplO)>t-d in tr.a\·dinit ~ln." 

No :lt'tiun Wti takt-n on this hill :u rhe ti.itH". but <urff'nt fl-dtt· 

Ill )'OUch cmploym.c:nt rcg.ul.uioos do f'\ tt <t 14 to t>-rcar-olds 

from O«upa.tio.n i.n ")'OUtb pcddJint;,." whkh CO\'tts llC'tivitiN 

.t$.S<Ki.att'd with tn.\·dlng )31cs." 

OM of the fi:w noubk sue «:SSe~ in tt);ul;uing tnwding sald 

crtws. occurred :tot the S1:ttt·lcw:L \X'i.sronsin's "Malind:a"s U.w." 

p~scd in 2009, is namtd aftN one of the ' •ictirru of a ' 'an 

accidcnt thar kilkd SC\·en (('('nA~e mcmbm of a m~.Wne » ks 

Cf('W n<ar jatk'$vill<. Whcon.sin in 1999. The Uw pri'Jvidn. 

ck;v-(·rnpli'Jymmt pr(}(«tions (Qr ua,,'<'ling..s.aln Cf¢'"' wQflu:n. 

limiting thcrn 10 working~ 9:00 am and 9:00 pm, 

rtquiring. th<it d\1..')' be paid SC'1Tii·mo'lnthl)', and oblig;a ring manag<n u> c:n6ure ctut u;msport ,·ehkk'$ an- rq;olufy inspt"<ted 

IU'ld dri'l<'rs arc iruured.* ln addition. the Jaw n-quin-s :any 

+ 
110 


712POLAR24.eps

tt1\'C'Iil\g sales m:w upc-:t:t.cil\g it\ Wis.eonsln to ~isrer wlcb chc 

sure. prcY>iding pr(l(>f ofidcnlificldon :~nd nin1itul n:corcb 

few e:.ch n1embc::r and ek-.arl)' idcnrirpr1g rh<' c~· cu:UI:Igt'r ;md 

the u·rnu or ttnptupl'K'IIL 41 Cn::w$ n'IU;(f lJM) C()mply wubloal 

wk~ f<•r obt:un•ng$:a.ln p!:Jmiu und<"r ch» taw. "'th4-law h~ 

b«n US<d in on< m:~jor we :IS~rut a traV<Iing salts company 

to date-. In 2013. :1 tah·b:l:~('d rompany wa; operadng in 

WIK'Oruin '" viubllun nf n:qulrrnlt'l'lb ntablishcd by 

M.allnd~$ L:tw: nlelnb<:N Wt'ft' tr-.uuportcd In ;~. \':U. by dti\'NS 

witt10'11 ptOI'.If ofln~utMtt. :and Vkk' n-qultt'd to sdl without 

rtt,l)tcTing with the sc.ue or Qbc.Uning u iC'., p:~nni~>.d \Vlll.-n 

the: l2 o•llc-ge-:tg'-" crew rll<'mhc:r$ d1M:Cv.-em:l ch.u tlk_')' wen: 

opcradng •llcg;all)' and protl."$rc:d. the cmnp;a.ny auc npu~d w 

fire chrn1. Malinda's Uw llffotded the ercw mcmMn. legal 

prorC'CtiCifl from .such rccri.b&uiflfl, 2nd rhc- WilloC(ln.sin Oqurt• 

nlC'I'It nf ju~ iCI:' w~ able m purSUC' cl\1; n,:c-, whkh i.'fldcd in :1 

SI),OOO.!ontkmcni.0 111C' Sut'<O$ofchis law in p11rsurng 

i!hU!J('$ committed by tr:avdingulu romp.mi" hAs tt'p<>rtcdJy 

led <'I'"C'W'J 10 avoid \'('l.sroruln :lit~. :l«''rding co hodint" 

data, #C<Ouncs on soci:ll mC'di:t, complaints forunu:, :md :an 

hwcstig;atiw: n.-purt b)' AI j.tt.tcra Anw:rlo.Y 1his M~nu rh.at 

:uloplion uf s.ilni.l.ar l.tws in oth<"r st:\tc.J would nlkiw fut better 

procc<cion of potentially vulnel"lbk cnlplor«-'i ,..,d kdu« the 

ri)k c)( l.ab(lf rnfficking in IlK' ~duMr)'. 

PROSECUTING TRAFFICKING ON SALES CREWS 

Chal!l•"!l S.lles crewoporato" wrth ttafftebng is extremely unrommon to date, but rn 2014, IWOcrew leade" rn the mag021ne 

S.lie> bu~ness world119lor Midwest Circulation were arrested in Wilmington, NC and charged wtth kidnapping and trafficki119lor 

holdi119 two mrnor> againSI then will and compellt119 them to work on the crews." Poli<e S.lid that the m<n persuaded two 15 and 

16-year .. ld SISter> I rom North Dakota !OJOin their"""· Once on the crew, the sistm were compelled to work for only 520 dollars a 

dlY. den~ed communication, and forced to stlY when they asked to leave the c<ew. Felony chargesoga~nst the two ma~rs were 

eventually dropped in exchange lor cooperation in the investigation, which as ol May 201 Sis ongoing. Each manager pled guilty 

to twO misdem<anorcounts for<ontribuUng to the dtlinquencyof a JUVenile. However, police indicated that traff<king chatge$ 

may still be brought agarnSl other rodlvidua~ associated with the Mrdwest Ci~tulabon networ~ This Ca!< was ~gnifrcant In that 11 

dealtwrth abusiveuaveling .. re. networks from a human traffKbl\9 angle instead olalraud a119le. 

ltNOCttmG AI YOU It C>OOR 
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712POLAR25.eps

THE CONSEQUENCES OF ILLEGAL SOLICITATIO N 

We went into a new town with no permit for that town and that day police 

were not having it. You are required to have a permit for each town you sell in the 

cop said and this guy did not and never even tried to get one except that one time 

because it was a new state and because it was Wisconsin and all the locals were 

against door to door sales because of them kids dying in that Janesville crash. If we 

were stopped and warned by cops we were then blamed fo r it and drove to a new 

neighboring town to knock on doors without permits just as we was told not to. 

I got a 200.00 fine in Sun Prairie Wisconsin for it and the manager lied and said he 

had paid the ticket and did not. I almost had a warrant but I was sent home just 

in time because I was starting to see the bullshit this job is really about. 

-Posted on Facebook group, 

Abolition Movement against Human Trafficking on Mag Crews 

"'''f.'Vi!.POLARISPJtOJI?.CT.OJlC 

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112 


712POLAR26.eps

-CONCLUSION AND 

RECOMMENDATIONS 

T raveling sales is an industty rife with abuses that in many cases constitute 

labor trafficking. While some door-to-door sales businesses. particularly those outside 

the highly problematic magazine sales field, are harmless, the structural problems 

highlighted in this report- most notably the exemption of outdoor salespeople from 

FLSA protections and the lack of background checks 1n hiring- prime the industty 

for abuse Well-intentioned business owners should have no trouble agreeing that 

workers deserve fair treatment, while worker advocates can agree that one of the best 

ways to prevent abuses is to ensure that legitimate companies are able to Rourish in 

the current market environment. 

IJn.pitc.- this(~. the cfoor•t()odOOI" ~k') indwuy h;b hbtOnt":lll}' 

;Jtt-.·mpt-.-d to~ ne&p(~n~bili~ fur tha<- J~bu'<!$ by Qt~Qfizing 

gje$pc.-oplc ~ indcpc:n&:nc oe>rU.t:'lctors and cknring knowledge 

nf llhluh·..- ~t ,·icy on th~ crew ... 8~ ;~c-r ~ with en the: indumy 

m pr.teticcd 131 cY~ding d««tioo ~· ch~npng bu$-:i.llnJ- name'$ 

md loc-,~: Qfl$ fK'qlkndy. 1hc:y h_,wt' <R";n<d J IA)'t'rt'd husin('SS 

n<'tW()rk modd dm pf0\·idct 1J b"fft'l' bc,-(Wt'('n min.:~l activit)' 

tlut oe<urs on ctt'WS and comp:tn)' owncn. While indunry 

effint> nU)' help dan up llu· tna\·rling .ulo indusuy, c.-nfor«'• 

mnn of Mgi'IC"t Sl:.tnd.ud) will requan- the- ,upport of )Cllt' 

dcpU1n)l.'tU$ ofh.bor <~nd Qt.hl,-r rcg\ll;atQf'y -:neil in. AOOptiqn 

o( ll:mdvds ;an:d~04» t"Q thQIC' in W'u~m.~in' tlindl.·~ Uw 

woold ;aulu othc:r ~t;at('$ i.n pnl5t'OJUng chC'Moe n."$pc>ll)ibk for 

o:ploicing yoons wOf!«-n, r.ath<:r rhan 1-ea\·ing th<- wQtkm 

tbt'm.k'lv<.'$ vultl('r.abk co pr«<c:ution. 

Go~·c:rnnwnt entitit'i, bw t'n(Mcmwnt, S<T\'itt pwvidt·n. 

busme$SO, and ron.sumC'N- c-an and !thouJd ukC' action in order 

co prot-ect worlcc-1"$ from abiU<' and <'Xplohadon. and nxlu«' 

tr.lffidting in thif: indu.Str)'. Scl«c gb'tx~nnwnt and bw <:n!Ottclll<'nt C'ntitics hJiVl' alrC'.xi)' me1 with m" ~uc«:S.S pul"$uins 

lfil\x·ling ~l"S CW\\'S.. Most not.ably: 

• In 2011. thC' Col.n.-do Att·urnC)' Gl'fKT:II'l Offitt )but dc,wn 

moft of tJw: Gf\'".tt UJ;n rc:~ 1Jti n m.agWm: n.k'$ nc•tw•nk 

by is..1uing .a pcrm.an~n1 inj~mctiQfl ~g:~.in)t Cn::1t Lakes 

n:~llatiun, il) wm:r~ .and rurn· U$(1(:i;atcd or ~b~ 

bu.'in~ for fr.aud·rd,:ucd cb~ 46 Whik this did not 

ra:uh in n"afficling <hvg_CJ forth<.' own~'T.s. rq>OfU of 

activity by this n<(Work droppll'd tl) :~.!most :«"ro after 20 12. 

• In Augwt 201,, the- Wis..oruin Dc:p.vcmcnl ofJ~ $t CI:' 

u~ M..alllld.a'•l.:lwto ;~~chiaX' a S15.000 kcllcl')ctU fur 12 

t<dlcgc·agc (tt"W nxmlxts :.g.1ln~ta Uuh·bucd rotnp2t1)' 

opcr:tting in W'asronsill ln '·iollltion of tq;ul.uion• illiUiuced 

br dulo1Jw. 1 .. 

• In Ocwbcr 2013. Palm 8:'1)'. FL po k~ n:M:111Cd 24 c:hlldrcn 

from ;a pmcntUltnflieking Jilu:ui<ul. th" two~· opc:n· 

t.-)ts wm:: th.arg.cd with 24 tcNtllJ nch ().fhunun rr.affiddng. 

l4 rounts or cluld :abu~. and t'ighl counts each or t'nlploy· 

inga minor ... Due to thc-Jm.all.sil.L'ofthiscrcw, the atr('$tof 

th<' two managers app<:ars to hnv(' df«ri'-'<'ly .shut it down. 

As th(';S(' C'X.ampb illum<ll<.', it i.s p<mibl<' to .shut do-A•n or 

pc:nalixc 3busi\'C' tk'lworks through applk3tion of existing 1.1"''5 

rcl.uing to fiaud, labor abuS<"S. and human u:tfficking. The 

cruci.al s.dpulatioa is that any actkln .should addrn.s t.ht- abui<S 

ltNO(tttuG AI YOU It C>OOR 
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712POLAR27.eps

SURVIVOR TO LEG ISLATORS: 

There's no regulation. These 

m anag ers can do whatever they want. 

It made my heart sink when I started 

hearing about conditions on other 

crews- I was lucky to get out. 

Something needs to be done to 

regulate mag crews because these 

managers are doing whatever they 

want to 19-year-old kids who don't 

know what they're getting into. 

• from Pofati$ interview wirh S. Hunt 

in a nunn('r that hc:.lds accountabk th(' buJill($$('.$ <<>n«I"Jk"<<, 

me (1\\'0('fl. and any highly aMooci~tcd hwin('$$($ in the $;)lfl(' 

indmuy. Otherwi$(', it will be wbu~inm ;1$ u~u .l'" iOf tfko m05t 

abus:i\·(' crt•ws. as StCn in fh(' m~ny C'1in whel'r' iouspiciow 

bwl c~-. h:l\'C' httn 6t1cd f<>r l:lX t'\'.Ui<>n Qf 111inu r fr:.ud in 

'12ri<•ui :u.r J.. 

GOVERNMENT RECOMMENDATIONS 

Fedtral 

• The F;air Ubor Sund.ud$ At't (Fl.SA) should be 1mendcd 

ru W\'I.'T outdoor salt"$ \\'Utk«S.. whieh would in hltn <'11abk 

\he [)q>artm<:ot uf Lalxn to addn-s.s 'llbuS<·s 0«usri1\g in 

tr.l di n~ sale.('~'('\\'$, including but not limit(-d to: 

• Un erpJ~rm..- t o.f w~C$.; 

• M&M;.bs..t 6('~d•:tn of c; >k>yt~ :U imkpc:n<knt c(MU101CI<w.s. 

3Jld: 

• Sties <.rcw mc.nbc-N uc oot t ".Xro'lflt from Fl.S.A Child L1bot 

rt>g_ubtions. a.nd the Ckparun<:nt of Ubor should <:n$.un- that 

thl"!k "-tz;ub cioru; at(' fidly cnforC'I.~ on tl':lvding r;aks Cl\."\\'$. 

Curmuly. federal rttul:ui<.m• prohtbh tlw: cmployn'k'IH c·>f 

i1~(1n y<>ungn c.h:m 16 in '")<Uuth peddling~ C!Oe p.a ic>•~ tt 

They also prohibit rnioon b<t'',.«n 16 and 17 from cyp<rating 

mot<W \'Chicks toc thcir ;oh$., which nll'aOS that S;;li('S m'WS 

should be ~'-'R d from us.ing ~ as van d~rs.. 

• Coogi"(';S$ )bou.ld inuodutt and pa.ssl.epsb tioo $imilat co tbc200J Youth Wot ~·r Pro«<tlon Act, which W()ukt dass.ifY U':l.''~ 

d ing.sah u a hazardous oe<upadon dosed to :aD mi on.~ 

• Tht IRS should hold ules mwcrnp&oycrs rcsponsibk for 

providing th.:o: rtq i~ Form 1099-MISC tO dorum.ent 

apmdiwm of mqn:o than S600 CJn lndcp<"ncknc ccmtr¥t0f 

f't'eJ ins.tt.'"ld cl pbdng P\'Nicks on Q.lt'$ rn:w Wtlf'knl cb .. ni• 

fi~ ;u ck"}>~.· dC" t c;Qntrxconr;. 

• Tl)(" Dcp:trtmna (I(Sutc ,lto'llld ilh"CSiig.an· :thuM-t <lf d\C" 

J·l vi» progr.am :t.nd WC)r\: (()limit f('(r tm~,•nt (Qf 

nc>n•q\12Lif'ymgjobs mdcr thi.s ('Jt('gor)'• 

• Tlw :~-rcnuTit tlfjuui« •'Jo Hmn:m Tr2fli cking c:utinn 

Unit shou.Jd prioriti7J.' l.tbor trafficking on tr.a\"<'ling sak'$ 

~""''S· atld shuold 1)1'0\·idt>2S5i..sf<tntt tu U.S. Attorney'$ 

offices liS wt>ll 3.~ fcdcnl ~d m.tt· agencies in proS«util\g 

thest'c-.lS<'S. 

• ~ fc-&'NII j;O\'o:tnmmt >huuld t·n:mrt" :t.<kqu.uc fundil\g 

for Jotrvkes dt·sign<"<l to assist vktinu of lhuu::..n ttaffidting. 

induding victims of labor t.affi king on s:tk-s crC"WS. 

State 

• Stat(' lq;.is.J.,aturl'$ $hould consickr l.1bor prot«don laws $imitv to \X'ijconsin's M;~,lin J's Llw ~c. St.ttS. S l03 34)~ 

th.lt provi<k coomt<' .l}~ to hold \1.,\i <'~ accoun :th ~ 

for their dant,-.erour; opcmti.ng methods. ~ include: 

~ l.imiting$aiC$JX'Qpk$ working hour$: 

.. R.rq~•l ingK"mi rnQnthl)' paymc:nr (qr C"mplop.'('$ or 

romraeton. and; 

In \lddidttn, $1.lfC$ m.1y p:..rtia.lly n.T11<:'dy the g.ap th:.u or.isu in 

k:dcnJ J:Jbqr b'\\'1 which ~ tr.a\·d mg sak'$pcoplc mpr 

f'nMn FLSA on-.:r-lgcbyt•'*ming h~J their Qwn bl:M)r l:tw$ do 

provi<k prott"C'tioo for doQr-tO·door n )C$ wwkm. Sc;,te ckpart· 

W'&'!(;!.POL ~PkO)£ ,:T.OlC 

+ 
114 


712POLAR28.eps

menu ofblxw c:an ~ilc in .taudnit,lng whc:;1l"" ...- nOt P IC'fpcopk IU.\'(' been proprrly d.ustllt .. d as '"outMdt-sal<:fmm • :mdlur 

~inckpmd("llt cootr.t.«OfJ" ba.kd on .s~tc bbor n:guUci<ms. 

• Sc:nc f-0\'Nnml~nrs thu h.a\'(" not .alltldy dOfk' $0 should 

cnha..ncx civil tcfll<'djC'$ for ndh du~ls who ha\'(' CXp<'ritnccd 

trolffickins situations. empiO)'fllC'nt misclas.sification, w• viobtionh or ochcr abwes on tr.lvding sales crcwJ. For ('X· 

ampk. as ofjanuuy lO IS. Michig;a.n lawprovidoa privak 

right of a«ion (Of human uafficking "kcim.s, in addition to 

stiff ctiminal pt·nahks,'Q 

• W'l:l..'ft'llf"Pmpri.lf<',stJt.:Attom~-sC~shrx.Jdoonst<kr 

lnhiafing fn.ud (';l$CS :ag:.Llnst known 3busi\'t $lk;s mw 

nctworlu. Tht'g <;'.&SCI should C'n c;omp~ l..i man)' f.'nlitin 

whhin 1hc nc<twork :n ;a.re ;u...,ncbtC'd wilh criminal aetMt)'. 

in or&.'T 10 prC'o"('nf onC' p~UIC'd bus inns fmm rttrrk"rging 

llndC'f"on< of' iuW~. C>mmon forms off'n-•d indudC': 

• Mis.lnd1ng oonsmncrs to bcfk-vc: thar they W()ukl be- ahk h l 

()bcain 11 refu11d fur wckts pl;k't-d wilh u lob erews., and: 

• Misn:prt$(tn.uion of affiljation with ch:atities or olh<t 

<nritk"S induding h~pilllls, Khools .. or ''n<'t.t.ns :woc:i01rions.. 

• $c;,((';md «al~of«MU, mc.,. pmto:ai(ln wddc:p:vtml.'n~ 

ofbbor sht•uld p41hluh inf'omn.donAI nu.wri:a.ls to highlight 

co porc:nd:d (()ruumro. and j.,..~ tiM.· J..n.c1wn hv .• uds of 

cr.w~l ngS.lksmwJ. 

LAW ENFORCEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS 

• Look for •igns of hun' an nafficking ISc.: Apprndlx I) wfk.'ll 

stopping c~· n)I.'J'I'Ibers for uaffic viobtionJ or for door-todoor s.",liciUtiOO. W~m1ng. )lgtlS Jnducfc: 

• \'ou•\g dri\'Nl uansponjng bq;~ groups of other )<oung. 

poopk in V'.liU or other l..a"e '<dtid~ 

• Ori\'<'N of such Cft"'\\'l who h:t\'t: oo license- ot wbt> !u\"(' :a 

hiswry of traffic Yiol:atioo.s. 

• Prioritizc pur:I-Uit of bad acton tow;uds the top of th< sales 

~rwork rat~r than focl»ing on ocw memb<:n violating 

locJ) anf.i·wlicirJU<m Uws, 

SERVICE ORGANIZATION 

RECOMMENDATIONS 

• Mclllt l>urvi,·on' inuncdi~tc nttch when k;wi"g J. u·:t\"<li;\g 

$;1)~.,: Cl't'W art" shn" •lt"nn ~hdu·r <tnd cr.ampurutiun humt". 

Ensuring that tbetC' arc rt'SOUt«:S a".Ulablc to hd p .su,...·i\'ots 

witl.l uv lllvtll.7 to pu•d ~" hu) Litk.l-. • nd liuJ a ...._~ to 

stay in .an unf~n1il ar town .should be 1 primit)' for service 

org;aniution). Tht- N.uion.t.l Human Tnffitking Ftesoura= 

Cnu~r m:aybcabktopr<Widc additlonal kfctr.ak 

• EncoutJ.gC' and ;USist fumwr crew m<mb<rs who show signs 

of h:avin~ bttn in a traffidting s.ituation to a<('('$$ fcdenl 

fund) .-v~ihhk fur tr.affidting .sun•iW>D th.rout;h thC' lA•pMt· 

mmc of)t»titt :111d chi.· 0<-pucmmc o(HC'ahh :l.nd Hwnm 

Se-rvices. (5«: App<t1d:ix 1- ~ATEST Guide t o) Anti·Sbv('f)' 

Fundinlf fof mOfc: inf'ormnion on f'('S(Iurcn; aqiUt.k for 

.sun•ivou fh1tm~ tr.:.lficking..) 

• (k awa~th;~.t wmc~ul'\'iV'QI'$, boch m1k and fcm:.i<, h.we 

had uucmd)' tr.lumaric C"Xptrkn('("S of f"$)'cholotkal con· 

trol .. ph~ic-al aboSC". and SC"Xual ;w.auh, and ~gn I'('Sponses 

t o) bc S<'n.sith't' tl) tbe1C' po»ibk n;p('ril'ne<$. 

BUSINESS RECOMMENDATIONS 

Ooor-to·door sales tndustry 

• Ooot-to-door sala bu.sinCSM'S looking tu rebuild d•c 

indunry) tt-putuiun ,huuld: 

·Take :~.stand againsc b~L~inC'SS('j whkh make C'\'Ui\'C re-

.sp<tnJ,O. to Qln)pbhu.s: 

• E.xcrrise mQf'c Q~'lig}u (t'o'tr hiring and Qp!o"T'lting prxtica, 

and; 

• Otnmm('(' bu.slnC\S pr.t.Ctia:s which alkJw ru ~C"r.ab c )'Ount 

poopk ro be: n:plbic«<. 

Publishmg industry 

• Increasing ~nc:ntion to abusc::s "''ichin tht':Sc: crews dlould 

inttnrh•i'h· publbhing c:omp3.1\k'S 10 dc:dic:.trt· rnQutOC'S. to 

thJ$ fight in order co prott'<t chri.r brand tt"put~tion, 1\tlaking 

c:fF'ons to C'nsurc: a tUIHpa«nt b11sinn.s 'l•ppl)' ch.lin will 

rcsuh in better busint'$$ practic($, :&$ ..... u :t.i t~tt.ab li cy o.f 

cnpyri&)uC"d m.lt<ri..llc, which will hdp fO prot«t Wflfk<n 

and p,......x-m bad anon from ;woc'j;tting thc:msd''t'.S with 

publishtn' br.lnds. H()\\'t'~'<'r. his likt'ly that publish('fs will 

n<>l be able to fully 0\~Nt-e ,.m, ~enu wing only ~ir 

ltNOCttmG AI YOU It C>OOR 
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712POLAR29.eps

SURVIVOR TO CONSUMERS: 

Don't buy magazines from these crews, don't support them. 

If the kid at your door seems desperate to make a sale, 

try to help him or her get home instead. 

own ~so rce$, and they should ~ pn."J>arcd to eoopcratC' 

with SO\'<rnment entities. in th<: c-.-~ of in\"CStigatiOn$ of bad 

accon; within the door·to-dooJ C'$ industry. 

Hotel•ndustry 

• Crew,; nfl't'fl h<Muc 1:.rgt> numb..-r~ of pcoop!C' in o nC' o r 

rwu ~ roc)nu in viubci<>•' ctf hrt> c:ode':\. Membe-rs al.kl 

ff't'<luentl)' cnl,~C in drut; t15C whilt' houkd in hmtb. Both 

t«'nd) pu1 d~·l'("pucnion Q(Jnw. tO middlc··~.);U ho«:l C'h~t» 

;1( rlfk, ~d may C\'\'0 k-;1d CO )i;1twfit)' i(SUC$ ((>f (~ h()f(l, 

• Trnming hord $raff to ITCOi;nit..c" indir;uon of trnwling ~IN 

crt·ws rould hdp th<·m to C"nfor<'t' poUctd: on Uk-galbcohaviot 

in hotds. S..·th"fcnfom;mcnt of these policies rould in turn 

hclp reduce opportunities for abuSt". sin« currently «tw 

m:tna.gNs will for« uruucmsful uJ('Spropk co sl<-<p on the 

Aoor elf troWd inro one bed, :'l.nd nuny rcporu of SQu31 

~usc ~rc llnk«< co drug 21ld :Uroholabusc by tt.:w nwmbcrs 

i.nhotdrOOI'M. 

• ll'c= hotd industry ~hu d p2nncr with )l'f'\'kc j>r6Yidi.-N Co 

providt- hotd \'oudw:N to victims who arc nc.'Wiy hom<"k$$ 

~ a rt'$uh ofbcingabandon<'d by-a $ill('$ Cf\'W, l1\(' hoed 

i.ndusuy is uniqudy posirioned to addres.s tht- £10'Wint; lk'Cd 

for ufC', temporary $1\cltcr for this po)pulation. 

Bus compeni•s 

• Bu$ st<ni(lll$ arC' anodx-r major poinc of ro <~et bi.•tw~;n 

put'-'f1tia! victims and d)(' publtc. C«"W members bandon<'<~ 

at bus sutions froqi.K"nd)' ha'-c no money- fOJ a tid:ct hOfn(', 

~nd nl<l)' 1101 t'"l't."n dc;!.l'l)• un<k·NCand th:at they h:m: b.;t·n 

in\·(11\-ed in 11 jc>b fuught with labor rig,hu violations. Tick4:t 

:agt•nts md bw dri\'(f.t s.houkt be- tuirw:d fQ n.."Wgni:tc gll\ 

th:at l W(»Jid·bl: p~·ng<"r h.u lxot:n ;~h:~,ndc"J ~;d by a J;:&IC:$ 

CI'("W. EmpiO)"«:S $hould lx- equip plod with a lin of f(.'$00.f«"$ 

such u the NHTRC hodinc or DeFt\.'\' To:tline numbcNo for 

pcxc:nti<~l trafficking vic-rims.. Additional resourcxs. availabk 

to -al»ndoot-d cn..'W nK'n1lxr~ ar(' T r.n-d4:n;' Aid or chi: 

N.-cional Run:.w.1y Saf'din(', whkh nn pro,·idc nhkt.l 

cr.a &pc.nt-.~dcm .usisu ncl.", thmJg.h chcy do not dm.-crly dl,•;t) 

with m.ffidOng. In addition. tr..ln~p rucion cnmpanin 

$hould ~rtn..-r wich ni ce prc>ri<krJ -and/or th<- N HTRC co 

pmvid<" tr"Ml$pc>n.aticm 'lt>I.IC"htr$ 10 ' 'ictim:s. 

CONSUMERS 

• COf\Sum<·rs $hould usc C'aulion wht·n buying n11g:uin('$ or 

oth<.'f item$ ftum sales Cl\"\'o'$ wh.kh arc not dt.-.uly :tffiliatcd 

with 3. &cx:.J otgani\l'.arion. $oUCh 3$ a smoot Sulm:ription 

pri<c.'$ av:tilable wbtn buying din.-ctly from the publish« are 

much lowl't, alld dc:spit.: :sale-s pitd)t'S whiM cbhnlh:u 

porofiu from door·CO·d!XIr $~wil ~ d<m:ucd. this is 

alm0$t nc:V'ct ChK". h I$ $:tfct to donate enofk.')' dir«tly co 

a lcgilirn:.tc chanl)'• :and buying from abmh"t" nb ~n:"\'1'$ 

wiJI onJ)· oontinuc lo make door-to·do<•r ~In ~ high•proflt 

industry for wouJd·bto tr;tfli<k<.'n. 

• (k akn to suspicious job ad''<'rti.scmcnts in nC'\\ospapeNo and 

on job wtbsitcs.. Cr-<~i&slin, or $0d;tl media pa~$, Where 

thC$C' ads S<.'\'"tn particularl)' 3oWpidous. it m:ay be hdpful to 

~ clk-m as putt""tbl ftaud ur abus.t~. 

• C ;w <he NHTRC (1·888·J7J.788.'1) and lkF"'< (23373J) 

hotlint" numbt'IS to stlc$ C'tCW m<"mlx-N who di.spb.y signs 

ofbnng at ri~k f.n H;}RidUng fSc.~· Appcndi.x 1.) Do m>t 

IU«'mpt to follow the: <n.ow mnnlx-r or into:'f\"\'R(' dir«dy. 

W'&'!(;!.POLAAI~PkO)£ ,."T.OlC 

+ 
116 


712POLAR30.eps

- APPENDIX I 

To report potential labor trtffieking: 

1-'ot.arh -\'lo'VI"W.~"'Pffli«1·tlf¥ 

f'nbri,s &Fr« Tc:xdin<": Sc:nd a t<'Xt 10: 

ll<F<tt(2}3733) 

lht' ~tio :d Hun\:m Tnffi,king Rnourtl' Cmtn -

q~ffitki "!tlt."'Orct'O.'Tl t~:r nrg 

1·888· 3 73· 7888 

To ,.port labor ebusu or fteud: 

U.S. D<pmmem of Lobo< (DOL)- www.d<~.p 

DOL W~'(' #ld Hour Oivi.s«)lll (WHO)-w-·.dnl.t("''/whd 

WHO hdplin<'! 1·8664USWACE (1-866-487-920) 

DOL <A-n•pltihn:.l Safl"l)' .lnd Hdth Admini,trn,i!Jn (OSHA)-

WWW,C)II.h.l.t:,•Yo 

OSHA in<:800·321.QSHA (80().321·6742) 

Other resources for survivors: 

N:uic>n:&J 0,\MmlCrJU~tX' www.ncln~:c.org 

Child L:dxtr C<.~Wn1on - unpc:h•ldbbor,urg. 

N:.clcm:a.l Ruruw01y $~fCGne- v.-ww.lfiOOrun.:awJ.)'.C~ 

l•$00.786--2929 

RESOURCES 

Mo,.. lnformetion: 

NH I R<.; lt:~.\ding~<.:f\'\1( tr.Uning~·b«.'ri.tb: 

• bttp:f/tnffi(king~Vt«'«"<)l('f,OI'JVf\"1toolllf~U!ll;pl·UJ.(. 

fickin~~d-~aks·m-

• w"'w.tt.lfficki~\lrtt«nt...,..tlft;/l;'lbor·tt;lffickin~'"<O· 

U('(lndu,tri<'dMb.crc:--pcddling·~ng·nng:~ 

l..tJu.i~tvil e Me-tro Polk<' Guid(': 

• hup:f/gr.aphic.s8.n)·rim('{.rom(p3~k:tgl"\\pdf/nau(~n:dfl.oui,.· 

\·ilk_J'Iolltt-G\Itdc.pd( 

Cc:«gi.a Offio:- of Con.\umtT Ptuc«tiun: 

• lmpJ/~.g...gov/t"o.~n~mct·lo.~pk~lt1Wiinl_t·f.ab·tttW 

Alli.intt co End Sll\"-'t')' and Tr;Ubc:klng (A TEST) Cuidc to 

Atid.·SI:n'CI')' Fundi~: 

• mp:l/www.cncbl;a\•ctr.andcrn.ffit"~ing t•rt;/;anli·~ .avny· 

and-huiUJ..,·traffi~klng·o:~ppn'prlali(tl\tl 

Wi.scont>in l)qn.rtn'l(ni9(W<,..kfbm: ~'pn~-nt

Rtgubtton (lf'TU\'t'ling SaiC6 ~~ 

• Explan.lti(m of M.almd.i•$ L:tw (\'(ltfc. Sms. S 103.34): 

http"://dwd,wi~o'IO~Jn.,m·/dwdlp••"'li('-1-Uni\JC"rdlpdfl 

crd..I7J01Lp.pd[ 

• Full text of ~blincb'slaw: hup:/ld0Cli.k1;i~.'"'i~o:~mi.n.;ov/ 

~l;lt\11('1./\l:ltUIC..,ql O}fl4 

IINO(ttlUG AI YOU It C>OOR 
117 


712POLAR31.eps

-ENDNOTES ' UNICEF. (n.d.). Chi/J Tmffirlting. Rc-tri<"·C"d fr•>m http;// 

www.~• ni~tf u~•••1tt;/ 11 1 j).~i• onJ fiiU~-C.~u' I I •ffi~ ki II~ 

l NariunaJ ConJunM-TS l,.cagiK". (n.d.). l»gJtJ m.:g.t:t_ln, 

~t~lts at ]('liT JfHW! RrtriM'\-d frQm hHp;f/www.fr.Htd,(~.&f 

n~wJ~?·~'V~-m~;17ine. 

' llu~ Tn.ffidt.i11g Viet ina Pmu .. tiun k1 (1(2000 «find bbor 

rrafficking :u '"'chc r<:~nnrrtW.·tH . h:~_rt,()ring. lr.IINp(lfi:Uion, 

provision or <.>bu ining of 2 pt'f'S()n f(J( labor or services. 

through the us.c <1ffotcc, fraud, or roo:rdon fi)t the purpos..~ 

of subjection co in~-o un aty St'f'o'itu<k. pron..gc, debt bond· 

;agt· or ;avcry." 

4 Of~ 4J9 rcpom. 286 wert: from propk who bad had 

dim:t ront.lct with a potential \'iclirn. while 90 Wtfc from 

potential \•ictims dk-nlsch·e$; these cas<.·s. h:;~d th.: nl0$.1 

ht'lpful inf<>tm:nion for ~n1 )'f: .t. 

) Han, J. (l Octob<T 2009). 8BB W:unil\g: Magaziflc Sales 

Sr.tnu Co Ooor•t(,.i)()()r. lkuer B1.uir~ Bure-au. !Wuic:\-cd 

from hup:l/www bbb (~r_w'ch.uloctrllnigr.nio /bbb-watn• 

ings/2009/l<Vbbb w:~rning.•m;lg_Xt.im:··n t'Y$t"lms•gu·dom• 

!o-dCMirf 

f Exp!4ifdfitnt 4{ J0"''t iUI~tf11 ;, tl<l<tr-t()..J()(Jr s.rln: Htvtring 

/wfow tiN Pnnw,<'llt S~tkf,mmi"<<()" lm"Ntigati()fiJ ()ftJx 

Cq~nmmu tnt G()t~tmmmr AJfin'n o/ tiN U.S. Smnu. IOOth 

Cong. I (198n. h~tp://gnaphiC'.Il)'1ift)('$,(W)m/p.Kk~C"Jpd(/ 

llO\tio)nalfExploit.uiotUn_O.X.r_to~r_Sa)C(.pdf 

t>.bki, R. & 1\-t\"'t, L {Sc:ptcmlxr 2009), Tr.wdingul<'$ 

Crt"W$; The perils ofli.fc on tht' rood. 1\~ iomr/ Ctmtumm 

&ng•u. RetriC'\,...d f'rom hnp:l/www nd~Wf.orgltr.wo."hng_ 

~oai('S_C~l_d,c_p<:rJis._o(Jifc .... (lrL.thc-Jo;td 

' OOJ: Company t<> par SJ S,OOO for viol;uin£. M:.~;l nda$. Law. 

{22 Alif.UStlOI J). Ch«mwl J()(J(J. Rccri<-v'-d from hnp:/1 

www.channd}OOO.comlncwVdoj·C'Ompanr·co-par·15000. 

f(of·\'il>l.uing.·malindas-bw/2l61 J674 

t AP. (II Jul)· t978).1h<: 'W.."$mcn': '~>ung p..'(1pk tdl horror 

1) Vlk~ v ( JOJVJ•\V•d<JIVI .ldli.us• 11M.• £~\•nins: ltM.kpo.·mk·m. 

p. 6A. St. 1\-cmburg. Florida. 

,. WiJiiMll.S, E. f\> ris lntc:rvic·w. 23 Fc-bruuy 201 S. 

" O:~hl, C. (n.d.). PAtrol Offiun R,-f"nr« G«itlr 11'1 D(J(}r 11'1 

Dt»rStlhcilors. V..uhvilk. KY PO. Rt'"l ""'~d fr(Jnl Imp:// 

gr=~p ics. ycirn\'$..(om/ :1Ck~es/pd f/n:~U<•na /Ex loit:ati _ 

in c()J)oor S31'-'S.pd f 

a: (II Pd.ley. V. (24 Febru~ y201S). Human u-~fticki g; 

M~ Cl i.'W kid <It your dOOf coold be- vkrim. AI JvA'ffa 

Amcrk~. Rcuk-\·o."d from hup;//am.."fica..a1j3Z('('r~.com/ani· 

<k.sl2015/2/24/human·rr.tffidting·victim·nug·ci\"Vo'·"id·at· 

door.html 

t) Hum. S. Pofari.slntcn•icw. 1l May 2015. 

u Bureau of EduC'~ ional and Cultural Affair$. J·l Vi~ 

c.x<hangt \'ishor ~ram. O..-p.1ttn1cnt ofSt;uc. Rctricwd 

from hnp :l/jlvi~~l'tatc.gov/pr~r~m4summN-work·Hil\ocl, 

·Prog_rim E.xdu.sions.'" 

n M~. R. (6 Junc 1012). Tr;wdingyotnh<K"w.s p<>d~rmi g 

dooHCHioor saJa; - 0Jl<' of the 6~ most d.tng\'tOus jobs 

for lf'\'n.S in dx- U.S. ChiJti Lab« CMiitiOII. Rcltic-ml from 

http:fl~rupehlldbbor.urgl?p •2725 

" Hunt. S. Pol:lri.slnt.:l"\'i<w. 12 M:t)' 20l5. 

•· Hunt. S. Polari.slntcrvicw. ll Ma)' 20l5. 

" 11x- horror th:u is tr.m;lling m~g:a:t \' ~-:tin. (21 h:bnury 

2010), Comment postc:d to web log cnuy. Rrtrk"'~'<'d frorn 

http://li7.diu .. trpcpad.cllftl/Upc-ak._.-,f_dr<"~m~2(l()f!fl J/thc-· 

h(,-ror that.hlml 

·• Hunt, S. ('l(llaTi-\ lnt•:n•kw. 12 t-oby 2015. 

+ 
118 


712POLAR32.eps

1t I>.Lhl, G. {n.d.). P.tmJ Ojficm Rrfm~~ CuiJ~ f() /)tJ(Jr to 

Door Sbllfiltm Wui.wUk. KY PO. Rc·ull"\·cd from http:// 

J?JPll•o nycim<'"·~) <~ek:ag_C'$/ dPnatio "~oiiE:c loicJlio _ 

fL~_to _ _OooLS:~I~.,.pd( 

.o: Hcrmdt)'• 0 . {7 Ma)' 2013). Politt: Somt' dooHo·doof 

.u.k'1 propk fOf«d imo hum:an tr.afficking./\'tws 0116. 

RctriC'\'t'd from llnp;//wv.-w, ('Ww ~.c;.'l btory/221891'166/ 

pt•lic.:--~<>mc.- o4l ·tflo-dQC•t·Ji.a ~!X"''Pk·f,)rcc.-d~i nt,.._l •m~n

rnffickin' 

!) Mali$0'4', C. (16 July 2008). Wlut m.aimtt\'ml pubUJ.hm 

don't w;mc you to kn<-;about dooNc..door maga:l.inrA.I('$, 

M1u11on Prru. lkuit...,'W:'d from hnp://~'\\·.huu~tnnprcu. 

(nrn/l()()f1,()] 7/ w:wJwh.1t•mai ;:cn--.un•J)Ilhli•h('rs..dt~n • 

womt•)'UU k~lW•.Ibnutodoor to-dou \~ 1i i;·U cJfi : 

I wn f\'(t'IHiy(lna ma.gmw. (2SAugu$t 2010). C.mmw:nt 

postl!'d tO t-ncry on dw: E~:jl<rimu Profrcr \\.'\'Mit('. Rl:-tric\'<ld 

from http:llwww.C'Xpt'r~t n·p rlflo.>el.carn/,.u.cit'lliW~R,co· 

«mfr-O ·A·M~g:-Crc·\ ,./46U 6t•: Nhcr onlmc J.o.um 

~ P.:.Kk, R. (n.d.) Kno(k, kootk. TN Nt'ul )&,k Rr· i~w•f 

MAgnin.n. Rtttico.'td from h(lp)/\\f\VW,th(n)Tm. 

cnm/OCHI(.S8.html 

!~ Dahl. G. Pobri~ lntcrvi<:W. 'J ~brch lOIS. 

""Samboult.rorn. oompbinu fC't iC'\·~-d rrmn hup:/1-. 

~mhnokcomlrqHlrclvicw/j}47SOI•\lidw\"'\C•C•rc · 

tio LLC.C0mpbisu .)347SO.fur S4S.OO ; lutp:l/www. 

1Qlllbonk.romln-porlfvirwl33<490311\lidwot·Orcul.:a· 

ri•..n-LLCC<?n,pbint·3J490J·fl•t·S224.00 

1 Dahl, C. (n.d.). P"Jtr91 Offiu"J &fmnt'~ Cuil~ ro Dwr ro 

lJ,or S4tlui~qrs. Loul5Vilk. KY PO. RctriC'Io't'd from http:// 

~r:t.phi~.n)'timN ro /p.Kka.gN/ d(/nt~ti ~I/E.'(ploir.u fln_ 

ln_CHN:,_to_Oo••r_S.t!C"'.pdf 

.:. St.tt(' of Colorado v, Jcnnifcr Prohn-Paynt. Cody Pa)'R<', 

C!'C'.tt L.kd Cif'(ubtic>''· d :.1. CO Dcn\\-r C<~t~tn)' OiJo 

trkt Court lnd JD. (10 12) .. RrtriC\·cd fmm lmp:llwww. 

(fJinudP:.t ori1C')'gC1)cn,l.go /•i1tQidt.f.au1 clfi I' ~-r{lc:.~ 

a/201 2/1 1 /JOlt 1 }0 2_gn::ll_jall~-c ularion_&:f .. m1c_ 

Judynn1t.pdf 

!t Cunh.Jo, D. (20 April 2015). Trappe.'<! inoo ~lU g nugnino 

door•Ul-dOOr. ]},, Atlmrlir. Rclrit"o't'd rm.n hnp:/Jwww. 

th<'iltl:m~•,,('Omlh~i~V o~ hwd .201 SI04/c~ppl.;d·in. o1<111n~mag.;vir)lt'.-dnnr.to·dnnr/3R$flo411/; W..-1111, B. Pol;an~ 

lmm·icw.17 April 2015 • 

• \'('ells. 8 . Polui:s lntcr,•kw, 27 Apnl 201 S • 

» Urbin.Jo.l,(21 Fcbrua.ry 2007. Foq•t~ h$ , .. gti_m cour on 

mJg;ll.int' m·ws. Nov YQrk 7inrn. Rc:tnc·wd from lmp;l/ 

W\\'W )'llm~,~n /2007/I>Ulllta/llmJg({'('W hrml?p:.~ 

w;~nc<d=;allt'Cr= I& 

-» rU\'k, R. {n.d.} Knuck, knock. 71x N~w )Wk R~l'icw qf Mag~ 

11r.mn. R.t'tric\'Cd frum hup:l/www.thmrrm.c<~mftl()ll65S. 

html 

» Cunha. 0. (20 Aprii201S). Tr1.ppt'd into ~lling mapzin<" 

door-to-door. 71~ A1/Jmri~. Rctri<'\-M from http://www, 

ttlcJdantic.C'Omlhwillt'S.."farc t\'tllOJS/04/uappt'd·int ~~uin~·ma~a:mt('l.-d()flf-co-dnolf/38M601/ 

~ U.S. Equal Employmmt Opponunity Commi»ion. 

(8 Sc-ptcnlbt-r 2008}. FII«S :.hour ptq;l\ancy J«Imin~uion . 

Rt-trie"\'t'd fnun hup:J/www.~l(.StWifa<Wf\ n:g.hcrnl 

n Fin:d for bcing un:kbk to WOC'k duo(' tu work rd:.rro injury. 

(n.d.}. All Lnw.. R.ctrie"\'t"d fTOm http://www.:kllbw,c<>mf 

rnourm/~:mpl•:oynwml<'mpl•l)U'-righc~/hrcd-b..-in.g·un~bk-­

w•}r4:·due-wock·rt'l:.w:d·lnjury 

' Whitt.akcr, W.C. (9 h:bru.lr)' 2009). Child l:tbor in AmcOc:k: 

H4rory, policy. :~nd lcglsb11V<' i$)u~; . Comdl Unh·mir)': 

ILR Sdwol. Rc-t·ncv....d (rom htep:l/dlg~t:alcmnm• lflUir. 

cocndl.c:dufq;:llviC"'\'tontC'nt.eg ~:.rcitlc- 204&-cn tcll: l key_ 

wnrkpb(l;.' 

,..., $C)W, C. (16 Jnly 2008). Wh;at nu.imaft'..lm puhli)hC'D 

don 'r wa.nr )'DU to knO\\' al)(.ttll dbOr•to-duor m.Jogu.irw: ),lb • 

Ho11i1011 l+r#. RctrlC'\'t'd ftul)\ hup:I/Wio'·W.holl\lonpre». 

c:()ftl)2()08.Q7· 7/ e""~wh.u n,ain~tl\"~m·publishm.-doll·t· 

want·)'(HJ·to-know ho)(lt·d<lflf·Co-df lf· n~azinr-».k-,/f lll: 

wruu:tktt. W.C. (9 February 2009}. Child ~bof in Amt.-ric::.: History, pulicy, .and lq;bLui'-c i~uN. Cc>tndl Uni\'l.-rS•ty: 

ILR S~ooL RctrlC'\'Cd ftun\ hup://di&•c.al('hmnlons.Jir. 

('o)m l~dul'l /vl<""A'C<I'IltC'Ilt.tt.i~llnitk-: 204&co ~ll: ckq_ 

wnrkpb«; 

ltNOCttmG AI YOU It C>OOR 
119 


712POLAR33.eps

• Y(Kuh Wc>rkc-r Pn.>rwion Ace uf2003. H.R. 3139. 108rh 

Congm.i (2003). ~rin·c.:l from 

hrt~://Y~ww.J:,.~\ tr.J.Ck.ush:orq;:r('>.Jhill~ IOS/h(3139/rcr.._t 

, U.S. i)(.p:utml."ftt of l:lbot, Wagt llnd How Oivis.ion. 

(2013). ChiiJ f46q., p,_vlsiOIIJ for ll•mtgril'N/INNf (}«Npotions 

umltr tl~tt foir IR"-r Sln~rtMrtlsll<r. RctriC'\·<'d from w~,.ob:sitc: 

hup:f/www.dnl.s.M•/whdlf'(Jrfcomph.m«1childl.lllmrl01.pdf 

* \'(fl~. St<ll~. § l03.34. Rtt;Uiatum of muvliltg win m'lll$. 

(2()()'o)), fktriC~o'td from hup:(/~.kps..wiscliJHin.~/ 

\UWteJmtl..~t<'UI0~/34; UPDATE: GO\'(mor Doyll"$ig_n.!' 

~blind.l's An. (26 Ma.rch 2009). NBC IS. R_c.trk'\'\"d from 

hrrp://www.nbciS.n,m/hun'll"/hc·<ldlirM:·d6%0SS2.hrnll 

41 \X'l.s. Sr-a.r,s. § 103.34. RtgNiilti(lll 4 rmwlin;t Jllks trtM\f. 

(2009). Retrieved from hnp://dcx~.kp~.wi~,nsin gM·hr<at· 

ute</(ti\tuh."ii 103/J4 

c Dcpattm<'nt of \X1otkfor<<' Ck\'tlopm<'nt. S«r<'tary's Offi«. 

(22 April2013). Utah con1panr citOO for ''iol.ttion;S of 

travdin,g sllks cn.-w b.w. Sr11u 6fWist01tJi~t. Rl'ttkvcd from 

hnp:l/dwd.wi~>ntin.gnv/dv-·d C'WJ.n:k•:t1o1.-s.llOIJ/ 3042l_ 

Ut:l.h vit~b.tion~.pdf 

u OOJ: C<unp~ y co p2y S I ).000 for vloblin& blind2's L:r.w. 

(22 Au,ust 1013). Clt.umr/3000. Rcui~ fron1 hnp:/1 

www-chll•ln<:L3000.ct~m/lu~d••J comp:anr t<> p:.pl50011.. 

",,.,·io .umg. m;~lmdJ.• >\w/l16 3(,74 

44 1\·U(·y. V. (24 N:btu.uy 2015). Human tr-llffidc.ing; 

M~ ~rew kid ;u your door cnuld 1x ''ktim. AI jnurnt 

Amni(ft. Rccfko.'Cd fion1 htcv:/fllllJ<'ric:a:.-.ljnt't'ta.ooml..-.ni· 

ck42015/2124/human·tr..lffickin1:-·"inim·mag.·crcw·kid~at~ 

d(10r.hunl 

4

' Curun, C. & HVey,C. (13AI-sU\t 2014). i'v11&s-ing;Notth 

O:tk.C>I:.l si&tO:fl found in WUmington; two ll)('l1 dufl;cd with 

k~napping_. human uafficking. Pore Cit)' DAily. Retti("ox-d 

ft'UII"' hup:/Jpt,rtciC)'d .... ii)'.C<IHV1014108113/n,i:e.Wng twrc~· 

dakt,~C:l·S:iucr$·f. uRd ·in·wjlmin'((nl·fWO• Rim·<'h1rg_C'd · 

witt.TkidQ!\pp•ng•hlmUn•crnffidr(iJl,g/. $4.~ :11tr~:, NortOn, F.T. 

(18 0cC'C·mhc:r 2014). 2 plt..d s uilry tn ch~rgt1' in AuguJC 

hunu.n u:alfiddng e~. Scar New~ OnlinC'. Rt·t.ric:''t"CC from 

http;l{www.,.(;,rn(W).nnluw.o.crlfll/'Mi<k/20141l.l XI A RTf. 

<;~ES/14121~715 

.. :uc:o(C>kw:~elo v.Jcnnifn Pn.)litt•PAyru·, Cody Pl)'IIC, 

<.:rcat Ukt"S Circutuion, c:r :1!. CO 0<:1wn Counry Oi~· 

lrkl <M•rt 2nd JO. (2012). RI."L~\'d from hctp://www. 

tnlnr,,d, :.uum(')'gt:f)('l'll.l.~n·!t, to:;Vdt.f..l,lt/fil""/pr~~LR.'Ic•a.<o> 

<'U20121l i/}0/11301l...gn•:tt_l.-.kc-1_circubuon_ck.f.lult_ 

Judg.nwl'lr.pdf 

· Oc:pMtnl<'nt of\'VOfkfortt ~"Clopmenc, S«rttlll)'$ Ofli«. 

(22 April2013). Utah <'OR1p3.1l)'du:d for viol:uiutu of 

tr.avding. $~ks crew law. StAr~ 6[Wut611Wt. Rcukvcd from 

hup:lldv.-d."-·i~('(m<.in ~v/dwdlne"'A·.sn:I<.'3St-420J'J/130422_ 

ut~h vibl:u oM.pdf 

44 Call<tp,J.O. (29 ()ncb_,. 2013). 1\,lin: '"')' 14 d.ildren 

f'NC'\It'd fmrn hunun tnffidt.h'g sd~e .-. Fl«fda TOtliiJ. Rt-.. 

uin'<'d Jnnn hnp://"'""w.Aoricbuxby.t'lmllutide;/201310291 

NE\'('501 /) O.l90024/~ ildKn h\IJ1~Jl-trafli~..g 

'* "Y6uth p..-ddlinl( as dclitk'd by tht Fl.SA is. fo.r puni<'31 

purpc>!o("$, syno•l)'f'nous with u-:l\'tling niN. the 01tly 

di.ninai()n being th:at "y()wh" n:sukts j(Jb ~2tq;ory 

c.:gulldons tet tniiw~. 

" /<.. numbn of .S(';IIef rl'$(rict aU minors from cmpiO)•mcnt on 

trllttling »ks <:ri."Wl. 

'If Wis. Sr:u~. S I 0.}.34. &fttbulott of trru-rlu!f ml.rt NYNIS. 

(2009). RC'trin'\-d (nm• h(!p:/ dl.)(l' Jcs.u.wJscun>m.g.uo.·l~l;at• 

utC'./u;~tul~ 10)/34 

t: MCL 752.98.}. HNIUtlll mrfjii:lwrt ' 'ltrimt tt~mpmJ.tttiM "" 

[&u~pt/. (2(U 4). Ro:uk\·\"d from hnp;.//w.vw.kgiduv(('. 

mt>g<~VI1S(2o:~bOdhJ•m2$5s~2tol45))/<locum.<.·ou./md/ 

pdflmc~752-9R)-•<W. pdf 

+ 

" 
120 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Ms. Sorensen. 

Ms. Goetsch. 

STATEMENT OF ESTHER GOETSCH, COALITION BUILD 

SPECIALIST, TRUCKERS AGAINST TRAFFICKING 

Ms. GOETSCH. On behalf of Truckers Against Trafficking, I would 

like to thank Chairman Thune, Ranking Member Nelson, and the 

other distinguished members of this Committee for inviting us into 

this important hearing. 

We want to applaud the Committee’s efforts to bring attention to 

the horrific crime of human trafficking, and recognize that it’s 

going to take all of us—legislators, survivor-leaders, nonprofits, law 

enforcement officers, industry members, state agencies, and the 

general public—all doing our part to truly assist victims as well as 

prevent future ones. 

On January 6, 2015, an RV pulled into a truck stop in Virginia. 

Police were soon called to the scene. When they arrived, and after 

interviewing the occupants of the vehicle, the horrific story made 

headlines. A young woman, 20 years old, had been kidnapped 2 

weeks prior out of Iowa. She had been beaten, raped, her whole 

body burned by instruments heated on the RV stove, branded, and 

starved. 

She was being sold by her traffickers, Laura Sorenson and Aldair 

Hodza, through sex ads on Craigslist, where men were purchasing 

her and then arriving to the RV to rape her. She was dying from 

malnutrition and the torture she was subjected to. 

Had the call not been made that brought law enforcement out to 

that truck stop, doctors said she would have died within the next 

few days. That call was made by professional truckdriver Kevin 

Kimmel, who recognized that something was off, something was 

wrong, and instead of turning a blind eye, he picked up the phone. 

She calls him her guardian angel. He calls himself a Trucker 

Against Trafficking. 

People ask us, why truckers? And there are actually quite a 

number of reasons why. At any given time, there are more truck 

drivers out on the roads than there are law enforcement officers. 

There are over 3 million CDL holders in America, making them 

truly the eyes and ears of our nation’s roadways. Moreover, they 

are trained to be vigilant, and along with truck stop employees, can 

often find themselves intersecting with victims in a myriad of 

places. That’s why we created TAT, to educate, equip, empower, 

and mobilize the United States trucking industry to combat human 

trafficking as part of their regular jobs. 

We have three main goals. The first is to saturate the trucking 

and related industries with our training materials, which are free 

of charge, readily available, and industry-specific. To date, over 

424,400 trucking industry members have been registered on our 

website as TAT trained. All 50 state trucking associations have 

now partnered with us, as well as the vast majority of the national 

associations. 

Our second goal is to partner with law enforcement and government agencies to facilitate the investigation of human trafficking. 

We work continuously to bring together trucking industry members 

with their local law enforcement and state agencies in an effort to 

121 

close loopholes to traffickers. One of the ways we do this is through 

our coalition builds program, which are designed to establish an effective and sustainable working relationship between trucking and 

law enforcement statewide. 

We have held 29 coalition builds in 20 states across the Nation, 

partnering with 11 Attorneys General offices, as well as Homeland 

Security investigations, FBI, state police, and local law enforcement agencies. As a result, thousands in the trucking industry and 

hundreds of law enforcement officers have been trained on human 

trafficking. 

Thirty-one states have now adopted TAT’s Iowa Motor Vehicle 

Enforcement model, in part or in whole. This model allows TAT to 

utilize the pre-existing overlap between commercial vehicle enforcement units and the trucking industry through weigh stations, ports 

of entry, interdiction stops, and mandatory safety compliance meetings within trucking companies. 

And our third goal is to marshal the resources of our partners 

to combat this crime. This is why in 2014, we created our Freedom 

Drivers Project, which is a 48-foot-long custom show trailer outfitted with actual artifacts from human trafficking cases as well as 

the stories of the real Truckers Against Trafficking and the many 

companies behind them that are out there on the frontlines every 

day across our Nation. 

In addition, TAT will be launching a demand campaign centered 

around the connection between purchasing commercial sex and sex 

trafficking, as it is imperative that buyers of commercial sex understand that they are driving this market. It is our hope that the professional drivers at the forefront of this campaign will create inspiration for more of these conversations to occur. 

And the great news is these programs have been working. According to the National Hotline, truckers have now made over 

1,836 calls identifying 525 likely human trafficking cases involving 

972 victims, 315 of which are minors. And that’s just one slice of 

the data pie, as we know that many drivers still contact 911 or 

their local sheriff’s office. 

It is my great honor to appear in this important hearing. And 

TAT hopes to be a continued advocate and partner with all of those 

in attendance. It truly is going to take all of us. We must continue 

to turn critical populations who were once passive about this crime 

into a disruptive force. That is why TAT has taken steps to replicate its model across borders, across industry sectors, and across 

modes of transportation. 

We applaud the members of this Committee for the good work 

they are doing to strengthen laws that protect the vulnerable and 

exploited and see to it that their traffickers and those who purchase them are prosecuted to the full extent of the law. 

We also want to applaud the United States trucking industry, 

who serves as a model for what is possible when people know and 

care what is really going on, people who are willing to take that 

second look and be change-makers right where they’re at. 

In closing, I would like to use the words of professional truckdriver and everyday hero Kevin Kimmel, who said, ‘‘We need to get 

back to a place where if somebody is in need, we step up to help. 

122 

There are a lot of things in life that aren’t obvious, but this isn’t 

one of them.’’ 

Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Goetsch follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF ESTHER GOETSCH, COALITION BUILD SPECIALIST, 

TRUCKERS AGAINST TRAFFICKING

On behalf of Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT), I’d like to thank Chairman 

Thune, Ranking Senator Nelson, and the distinguished members of the committee 

for inviting us to take part in this informational hearing. We applaud the committee’s efforts to bring attention to the horrific crime of human trafficking, and recognize that it is going to take all of us . . . legislators, survivor-leaders, non-profits, 

law enforcement officers, industry members, state agencies, and the general public 

. doing our part to truly assist victims, as well as prevent future ones. 

On January 6, 2015, an RV pulled into a truck stop in Virginia. Police were soon 

called to the scene. When they arrived, and after interviewing the occupants of the 

vehicle, the horrific story made headlines. A young woman, 20 years old, had been 

kidnapped two weeks prior out of Iowa. She had been beaten, raped, her whole body 

burned by instruments heated on the RV stove, branded and starved. She was being 

sold by her traffickers, Laura Sorenson and Aldair Hodza, through sex ads on 

Craigslist, where men were purchasing her and then arriving at the RV to rape her. 

She was dying from malnutrition and the torture she was subjected to . . . had the 

call not been made that brought law enforcement out to that truck stop, doctors said 

she would have died within the next few days. That call was made by Florida-based, 

professional truck driver Kevin Kimmel, who recognized that something was off— 

something was wrong—and instead of turning a blind eye, he picked up the phone. 

She calls him her guardian angel. He calls himself a Trucker Against Trafficking. 

People ask us, why truckers? And there are actually quite a number of reasons 

why. At any given time, there are more truck drivers out on the road than there 

are law enforcement officers. There are over 3 million CDL holders in America and 

they truly are the eyes and ears of our Nation’s highways. Moreover, they are 

trained to be vigilant, and along with truck stop employees, can find themselves 

intersecting with victims of human trafficking in a myriad of places. That’s why we 

began TAT . . . to educate, equip, empower and mobilize the United States trucking 

industry to combat human trafficking as part of their regular jobs. 

We have three main goals. The first is to saturate trucking and related industries 

with training materials which are free-of-charge, readily available and industry-specific. To date, over 329,800 trucking industry members have been registered as TAT 

Trained on our website. All 50 state trucking associations have now partnered with 

TAT, as well as the vast majority of national trucking associations. 

Some of our partners include the American Trucking Associations, the Truckload 

Carriers Association, the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association and the 

National Association of Truck Stop Operators. 

Our second goal is to partner with law enforcement and government agencies to 

facilitate the investigation of human trafficking. We work continuously to bring together trucking industry members with their local law enforcement and state agencies in an effort to close loopholes to traffickers. One of the ways we do this is 

through our coalition build program which is designed to establish an effective and 

sustainable working relationship between the trucking industry and law enforcement statewide, in order to combat the crime of human trafficking. TAT has held 

29 coalition builds in 20 states across the nation, partnering with 11 Attorney’s 

General offices, as well as Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, state police and 

local law enforcement agencies. As a result of these meetings, thousands in the 

trucking industry and hundreds of law enforcement officers have been trained on 

human trafficking. 

Thirty-one states have now adopted TAT’s Iowa Motor Vehicle Enforcement 

model, in part or in whole. This model allows TAT to utilize the pre-existing overlap 

between commercial vehicle enforcement units and the trucking industry through 

ports of entry, weigh stations, interdiction stops and mandatory safety compliance 

meetings within trucking companies. 

This model also allows TAT to activate often overlooked state agencies in combating human trafficking, insofar as the Department of Transportation, Department 

of Motor Vehicles, Department of Revenue, Department of Licensing and Department of Public Safety now have specific pathways to help equip and educate an industry on the front lines of combating human trafficking. 

123 

Our third goal is to marshal the resources of our partners to combat this crime. 

This is why in 2014, we created the Freedom Drivers Project, a 48′-long custom 

show trailer outfitted with actual artifacts from human trafficking cases, as well as 

the stories of the real Truckers Against Trafficking, and the many companies who 

are on the front lines everyday combating this crime across our Nation. 

The FDP has already completed 88 events in 28 states, traveling over 89,900 

miles, with 20,700 people walking through its doors, making it a very innovative 

and effective tool in educating critical stakeholders, and rallying members of the 

media and the general public to this cause. 

Moreover, with the help of the American Trucking Associations Road Team Captains, as well as Walmart, CFI Industries, and additional trucking companies, industry ambassadors have begun to train rotary members, their local churches and 

schools, as well as each other on the realities of human trafficking and how to report it effectively. In addition, TAT will be launching a demand campaign centered 

around the connection between purchasing commercial sex and sex trafficking, as 

it is imperative that buyers of commercial sex understand that they are driving this 

market. It is our hope that the professional drivers at the forefront of this campaign 

will create inspiration for more of these conversations to occur. 

And the great news is, these programs are working. According to the National 

Human Trafficking Hotline, truckers have now made 1,836 calls, reporting 525 

cases of potential human trafficking identifying 972 victims, with 315 of those being 

minors. 

And that’s only one slice of the data pie, as we know that many drivers still contact 911 or their local sheriff’s office to report this crime. To that end, TAT conducted its own survey in 2016 and found that out of the 1,500 truck drivers and 

truck stop employees who responded, that an additional 521 victims of sex trafficking were identified, with the vast majority of these cases being reported via 911 

or to their local sheriff. 

If every driver and truck stop employee had this life-saving information and training, imagine how many more calls will be made, imagine how many victims will be 

recovered out of this horrible reality, how many perpetrators—both the traffickers 

AND the buyers of commercial sex—will be arrested. 

It is my great honor to appear in this important hearing, and TAT hopes to be 

a continued advocate and partner with all of those in attendance today to combat 

human trafficking. It truly is going to take all of us. We must continue to turn critical populations who were once passive about this crime into a disruptive force. This 

is why TAT has taken steps to replicate its model across borders, across industry 

sectors, and across modes of transportation. We applaud the members of this committee for the good work they are doing to strengthen laws that protect the vulnerable and exploited, and see to it that their traffickers, and those who purchase 

them, are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We also applaud the United 

States trucking industry who serves as a model for what is possible when people 

know and care about what is really going on out there. People who are willing to 

take a second look and become change-makers right where they’re at. In the words 

of professional driver and everyday hero Kevin Kimmel, ‘‘We need to get back to 

a place where if there’s somebody in need, we step up to help. There are a lot of 

things in life that aren’t obvious, but this isn’t one of them.’’ 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Ms. Goetsch. 

Mr. Goswami. 

STATEMENT OF SAMIR GOSWAMI, TECHNICAL CONSULTANT, 

TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS TO TRAFFICKING IN GLOBAL 

SUPPLY CHAINS, ISSARA INSTITUTE 

Mr. GOSWAMI. Chairman Thune, Ranking Member Nelson, and 

members of the Committee, thank you for inviting the Issara Institute to discuss human trafficking and working conditions in the 

seafood industry in Southeast Asia. We are grateful that this body 

is exploring ways that it can assist the hundreds of thousands of 

victims of forced labor and human trafficking who are exploited 

every day in the process of satiating a global appetite for seafood. 

I’m an advisor to the Issara Institute, an independent U.S. nonprofit based in Southeast Asia tackling the issues of human trafficking and slavery through technology, partnerships, and innovaVerDate Nov 24 2008 11:05 Jul 25, 2018 Jkt 075679 PO 00000 Frm 00127 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 S:\GPO\DOCS\30786.TXT JACKIE
124 

tion. Today, I will highlight some of the pervasive challenges faced 

in Thailand’s seafood industry and the solutions that we deploy in 

partnership with the private sector, including many U.S. retailers. 

The great majority of the estimated 4 million migrant workers in 

Thailand, many of whom are working in factories or farms making 

products that are exported to the United States, are from the poor 

neighboring countries of Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. Among 

these workers are an estimated 500,000 victims of trafficking and 

forced labor that remain unidentified and unassisted, especially in 

high-risk fishing and the seafood industry. We have found that 

debt bondage, illegally low pay, and excessive working hours are 

experienced by over 75 percent of the migrant workforce. 

The Thailand seafood industry has an annual worth of approxi- mately $7.3 billion, exporting roughly 500,000 tons of shrimp alone, 

an estimated 40 percent of which comes to the United States. Additionally, ‘‘trash fish,’’ about a third of all fish caught in sea, is processed into feed for shrimp, fish, and poultry, farmed for export to 

American supermarkets. A huge challenge to concerned U.S. retailers and brands has been knowing exactly which of the thousands 

of farms and plants and fishing boats across Asia are in their supply chain. 

The first-tier processing plants selling the products that end up 

in our grocery shelves are well known, however, the deep supply 

chains behind them generally are not, even though the California 

Transparency in Supply Chains Act encourages businesses to disclose efforts to eradicate human trafficking from across their supply chain, and even the U.S. Tariff Act prohibits the importation 

of goods made by forced and child labor. This puts U.S. supply 

chains and consumers at great risk. 

To quote Detective Chief Phil Brewer, the head of Scotland 

Yard’s anti-slavery police unit, ‘‘Everyone realizes now we’re never 

going to police our way out of this.’’ This is our conclusion in Asia 

as well. The hundreds of thousands of victims and exploitative brokers, agents, and employers cannot possibly all end up in shelters 

or behind bars. It simply might not be possible to help all the victims and prosecute all the criminals solely with a criminal justicebased approach. 

There are other ways to tackle trafficking supply chains. Exploitative labor conditions can and should be transformed into decent 

working conditions through supply chain leverage. We are developing new models of collaboration between other U.S. NGO and 

leading American brands and retailers with the support of key donors, including the U.S. Agency for International Development and 

the U.S. State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Human 

Trafficking. Together, we are using partnerships with business, 

data and technology, and on-the-ground solutions to identify labor 

risks and root out illicit practices in the production of products that 

reach the U.S. 

For example, since most migrant workers in Thailand own and 

use smartphones, we run a 24-hour helpline in four languages, and 

social media and chat applications that leverage smartphone-based 

communication channels that workers already use. With the support from USAID and the Walmart Foundation, we have developed 

a Yelp-like app in Burmese that allows workers to rate, review, 

125 

and comment on their employers and recruitment agencies. These 

multiple technology-enabled channels generate data, providing 

Issara with a constant pulse on labor situations across many multitiered supply chains. 

Issara is currently partnering with about 14 leading global 

brands, retailers, supermarkets, and restaurant chains to identify 

and eliminate risks of trafficking and forced labor in their Thai 

supply chains. These business partners share their supplier data 

confidentially with us, and we work directly with those suppliers 

to identify labor risks and provide solutions. 

We find forced labor and human trafficking where most audits 

and government inspections do not because their systems are not 

designed to collect information directly from workers. They mostly 

rely on what employers tell them, which can be a rosier story than 

what the truth is. Our data channels enable government—multinational businesses to get a direct view of labor conditions across 

their supply chains no matter how complex. 

However, it takes more than just data and technology. Staff have 

to be on the ground to constantly validate incoming data and to 

help push suppliers to respond to it. In Southeast Asia, suppliers 

receive free technical advice from Issara to address urgent labor 

issues. If they fail to respond to validated findings, they risk being 

cut out from our partner companies’ supply chain. Together, we 

make sure all workers have their passports in hand, are not debtbonded, have legal contracts, are paid legally, and pay back remediation if needed. We also promote decent living conditions and 

safe access to grievance mechanisms without fear of reprisal. 

Responsive suppliers get to stay linked with U.S. key supply 

chains and distinguish themselves by having greater transparency 

and superior ethical sourcing through independent worker voice 

and worker data-centered systems. 

In conclusion, in the past year, the Issara model has directly and 

positively impacted the lives and working conditions of over 

600,000 migrant workers. Over 5,000 were once in forced labor conditions and are now in decent work being paid fairly. 

Most American brands should fully incorporate credible, effective 

due diligence and remediation systems into core sourcing functions. 

It’s a better and more efficient way to do business, and it’s a more 

American way to do business, given our longstanding moral commitments to ending human trafficking and slavery. 

Thank you very much. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Goswami follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF SAMIR GOSWAMI, TECHNICAL CONSULTANT, TECHNOLOGY

SOLUTIONS TO TRAFFICKING IN GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAINS, ISSARA INSTITUTE

Introduction 

Chairman Thune, Ranking Member Nelson, and Members of the Committee, 

thank you for inviting the Issara Institute to be here today to discuss human trafficking and working conditions in the seafood industry in Southeast Asia, and exciting emerging models for identifying and eliminating forced labor and human trafficking in global supply chains. 

The International Labor Organization reports there are more than 20 million people in forced labor today—about double the number in bondage during the transatlantic slave trade. Human trafficking is as much a moral issue as an economic 

one—pervasive in Thailand’s seafood sector, an issue that I will speak to today. We 

are grateful that this body, with its oversight of shipping, transportation security, 

126 

merchant marine, the Coast Guard, oceans and fisheries, is exploring ways that it 

can assist the hundreds of thousands of victims of forced labor and human trafficking who are exploited daily in the process of satiating a global appetite for seafood. 

I am an advisor to the Issara Institute, an independent U.S. 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation based in Southeast Asia tackling issues of human trafficking and 

forced labor through technology, partnerships, and innovation. The Institute was established in 2014 by a team of anti-trafficking experts coming out of the United Nations who created an alliance of private sector, civil society, and government partners to address labor issues in global supply chains. Today, I will highlight some 

of the pervasive challenges that we observe in Thailand’s fishing industry, and the 

solutions that we deploy, often in close partnership with the private sector, including leading U.S. retailers. 

Traffickers often exploit the economic and social vulnerability of those migrating 

within Southeast Asia, looking for better economic opportunity. For example, the 

great majority of the estimated 4 million migrant workers in Thailand—many of 

whom are working in factories or farms making products that are sent to the United 

States and Europe—are from the poorer neighboring countries of Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. Our experience and research strongly suggests that the scale of the 

forced labor issue has proven to be simply too large for government and criminal 

justice-oriented approaches alone to drive down. Hundreds of thousands of victims 

of trafficking and forced labor remain unidentified and unassisted annually, and extremely high rates of labor abuse plague high-risk industries such as fishing—3 out 

of 4 fishermen on Thai vessels are debt-bonded, for example. 

Certainly, more can be done by the destination-side governments in Asia to vigorously enforce local laws and international protocols to punish traffickers and protect 

the rights of exploited and trafficked migrant workers. However, I am here today 

to discuss some of the most promising and exciting emerging models to eliminate 

forced labor and human trafficking in global supply chains, including multi-tiered 

and complex supply chains such as shrimp. These new emerging models center on 

partnership with American and European brands and retailers to fix the broken 

business systems—that is, primarily, migrant labor recruitment and management— 

within global supply chains that have allowed such high rates of forced labor and 

debt bondage to persist. These models have developed on the other side of the world, 

through collaboration between our American NGO and leading American (and now 

also European) brands and retailers, and with the support of key donors including 

the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. State Department Office to Monitor and Combat Human Trafficking. Together, we are using partnerships 

with business, data and technology, and on-the-ground solutions to empower worker 

voices, identify risks and root out illicit practices in supply chains leading to the 

U.S. We also encourage local suppliers to reform their systems, and create fair and 

just worker recruitment and workplace experiences for hundreds of thousands. 

The Scale and Severity of the Trafficking Problem in the Fishing Industry 

According to the World Wildlife Fund, more than 85 percent of the world’s fish 

stocks are at risk of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. While much attention is paid to over fishing, traceability, depleted fish stocks, and unhealthy toxins 

that contaminate the seafood we consume, there is increased awareness of the labor 

exploitation that is also endemic in the industry. 

Thailand’s seafood industry has an annual worth of approximately $7.3 billion exporting roughly 500,000 tons of shrimp alone, an estimated 40 percent of which are 

to the United States. The Thai government estimates that up to 300,000 people 

work in its fishing industry, the great majority of whom are foreign migrant workers. The United Nations estimates that the industry faces a shortage of about 

50,000 workers every year, which is often filled by illicit recruiters who use deceptive practices to enlist desperate migrant job seekers from Myanmar, Cambodia, or 

Laos, or even employ force and coercion to traffic migrants to work in the industry. 

Migrant workers’ vulnerability at the fisheries level is exacerbated by informal bans 

imposed by the Myanmar and Cambodian governments, which prohibit recruitment 

of their citizens on to Thai fishing vessels through formal channels. This means 

that, with the labor recruitment systems currently set up by the source and destination governments, there is currently no formal, regulated channel through which migrants can be recruited and placed into the Thai fisheries. 

About 90 percent of the seafood consumed in American households is imported; 

and, ‘‘forage fish’’ or ‘‘trash fish’’, about a third of all fish caught at sea, ends up 

being made into feed for shrimp, aquaculture, poultry, and other animals farmed 

and raised for export into American supermarkets. This puts us at risk of inadvertently supporting illegal and often unconscionable practices. The shortage of workers 

127 

and the high prevalence of debt-bonded fishermen (76 percent, according to the Institute’s latest prevalence estimates), along with a high demand from the U.S. and 

Europe for inexpensive seafood products, drives the need for cheap labor that is met 

by exploitative and often unregulated and illicit labor practices. Thus, the exploitation of those employed in Thailand’s seafood industry, both on-shore and on Thai 

fishing vessels fishing in Thai waters and beyond, to the coasts of Indonesia, Australia, and Africa, has global implications. 

Issara Institute’s research and ongoing fieldwork in the factories, ports, and piers 

of Thailand’s seafood industry clearly demonstrates that labor abuses on Thai fishing vessels is systemic. Rates of debt bondage, illegally low pay, and illegally excessive working hours are found in over 75 percent of the commercial fishing migrant 

workforce. This includes vessels going out to sea for just days or a couple weeks, 

in addition to those more famously known for being out at sea for months or years 

at a time. Working conditions are intense and hazardous and tightly controlled by 

boat captains and net supervisors, both when vessels are at sea and when they are 

at port, where the men often have very little freedom of movement and are made 

to mend nets and perform other tasks. Labor risks are highest by far on trawlers 

as compared with purse seiners, squid boats, or long-liners. Trawlers catch the lowvalue ‘‘trash fish’’ that is made into animal feed, as well as anything and everything 

else that gets trapped in the trawling nets that are dragged along the ocean’s surface for hours at a time. 

Conditions on-shore are far from perfect but generally better than at sea. Obviously, factories and farms are easier to inspect and regulate than fishing vessels— 

not only by government inspectors, but also by auditors and representatives of concerned retailers, restaurants, supermarkets and the food service industry. The main 

challenge to concerned retailers and brands has been knowing exactly which of the 

thousands of farms, feed mills, and fishmeal plants across Thailand and Southeast 

Asia are in their supply chain. The first-tier processing plants from which they purchase the products that end up on our grocery shelves are well known, but the deep 

supply chains behind them generally are not—even though the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act mandates that businesses make efforts to eradicate 

human trafficking from across entire supply chains and not just the first tier. 

Take for example the case of Maung Nge, a young, orphaned Burmese boy who, 

after losing both his parents, migrated to Thailand at the encouragement of a family 

friend. At age eleven, Maung Nge started work on a Thai long-haul fishing vessel 

that travelled into Indonesian and Malaysian waters, spending over a year out at 

sea, only returning to shore when the boat broke down. He spent the next six years 

working on different fishing vessels, all as a child. One day he was arrested by Thai 

police who exploited his lack of documentation and demanded a bribe of 4,000 Thai 

Baht ($114) in order to be released. When he could not pay, he was beaten and ‘sold’ 

by the police to a broker, who demanded he work on a fishing boat to pay off his 

debts. This broker took all of Maung Nge’s earnings, and for the next 15 years, he 

was forced to work 16–20 hour days on a fishing boat to pay back his debts. Maung 

Nge was beaten frequently, witnessed the torture and murder of his fellow fishermen, was threatened at gun point, and was forced to take illicit amphetamines to 

stay awake and work harder. 

Sadly, Maung Nge’s experience is not uncommon, as demonstrated not only by Institute research but also verified by a recent New York Times investigation. They 

found that fishermen on Thai boats worked 18 to 20 hours in over 100 degrees in 

the summer. Their Thai fishing boat captains had paid a ‘‘fee per head’’ to smugglers and traffickers which trapped migrants in a system of debt bondage, working 

years to pay off an artificial and often illegal debt, enduring much suffering along 

the way. 

The experiences of Maung Nge are illustrative of the exploitation that recruiters, 

traffickers, boat captains and corrupt police officials perpetrate, establishing a system of collusion that leaves workers, especially migrants, with very few options and 

access to remedy. From Issara’s extensive fieldwork, casework, and research, it is 

clear that illegal overwork, underpay, and debt bondage—key elements of human 

trafficking—are widespread in Thailand. Make no mistake, this is a system of indentured servitude being practiced today with local victims and global ramifications. 

Yet, according to the recently released Trafficking in Persons Report by the U.S. 

State Department, despite the prevalence of forced labor in Thailand, the government reported that it only conducted a woefully small 83 investigations and 62 prosecutions involving suspected cases of forced labor. A seemingly minuscule number 

compared to the scale of exploitation that has been documented. 

128 

Impact on American Consumers 

While exploited, debt-bonded, and trafficked migrant workers toil in Thai fishing 

vessels and processing facilities, the product reaches American restaurants, kitchen 

tables and the cafeterias of military and civilian facilities. Americans consume 1.3 

billion pounds of shrimp per year, about 4 pounds per person—much of which is 

impacted by forced labor or other forms of exploitation in its harvesting or processing. Undoubtedly we all agree that this defies our values, however, an Associated 

Press investigation revealed that supermarkets in all 50 states sold shrimp products 

from supply chains tainted with forced labor. Such shrimp was found by the AP in 

the products of 40 U.S. brands, in more than 150 grocery stores across urban and 

rural America—exposing millions of American consumers. 

Groundbreaking Solutions Through Partnership, Data and Technology, and 

Innovation 

Last Saturday, on July 8 2017, the head of Scotland Yard’s anti-slavery police 

unit, Detective Chief Inspector Phil Brewer, stated to media about forced labor and 

human trafficking that ‘‘Everyone realizes now we’re never going to police our way 

out of this.’’ This is certainly the conclusion we have come to in Asia as well. With 

millions of victims and thousands if not millions of exploitative brokers, agents, employers, and other criminal elements, what is the vision—that the millions of victims are identified and put in shelters, and the perpetrators are all put in prisons? 

If all victims cannot be assisted, what fraction do we aspire to help, and who gets 

prioritized and deprioritized—if we can even imagine having to make such decisions, 

which are actually being made every day? How many dedicated law enforcement officers, social workers, and prison and shelter beds would be required for this kind 

of justice? 

When we can see how the slavery in Asian supply chains touches us in America, 

it is fair and high time for us to be involved in creating the vision for the solution. 

This, at least, was the attitude of Walmart and nine UK retailers and seafood importers in 2014, when the newly established Issara Institute formed the first pilot 

partnerships to end slavery in seafood supply chains. Issara’s system is basically 

one where we incentivize and enable multinational businesses to get a direct view 

of labor conditions across their supply chain, no matter how complex; pressure local 

suppliers to either eliminate their labor risks and abuses or get cut from the supply 

chain; and, offer technical assistance to progressive suppliers to fix broken labor recruitment and management systems. That is, make sure all workers have their 

passports in hand, are not debt-bonded, have legal contracts, are paid legally, have 

decent living conditions, safe access to grievance mechanisms without fear of reprisal, and so on—from the biggest processing plants to the smallest piers. Just in 

the past year our model has directly and positively impacted the lives and working 

conditions of over 60,000 migrant workers, over 5,000 of whom were in forced labor 

conditions and who are now in decent work—being paid fairly and with freedom of 

movement, with no shelters, no separation from families or other ethical dilemmas, 

and no protracted and corrupted court cases. And we did it all on a budget of approximately $1 million, coming from a combination of development donors and corporate partners. No other anti-trafficking NGO response has been able to achieve 

this level of effectiveness or efficiency in eliminating forced labor, perhaps because 

we have been able to get to the root of the broken business systems that create and 

perpetuate forced labor, and force change through supply chain leverage. The three 

key elements of the model are partnership with business, data and technology, and 

on-the-ground solutions: Taking a collaborative and science-driven approach but also 

an on-the-ground, within-supply chains-based methodology that draws upon the leverage that multinational brands have to drive improvements in their supply 

chains. 

Technology Innovation for Human Rights and Business Due Diligence: 

Worker Voice 

In Southeast Asia, the majority of migrant workers own and use smartphones. 

Over 90 percent of the estimated nearly 4 million Burmese migrant workers in 

Thailand own smartphones with data packages. Mobile phone usage is similarly 

saturated in Cambodian and Lao populations in Thailand. This mobile penetration 

has greatly enhanced Issara’s ability to reach out to and listen to workers to ensure 

that their actual experiences inform the solutions that we deploy with our brand 

partners. 

Issara Institute runs a 24-hour helpline in four languages, and utilizes social 

media and chat applications like Line, Viber and Facebook that leverage 

smartphone-based communication and social media channels that workers already 

use. Through these multiple technology-enabled channels, in 2016 over 60,000 workVerDate Nov 24 2008 11:05 Jul 25, 2018 Jkt 075679 PO 00000 Frm 00132 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 S:\GPO\DOCS\30786.TXT JACKIE
129 

ers were linked to Issara, communicating with our staff in their own language and 

enabling us to have a constant pulse on the voice of thousands of workers across 

multi-tiered supply chains. These multiple channels enable us to successfully access 

remote and hard-to-reach populations, including migrant workers at sea. We aggregate the data collected from these various sources to uncover risks in complex supply chain operations—pinpointing specific exploitative actors. 

With support from USAID and Walmart Foundation, Issara has also recently 

launched the Golden Dreams Burmese-language smartphone app, a Yelp-like platform for Burmese current and prospective migrants to learn and exchange information, reviews, ratings, comments, and advice about employers, recruiters, and service providers, in both home and destination countries. 

While technology provides unprecedented insight, it complements and does not replace on the ground action. Thus, Issara field teams establish rapport with workers 

and communities to ensure that we are addressing their stated needs and priorities. 

Online and offline, continuous communication with workers builds relationships and 

trust, enabling better data collection. The information and feedback is then turned 

into action: It directly shapes the interventions and improvements made by the hundreds of suppliers of the 14 brands we partner with and support. 

Partnership with Business & Solutions through Inclusive Labor Monitoring 

Issara is currently partnering with 14 leading brands, retailers, and importers, including Nestle, Walmart, Mars, Red Lobster, Tesco, Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury’s 

and Waitrose, to identify and address risks of trafficking and forced labor in their 

Thailand export-oriented supply chains. We do this through a new approach we call 

Inclusive Labor Monitoring, whereby business partners share their confidential supply chain data, and our team on the ground works directly with their suppliers (all 

tiers) to identify labor risks and support solutions that are ‘‘owned’’ by the supplier. 

The approach is inclusive because all workers have the opportunity to individually 

share information in-confidence at their own time and location of choosing, and receive assistance and support via Issara’s multiple worker voice channels. 

Issara builds trust with workers by engaging with them at the factory, in the community, and sometimes pre-departure in their home countries before migrating, and 

provides meaningful and timely information to help them navigate their journey. 

Trust is key because it underpins successful worker voice systems, and provides the 

concrete details for business and suppliers to understand what is happening in their 

factory and to take action. This is particularly important when it is a foreign migrant workforce that does not speak the same language as the supplier’s human resources and management staff, as in the case of Thailand. Lack of trust is why social audits, where an auditor visits a factory for a few hours or days, or internal 

supplier grievance mechanisms or government-run hotlines are not always successful at exposing many of the complex and hidden issues related to forced labor, debt 

bondage, and trafficking in persons. 

Once worker voice information comes to Issara, we validate the data and then 

provide the supplier with the anonymized feedback for action. Corrective and preventive actions are developed in collaboration with Thai suppliers when labor issues 

are found. Suppliers have been supportive of this approach because Issara Inclusive 

Labor Monitoring is of no cost to them; they receive reliable business intelligence 

about what is happening in their workplace and workforce; there is free technical 

advice from Issara to help address issues; and, findings are kept confidential. But 

the suppliers are also held accountable to implement reforms since the brands and 

retail partners receive reports of issues in their supply chain, as well as the actions 

and progress suppliers are taking to address them. 

The end result is an integrated model where both workers and business see benefits, and there is impact to address trafficking in persons at scale. Having started 

out as a pilot in 2014, the Issara Inclusive Labor Monitoring approach has already 

made fundamental changes to exploitative working conditions for over 60,000 workers last year, with over 5,000 of those directly helped out of situations of trafficking 

or forced labor. 

Conclusion: Scaling Solutions and Driving Change through Global Supply 

Chains 

Technology has greatly increased our ability to uncover once-hidden exploitation 

and hear directly from victims by the thousands. Importantly, it is their experiences 

that can now inform interventions and solutions. Too often we gravitate to the most 

horrendous stories of exploitation and violence and develop extreme responses such 

as raid, rescue, and forced shelter that often do harm and impinge on the fundamental rights and dignities of workers. It is time to simply change the system—to 

130 

transform workplaces—and transform exploitative labor conditions into decent 

working conditions through supply chain leverage and technical assistance. 

Most labor exploitation occurs in places like Southeast Asia not because of thousands of ‘‘bad guys,’’ but because of decades’ absent industry regulation or enforcement of basic labor standards such as giving workers contracts, pay slips, discrimination-free environments, and the right to voluntarily accept or decline overtime. 

Issara has extensive experience working with Thai suppliers of seafood and agricultural products to the United States. When suppliers are offered model contracts, pay 

slips, and other tools that are multi-lingual and designed in compliance with relevant laws and buyer standards, and trained on how to manage workers, their documents, and so on, these businesses often readily adopt these tools and new approaches, and change their systems to be more compliant with the law and buyer 

codes of conduct. These businesses are not running highly informal, substandard 

systems for the purpose of being horrible greedy people, but rather because it’s the 

way business has been done for decades absent effective government regulation. And 

if they were audited, especially beyond the first tier, it was not likely on social 

issues or with independent feedback mechanisms, like a worker helpline, in place 

where these issues would come to light. The good news is that in our experience 

once these businesses adopt new systems, policies, and approaches to recruiting and 

managing workers, and build their institutional capacity, they are extremely unlikely to backpedal back into not using contracts and pay slips, or not using systems 

they themselves created (with our assistance). There is no incentive to actively 

break down what has been built up, and in fact there is incentive from their global 

customers to maintain their higher standards. 

So, how to foster this positive behavior from global customers—such as American 

retailers and supermarkets—to incentivize their suppliers in global supply chains to 

adopt less exploitative systems? How do they open themselves up to collaboration 

with NGOs that can help them build and reform their systems to drive trafficking 

risk out of these supply chains that touch American customers? Government can 

play, and has played, a key role in incentivizing and stimulating such adoption. The 

California Supply Chain Transparency Act and UK Modern Slavery Act have compelled many companies to investigate and disclose their own diligence processes and 

procedures. USAID’s Supply Unchained Initiative and U.S. State Department funding to organizations with boots on the ground and science and technology capacity 

such as Issara Institute has enabled the development of the tools and innovation 

needed to actually root out and crowd out exploitative labor practices. 

What else needs to be done to capitalize on these recent advancements and successes? Only a few multinational companies who face these supply chain risks have 

adopted such solutions at an enterprise level. Despite increasing regulatory frameworks and fears of reputational risks, conducting systematic due diligence for 

human trafficking does not appear to have become part of standard operating procedure for many brands and is often relegated to separate, limited corporate responsibility or ethical sourcing departments. Brands and retailers need to fully incorporate 

credible and effective diligence for human trafficking and forced labor into core 

sourcing functions, and invest in the optimal products and partnerships for their 

business needs. Knowing and mapping your supply chain, and conducting due diligence—preferably utilizing worker voice mechanisms as a more effective means to 

generate primary data and business intelligence—will help identify the solution 

areas that need to be focused. New technology tools and migrant worker access to 

smart phones is unlocking opportunities to identify trafficking and forced labor 

risks, and to interact with workers, in ways that were simply were not possible just 

a few years ago. American business investment in supply chain improvement, and 

seeking (and rewarding) suppliers that are open to change and workplace transparency, will spur further innovations, drive down costs, enable expanded data collection and sharing, and fuel scaling. Most importantly, U.S. brand investments and 

commitments can ensure that workers’ rights are protected and violations prevented, and that long term responsible sourcing practices are advancing to drive solutions and change through global supply chains. 

Further support is also needed to the refinement and expansion of technology to 

connect and empower vulnerable workers, giving voice to their experiences and providing data-informed insights to corporations and suppliers about labor conditions 

across complex, multi-tiered supply chains. Boots on the ground with multilingual 

and multi-cultural labor expertise are also vital to verify and validate labor risks 

and abuses. This local expertise can help supplier businesses transform their contracts, labor recruitment systems, and labor conditions, and report to global buyers 

where risks are and are not being eliminated, to bring on the supply chain leverage 

that so strongly motivates positive change. While Issara has scaled rapidly, and continues to experiment and learn, we have benefited greatly from the assistance of the 

131 

U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department’s Trafficking 

in Persons Office, which has enabled us to innovate and expand the reach of our 

technology and our partnerships to support American retailers and supermarkets. 

We hope the U.S. Government will continue to use all of the tools at its disposal 

to foster commercial environments that safeguard worker’s rights and prevent their 

exploitation. 

Thank you. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Mr. Goswami. 

Mr. Lares. 

STATEMENT OF TOMAS J. LARES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, 

FLORIDA ABOLITIONIST; AND CHAIRMAN, GREATER 

ORLANDO HUMAN TRAFFICKING TASK FORCE 

Mr. LARES. Good morning. My name is Tomas Lares. I am the 

Executive Director of Florida Abolitionist and also the Chairman of 

the Greater Orlando Human Trafficking Task Force. 

I would like just to highlight in my brief comments today the 

power of collaboration at the grassroots, including some of the 

board members that are a part of my nonprofit, including Dr. Richard Lapchick, who is a civil rights pioneer and champion in our 

country; Commissioner Pete Clarke, from Orange County Government; Commissioner Tony Ortiz, from the City of Orlando; Judge 

Wilfredo Martinez, from our Orange County courts; Dick Batchelor, 

a Florida welfare—another champion and advocate in our state and 

former legislature; and most of all I want to highlight the importance of having survivor advocates at the table of every conversation. Amy Smith is one of those on our board. 

On behalf of Florida Abolitionist, I want to give a special thanks 

to Chairman John Thune, Ranking Senator Bill Nelson, from my 

state, and all the members of the Committee for the invitation to 

this informational hearing. 

Unfortunately, the horrific crime of human trafficking, also 

known as modern-day slavery, is evident in each of our communities. Only through the partnership and collaboration of governmental and non-governmental organizations, faith communities, 

and the private sector can we adequately and efficiently address 

this issue. 

It was 13 years ago this week that former U.S. Senator Sam 

Brownback of Kansas introduced me to the issue of human trafficking while presenting to his staff the ‘‘Trafficking In Persons’’ report of 2004. Upon my return to Central Florida, I began to research what was occurring in my state pertaining to awareness, advocacy, prevention, prosecution, and who were the stakeholders in 

my backyard. You can imagine the level of awareness in 2004 was 

not too high. 

What I discovered was that Florida had one of the first successful prosecutions, ‘‘The United States vs. Tecum’’. This was a historic case, and the survivor was the first recipient of the T-visa. 

Since then, dozens of cases of both sex, labor, and domestic servitude have been successfully prosecuted in our state. 

Upon moving to Orlando, I was living in Central Florida. I was 

on the coast, and I moved to Orlando in 2006. I began to see the 

need for more collaboration, especially around the hospitality-tourism industry. As many of you know, Orlando is now the number 

one tourist place, destination, in the world. 

132 

As a victim advocate, I began to partner with our Orlando Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, which is a very unique vice unit 

really in our country since 1978. Both Federal, state, and local law 

enforcement work together in narcotics, street crimes, and now 

human trafficking. We began to go out on stings and recoveries as 

the victims were identified. This was the beginning and creating of 

a 24/7 human trafficking hotline in our region that we now staff 

in key partnership with the National Human Trafficking Hotline 

and through the Polaris Project. 

In 2009, we began aggressive awareness in our region. And I 

mention this because this is going to be key to why most of our 

hospitality and tourism industries have been educated in the greater Orlando. In the last 10 years, tens of thousands of citizens, businesses, and other groups have been educated. We have a monthly 

hotel outreach where we go to the hotels, a chain of hotels, and we 

train or present before their management and/or staff, depending 

on what the hotel is needing at the time. We have partnered with 

the Hotel and Lodging Association. And our mayor of Orange County, Mayor Teresa Jacobs, has committed to really addressing the 

issue of trafficking within our businesses in the county. 

What has happened in Florida is evident by what Senator Nelson 

has mentioned with Florida being number three in the number of 

calls. Many of them are coming from Central Florida. And also for 

the new maltreatment code through our child welfare system, the 

Florida Department of Children and Families, where over 1,800 

calls were made just last year. 

In 2014, as a result of our collaboration, we relaunched our coalition as the Greater Orlando Human Trafficking Task Force. This 

Task Force has grown to dozens of members, subcommittees, working groups, and a multitude of community volunteers. This is the 

power of collaboration that makes our communities stronger, advocates for the most vulnerable, and works alongside our law enforcement and first responders. 

At Florida Abolitionist, our mission is to end modern-day slavery. 

We accomplish our mission through networking and facilitating 

preventative and restorative solutions. We believe that awareness 

and education is vital to inform and equip students, parents, administrators, and teachers. We have partnered with our Orange 

County School Board, Superintendent Barbara Jenkins, and she 

has allowed us to come in the beginning of this year to train guidance counselors, psychologists, resource officers, social workers, and 

other frontline staff. 

Our Seminole County, Osceola County, and other counties have 

now followed that same training, and this fall we’ll be launching 

a major awareness campaign in our schools. And we have 

partnered with the schools already on what they have done with 

anti-bullying. It’s called SpeakOut. And we’ve created a whole campaign for the students. 

We believe that reaching this young generation is vital. And so 

we’ll be launching later this year an app for our state to identify 

trafficking that will be user-friendly for the students. We know the 

Millennials are not calling the hotlines; they’re not wanting to call 

anyone, as a matter of fact. So we believe this app is going to be 

very critical in reporting. 

133 

We are also committed to the restoration of victims and survivors, whether they are male, female, foreign-born, domestic, sex, 

or labor trafficking victims. 

Throughout all these years of advocacy, I believe more than ever 

in the African proverb, ‘‘It takes a village to raise a child.’’ This is 

also true if we’re going to be abolitionists in the 21st century and 

stand together to fight this horrific crime. 

Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Lares follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF TOMAS J. LARES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FLORIDA

ABOLITIONIST AND CHAIRMAN, GREATER ORLANDO HUMAN TRAFFICKING TASK FORCE

On behalf of Florida Abolitionist, Inc. (FA), a special thanks to Chairman John 

Thune, Ranking Senator Bill Nelson, and all the members of the committee for the 

invitation to this informational hearing. Unfortunately, the horrific crime of human 

trafficking also known as modern-day slavery is evident in each of our communities. 

Only through the partnerships and collaboration of governmental, non-governmental 

organizations, faith communities and the private sector can we adequately and efficiently address this issue. 

It was 13 years ago this week that former U.S. Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas introduced me to the issue of human trafficking while presenting the Trafficking 

In Persons 2004 report to his staff. Upon my return to Central Florida I began to 

research what was occurring in my state pertaining to awareness, advocacy, prevention, prosecution and who were the stakeholders in my own backyard. What I discovered was that Florida had one of the first successful prosecutions, ‘‘The United 

States vs. Tecum’’. This was a historic case and the survivor was the first recipient 

of the T-visa in the United States. Since then dozens of cases of both sex, labor and 

domestic servitude have been successfully prosecuted in our state. 

In 2005, I facilitated the first human trafficking seminar in Brevard County, FL. 

where over 100+ individuals and organizations attended. An outcome of this seminar was the formation of the Space Coast Human Trafficking Task Force. (Formerly the Space Coast Rescue & Restore Coalition). 

Upon moving to Orlando in 2006 there was a need to begin organizing key stakeholders in the fight against human trafficking. As a victim advocate I partnered 

with the Orlando Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation and began specialized advocacy upon the recovery and/or identification of victims. This was the beginnings of 

creating a 24/7 human trafficking hotline that my agency staffs and the key partnership with the National Human Trafficking hotline through the Polaris Project. 

In 2007, I cofounded the Orlando Rescue and Restore Coalition to network law 

enforcement, civic groups, service providers, educational entities and community/ 

faith based agencies to work together to create a safety net and make preparations 

as victims are identified, rescued and restored in Greater Orlando region. 

In January of 2009 a small group of abolitionists facilitated the first Human Trafficking Awareness march in downtown Orlando at the famous Lake Eola park. Preparations are being made to celebrate the 10th Annual Human Trafficking Awareness Day on January 27, 2018. Since that first march tens of thousands of Central 

Floridian’s have been educated and made aware of the issue. This is evident by the 

number of calls documented by the National Human Trafficking hotline and the 

calls made to the Florida Department of Children and Families abuse hotline as 

well. 

In 2014, as a result of our collaboration the Orlando Rescue and Restore Coalition 

was relaunched as the Greater Orlando Human Trafficking Task Force, Inc. whose 

mission is to provide human rights based, victim centered community forum and 

mechanism to combat all aspects of human trafficking in the Greater Orlando area 

through collaboration and partnerships with key stakeholders. The task force has 

grown to include dozens of members, subcommittees, working groups and a multitude of community volunteers. This is the power of collaboration that makes our 

community stronger, advocates for the most vulnerable and works along side our 

law enforcement and first responders. 

At Florida Abolitionist, Inc. our mission is to end modern-day human slavery. We 

accomplish our mission by networking and facilitating preventative and restorative 

solutions. We believe that awareness and education is vital to inform and equip students, parents, administrators and teachers in our communities. We are also comVerDate Nov 24 2008 11:05 Jul 25, 2018 Jkt 075679 PO 00000 Frm 00137 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 S:\GPO\DOCS\30786.TXT JACKIE
134 

mitted to the restoration of victims and/or survivors whether they are male, female, 

foreign born, domestic, sex or labor trafficking victims. 

Throughout all these years of advocacy I believe more than ever the African proverb, ‘‘It takes a village to raise a child.’’ This is also true if we are going to be true 

abolitionists in the 21st Century as we stand together declaring, ‘‘Not On Our 

Watch’’. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Mr. Lares. 

Ms. Goetsch, truckers are the eyes and ears of our nation’s roadways and are well positioned to spot and help prevent human trafficking, as you noted. Can you tell us more about how truckers 

hear about your education program and how your relationship with 

industry contributes to the success of that program? 

Ms. GOETSCH. Yes. So our program has been successful because 

of the industry’s incredible response to the information. There were 

some leaders early on that really helped open doors to other stakeholders. So one of the largest travel and truck stops in America, 

Travel Centers of America, in 2011, came on as a partner. 

We’ve also had other TAT champions that have really pushed our 

work forward in the industry. UPS just finished training 90,000 

drivers and registering them as TAT trained. They, along with 

Walmart, have also donated to haul our Freedom Drivers Project 

all across the Nation, getting in front of more audiences within the 

industry. Ryder, one of the largest trucking companies, was an 

early partner of ours, and they serve on our board of directors as 

well, as well as Bridgestone, the tire manufacturer, who has 

opened doors in the industry that have been hugely helpful as well 

as financially supporting us. 

The CHAIRMAN. As I understand it, and again hearkening back 

to some of your testimony, Truckers Against Trafficking has been 

successful in conducting outreach and education at the state level 

with more than half of the states adopting the group’s proven 

model, including my home state of South Dakota. 

Ms. GOETSCH. Mm-hmm. 

The CHAIRMAN. So could you kind of describe how your group 

works with departments of transportation in states like mine? 

Ms. GOETSCH. Yes. So it definitely is at the state level. So every 

state is different, and our inroads in each state have been different. 

So our IOWA MVE model is a model that any state can adopt primarily looking at those key locations, rest areas, weigh stations, 

and then working with highway patrol or state police within that 

state. 

So we do work with Department of Transportation heavily. We 

train officers who run weigh stations and ports of entry on human 

trafficking so that they are also aware of the multiple indicators 

and the signs. We have worked Department of Licensing, Department of Public Safety. So whatever agency in the state can really 

have the right connections both with law enforcement and have 

that overlap with the trucking industry, that’s where we come in 

and we present the program and then just continue with our partners to get the materials out on the ground level. 

The CHAIRMAN. And the number of states participating today is 

how many? 

Ms. GOETSCH. Thirty-one states. 

135 

The CHAIRMAN. Thirty-one states. OK. Good. And I assume 

you’re trying to get all the others out there. 

Ms. GOETSCH. Yes, that would be our goal. 

The CHAIRMAN. All right. Well, hopefully, they’ll follow through 

on that. 

Mr. Goswami, the challenges that you’ve identified seem 

daunting. How has the development of technology made it easier 

for businesses to track the supply chains to reduce the risk of 

forced labor? And how can we better leverage technology moving 

forward to ensure that more businesses are better able to monitor 

their supply chains? 

Mr. GOSWAMI. Yes, the challenges are quite daunting, and the 

victims and survivors are probably in the tens of thousands, if not 

hundreds of thousands, but technology has enabled us to get better 

insight and deeper insight into victims and survivors who often go 

unhidden. 

For example, most of the migrant workers who are caught up in 

trafficking situations or other illegal situations in the Thai seafood 

industry, they happen to have smartphones or they happen to have 

Nokia feature phones, and there are many providers, including 

Issara, who have launched apps and other applications to survey 

such workers on their phones and ask them directly what their 

conditions are and provide that data directly to businesses who 

want to get that deeper insight into their workforces across their 

supply chains. 

And what we find is that it’s difficult to send people down everywhere to do audits announced or unannounced to go into every facility and check on a piece of paper what is happening and speak 

the local language. However, you can bypass that infrastructure by 

going directly to using mobile phones or other technologies to get 

directly to the workers. I should add, though, that even though we 

are sourcing good credible data from such tools, mobile tools, nothing replaces the on-the-ground work to take that data and turn it 

into positive solutions and work with suppliers to listen to the 

voices of the workers as they’re telling us what changes they would 

like and what grievance mechanisms they need in implementing 

those measures. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you. My time is up. 

Senator Nelson. 

Senator NELSON. Ms. Goetsch, how did an advertisement in 

Craigslist soliciting for sex not catch the eye of law enforcement? 

Ms. GOETSCH. That’s a good question. I’m not law enforcement, 

so I don’t know that I can speak to that precisely, that individual 

case. I think law enforcement is working on tracking those kinds 

of sites more closely in order to identify. But the reality is—and 

both my colleagues here could speak to this as far as the sheer volume of ads that are typically out there and the high percentage of 

those that are trafficking situations. 

I would just add that as I work with law enforcement across the 

United States, there does still need to be more training to help law 

enforcement identify what is a human trafficking case so that they 

can respond quickly and appropriately. 

Senator NELSON. Well, when you train truckers, give me an example of what your training is like. What do you teach them? 

136 

Ms. GOETSCH. Yes. So we have a training video which has a survivor who was trafficked at a truck stop. She shares her story. We 

have a wallet card. That’s the primary tool we use to educate and 

equip the trucking industry. So it has red flag indicators specific 

to the trucking industry and the truck stop and travel plaza industry. So looking for things that are abnormal. Truckers are already 

observant. They know the layout of their surroundings. 

And so in that particular case, the RV was parked in an unusual 

spot. He watched. He noticed men coming back and forth from the 

RV. He noticed the curtains were blacked out. All of those things 

were indicators because he had been trained that this was not a 

normal family situation. 

You know, if there are minors traveling with someone that they 

don’t look related to. Maybe they’re not answering for themselves 

or in control of their own documents. So there are a lot of indicators that we train truckers to be on the lookout for. 

Senator NELSON. Right. 

Mr. Lares, you were telling how you all have very successfully 

reached out to the school system in Orange County. What degree 

of success have you had reaching out to the business community 

in Florida to get them willing to participate? 

Mr. LARES. Well, Senator, particularly in Central Florida, it has 

been a little challenging because we are the tourist destination that 

a lot of businesses do not want the image of being—having trafficking associated. And so we have had to really be just very strategic in how we approach the businesses. And that’s where I was 

mentioning Mayor Teresa Jacobs, Orange County Mayor, has really 

helped us along with the other commissioners and introducing us 

to the businesses in our region, that we want to be proactive, especially the Hotel and Lodging Association, that we want to help 

them identify any of these—this activity so that we can keep our 

community a family friendly tourist attraction. And so reaching out 

to those—— 

Senator NELSON. Have they been a willing participant? 

Mr. LARES. The Hotel and Lodging Association, yes; yes, sir. 

We’re reaching out to the other sectors now and we’ve asked Mr. 

Rosen to facilitate hospitality training for all the other sectors 

we’re trying to reach. 

Senator NELSON. What other businesses in the Central Florida 

area do you see the most traffic? 

Mr. LARES. One of the key, I think, trainings is going to be some 

of the taxi companies, particularly the Mears. I have a story of a 

Mears driver who came into—— 

Senator NELSON. That is to spot. 

Mr. LARES. Yes. 

Senator NELSON. Train the taxi drivers to spot trafficking. 

Mr. LARES. Yes, sir. 

Senator NELSON. What businesses in the Central Florida area 

would be susceptible? Mr. Goswami talked about the seafood industry over in Asia. What in Central Florida? What businesses? 

Mr. LARES. I think—okay, so particular businesses, I think particularly would be, besides the hotels and any of those related tourism industries, I think that some of the restaurants. We have gone 

to those already. The other industries would be particularly with 

137 

the supply chain, that has been something that we—I want to 

speak with him to see what we could be—who we should reach out 

to. Because we’ve been focused on, sir, more the tourism and the 

hospitality industry, to be honest. 

Senator NELSON. So you’re not talking about a specific restaurant, you’re talking about the supply chain that supplies the 

restaurants; in the case of Mr. Goswami, with the shrimp that they 

provide. 

Mr. LARES. Yes, sir. 

Senator NELSON. Thanks. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Senator Nelson. 

I want to, before I forget, enter into the record some letters from 

stakeholders, including a letter from Call to Freedom, an organization combatting human trafficking in South Dakota; a testimony 

from Chelsea, a victim of human trafficking and saved by Call to 

Freedom; written testimony from NATSO, which represents travel 

plazas and truck stops around the country on their efforts to prevent human trafficking; and written testimony from Airline Ambassadors International, which works with the airline industry on 

human trafficking awareness. So those will be entered without objection. 

[The information referred to follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF CALL TO FREEDOM

Dear Chairman Thune and Members of the Committee, 

Defined as the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of 

a commercial sex act that is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, sex trafficking is 

the second largest and fastest growing criminal industry in the world. Although it 

is the second largest in the world, it often goes unnoticed. 

Within the state of South Dakota, the number of sex trafficking related calls, arrests, and sentencing of traffickers has increased significantly over the last decade. 

Through prevention education programs, the news media, and victims sharing their 

stories, this injustice is being recognized; more victims are surfacing and seeking 

help. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has worked to prosecute those who have sex trafficked juveniles and women and arrests continue to be made during the Sturgis 

rally and around the state. Some shocking statistics include: 

• 2nd to drug dealing, sex trafficking has surpassed the gun trade as the largest 

and fastest growing criminal industry in the world. 

• An estimated 14,500—17,500 victims are trafficked into the U.S. every year. 

• South Dakota has the 2nd highest trafficking-related calls in the U.S. 

• 50 Federal cases have been reported in South Dakota. 

• Interstates 29 & 90 (in South Dakota) make up ‘‘The Midwest Pipeline.’’ 

• 1 out of 3 youth are susceptible to being sex trafficked within forty-eight hours 

of being homeless. 

• More important are the faces and lives impacted. 

One of the most vulnerable populations to sex trafficking are Native American 

women and children. Native American women experience domestic and sexual violence two and a half times more than their non-Native counterparts, which makes 

them more susceptible to sex trafficking. Additionally, because Native American 

women often face obstacles like a lower rate of education and generational poverty 

and trauma, this heightens the likelihood that they will be sexually exploited. Native American women often come from broken families and are surrounded by alcoholism and substance abuse within their communities. Within the Native American 

communities in South Dakota, victims are more likely to experience homegrown 

trafficking. Within the Native populations in South Dakota, the victims more than 

likely know who their traffickers are, whether it be a uncle, father, boyfriend, or 

sibling. 

138 

Another population that is vulnerable to sex trafficking are impoverished and foster youth, runaways, or youth who have been a part of the juvenile justice system. 

Within these populations, there is a lack of programs that provided trauma-informed care and mental health counseling to youth who have experienced sex trafficking. Without programs like these, youth are likely to be revictimized. As vulnerable youth often go without basic needs, like food and shelter, they accept help from 

traffickers who perpetuate a ‘‘nice’’ and ‘‘caring’’ persona. However, once these youth 

are dependent on traffickers for basic needs, they are either threatened or coerced 

into sex trafficking. Furthermore, the Department of Justice reported that annually, 

one hundred and fifty thousand youth will be approached by a trafficker within 

forty-eight hours of being homeless. 

In August 2015, Call to Freedom’s executive director, Becky Rasmussen, went out 

on an outreach in Sturgis, South Dakota, that changed the direction of Call to Freedom. The outreach team would go and connect with those that seemed vulnerable. 

Becky felt that she should approach a young woman; she said ‘‘Hi, my name is 

Becky’’ and the young girl replied ‘‘Hi, my name is Marissa.’’ She began to connect 

with this young lady and towards the end of the conversation, Marissa was crying 

and kept saying ‘‘you have no idea what kind of day I’ve have, you have no idea 

what kind of day I’ve had’’ and then Marissa was gone. 

Becky learned the next day from an international search and rescue group that 

Marissa was suspected of being sex trafficked and missing out of the Sturgis area. 

Marissa was in a situation where she was pulled into sex trafficking a few years 

ago, got out for a few months, but unfortunately was pulled back in. The group that 

Becky met with said it’s common for victims like Marissa to be pulled back in due 

to gaps in services and resources. If these women are unable to find assistance, they 

remain vulnerable and an easy target to be pulled back into sex trafficking. 

In order to close the service gaps, Call to Freedom was founded as a nonprofit 

in 2016. Call to Freedom is an organization that provides supportive services for victims of sex trafficking by creating a strong network of frontline providers who offer 

safe housing, mental health counseling, medical assistance, addiction treatment, 

transportation, and other services. Within the past year and a half, Call to Freedom 

has provided intensive case management and supportive services to woman and 

children of diverse ages and ethnicities. 

• In 2016, Call to Freedom served: 

» 30 victims of sex trafficking. 

» 30 families who were affected by sex trafficking, or had a family member 

that was affected by sex trafficking. 

» 60 percent were Native American, 

» 30 percent were Caucasian, 

» And 10 percent were of other ethnicities. 

• From January 2017 to June 2017, Call to Freedom served: 

» 51 victims and family members of sex trafficking. 

This population has diverse and complex needs. In order to provide services to 

meet client needs, Call to Freedom has reached out to the community and built effective collaborations in areas of mental health and addiction counseling, occupational therapy, employability, medical and dental care, and emergency shelter. Upon 

discovering a significant and permanent gap in safe and affordable housing, Call to 

Freedom rented an apartment building with eight efficiency apartments and from 

then on, Marissa’s Project House became a safe haven for sex trafficking and sexual 

exploitation victims. Marissa’s Project is safe environment that offers support and 

stability, which are necessary for successful long-term transitions out of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation situations. Not only are the women offered shelter, 

but they are also provided access to support services like occupational therapy, intensive case management, employment search and training support, and transportation. With the help of community donors, Call to Freedom has furnished the 

apartments and transitioned key case manager time to house/client case management. Since October 2016, Native American, Caucasian, Latino women, and two 

children have called Marissa’s Project home. Only a few of the women came in with 

employment, but all are now employed (at least part-time), sober, receiving mental 

health counseling, and transitioning out of the controlling abusive situations they 

have endured. 

In order to successfully transition victims of sex trafficking out of dangerous situations, Call to Freedom partners with local and Federal law enforcement, the U.S. 

Attorney’s Office, community partners, and organizations that work to prevent sex 

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trafficking and educate vulnerable populations. As a result of identifying the gaps 

in services when navigating next steps for victims of sex trafficking, we plan to implement more trauma-informed resources through facilitation and training of the 

East River Human Trafficking Task Force. We have also identified gaps when it 

comes to providing minors and victims with specialized treatment. We need to make 

sure that these youth are not revictimized and are able to successfully transition 

out of sex trafficking. In order to address this gap, Call to Freedom wants to develop 

a specialized program for youth with an emergency crisis shelter that is fully staffed 

with trauma and addiction counselors, mental health assessment, and other vital 

services to successfully assess and treat victims. 

We truly appreciate your attention to strengthen services to victims of sex trafficking. We are grateful for the opportunity to provide insight on this epidemic within the state of South Dakota. 

Sincerely, 

BECKY RASMUSSEN, 

Executive Director, 

Call to Freedom. 

CHELSEA’S TESTIMONIAL

I grew up in a home of childhood sexual abuse. My dad raised me when my parents divorced, I was four. The first memory that I have of life was my dad molesting 

me; that continued as I got older. Soon after that happened he began to sell me to 

his friends and other people who were around the house. There were a lot of drugs 

and parties and people were everywhere, all the time. 

Whenever he [dad] would sell my body and I would see a guy pay for me, I would 

like that the guy liked me and wanted to invest in me; it’s where my worth came 

from. That continued until I was fourteen. By that time, the worth I had felt worthless. When I turned fourteen, I left home and tried to get away from it. Though I 

tried to get away from that life, it kept drawing me [back] in and I started to crave 

that worthiness. 

When I first came to Call to Freedom, I knew that I wanted to help but I was 

also afraid to take it. When I walked into Call to Freedom’s doors, I connected with 

a certain staff member and said ‘‘that girl looks like an angel.’’ Since that day, that 

angel has stuck by my side. 

When I came to Call to Freedom, I thought my life was ending. I couldn’t see how 

I got out or how I would get out, but Call to Freedom has taught me that my life 

is only beginning. I have entire life ahead of me. Since coming to Call to Freedom, 

I’ve been sober for the first time since I was fourteen and can have dreams and 

shoot for bigger things. 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF NATSO 

Introduction 

NATSO, the national association representing America’s travel plazas and truckstops, submits this statement for the record with respect to the Senate Committee 

on Commerce, Science and Transportation’s (‘‘Committee’s’’) June 12, 2017, hearing 

titled ‘‘Force Multipliers: How Transportation and Supply Chain Stakeholders are 

Combatting Human Trafficking.’’ 

As discussed further below, the truckstop and travel plaza industry takes seriously the fight against human trafficking, and has invested significant resources to 

help travel plaza owners and operators identify and report such unlawful activity. 

Background 

NATSO is a national trade association representing travel plaza and truckstop 

owners and operators. NATSO’s mission is to advance the success of truckstop and 

travel plaza members. Since 1960, NATSO has dedicated itself to this mission and 

the needs of truckstops, travel plazas, and their suppliers by serving as America’s 

official source of information on the diverse industry. NATSO also acts as the voice 

of the industry on Capitol Hill and before regulatory agencies. 

NATSO currently represents more than 1,500 travel plazas and truckstops nationwide, comprised of approximately 1,000 chain locations and several hundred independent locations, owned by more than 200 corporate entities. 

NATSO also operates the NATSO Foundation, which is the research, education 

and public outreach subsidiary of NATSO, Inc. The NATSO Foundation provides 

education and research for the truckstop and travel plaza industry as well as proVerDate Nov 24 2008 11:05 Jul 25, 2018 Jkt 075679 PO 00000 Frm 00143 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 S:\GPO\DOCS\30786.TXT JACKIE
140 

grams and products aimed at strengthening travel plazas’ ability to meet the needs 

of the traveling public through improved operational performance and business 

planning. 

Travel Plaza Industry Efforts to Combat Human Trafficking 

For nearly six years, the NATSO Foundation has been helping members of the 

truckstop and travel plaza community engage in the fight against human trafficking. Because human trafficking has been reported across all modes of transportation, it is critical that the Committee conducts this hearing, and we applaud the 

Committee’s participation in this effort. 

Human trafficking perpetrators utilize many legitimate businesses—unbeknownst 

to the business owners and employees—in connection with their crimes. The truckstop and travel plaza industry is united along with other transportation providers 

to stop the flow of human trafficking using America’s transportation system. 

Human trafficking victims are frequently transported via the Interstate Highway 

System. As an industry that caters to millions of highway travelers every year, 

truckstops and travel plazas and their employees are in a key position to help identify and report suspected incidents of human trafficking along America’s highway 

system. The industry is taking meaningful action to ensure that it is prepared to 

respond. 

At the NATSO Foundation, one of our goals is to provide our members with the 

tools they need to train their staff so that those individuals are equipped to help 

if they encounter a victim of this horrible crime. Travel plaza and truckstop owners 

and operators have a vested interest in their businesses and are highly focused on 

crime prevention. The safer the environment a truckstop creates for its customers, 

the more customers a truckstop will have. Operators keep a trained eye on everything that happens at their locations. 

The NATSO Foundation has taken a lead role within the transportation sector, 

creating public awareness and educational materials that help truckstop owners, operators and their employees: 

• understand what human trafficking is; 

• recognize signs of human trafficking; and 

• appropriately respond to and report suspected incidents of human trafficking. 

More specifically, the NATSO Foundation has developed an online education tool 

called ‘‘The Role of Truckstops in Combating Human Trafficking.’’ The program is 

designed to strengthen the Nation’s truckstop and travel plaza industry by delivering comprehensive online educational and safety training materials to truckstop 

owners, operators and employees. The course, which is free to any member of the 

truckstop and travel plaza community, teaches truckstop owners, operators and employees how to identify and respond to suspected incidents of human trafficking. 

Since its launch, several hundred truckstops and travel center locations throughout 

the country have incorporated this training into their new employee training programs. 

In addition to this education tool, the NATSO Foundation since 2012 has: 

• Co-sponsored regional coalition meetings with Truckers Against Trafficking, 

state trucking associations and law enforcement that provide an opportunity to 

educate members of the business community, transportation and law enforcement about human trafficking. These meetings serve as an open forum to discuss human trafficking trends in regional areas and to explore ways to combat 

this crime. To date, the NATSO Foundation has co-sponsored nearly 25 regional 

coalition meetings across the United States. 

• Worked closely with the Department of Transportation, Polaris Project, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and other national and local 

organizations to gain insight into best practices on how to educate members of 

the travel plaza industry about human trafficking. 

• Partnered with the Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign, which 

is that Agency’s comprehensive effort to end human trafficking. Through this 

alliance, the NATSO Foundation provides the DHS Blue Campaign’s training 

and awareness materials—such as posters and handouts and other education 

materials—to the Nation’s truckstops and travel plazas to enhance the NATSO 

Foundation’s educational resources. 

• Worked in support of the U.S. Department of Justice’s AMBER Alert program 

and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) as a secondary AMBER Alert distributor so that Amber Alerts containing information 

141 

about abducted children can be displayed at truckstops and travel plazas across 

the country. 

• Similarly, the NATSO Foundation encourages its member companies to participate in the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s High-Risk Child 

Poster Listserv so that truckstop owners and operators can share posters with 

their customers that help increase the visibility of missing children at high risk 

for sex trafficking. 

Conclusion 

Private enterprises can make a meaningful difference in the fight against human 

trafficking if they take the time to learn about and invest resources toward combatting it. 

The NATSO Foundation is committed to investing the time and resources necessary to help the truckstop and travel plaza industry do all it can to combat human 

trafficking. 

NATSO and the NATSO Foundation commend the Committee for focusing on this 

important issue and for allowing the truckstop and travel plaza industry an opportunity to share information about the many ways in which this industry is taking 

a lead role to stop the flow of human trafficking using America’s transportation system. 

Please feel free to reach out to me directly if I can answer any questions or provide any additional assistance. 

TIFFANY WLAZLOWSKI NEUMAN, 

Vice President, Public Affairs, 

NATSO. 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF NANCY L RIVARD, PRESIDENT, AIRLINE AMBASSADORS

The critical infrastructure of our transportation system can no longer be used as 

a tool to implement human trafficking, or modern day slavery. This is also the fastest growing crime in the world. It is linked to drug trafficking, human smuggling, 

arms trafficking and terrorism, also; human trafficking aboard aircraft is a cabin 

safety issue. 

Traffickers often use the speed, convenience and comparative safety from detection of commercial air travel. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) 

shows 3.6 billion global passengers in 2016 and U.S. serving airlines carried 928.9 

million domestic and international passengers. 

Airline personnel can be ‘eyes in the skies’’ providing vital intelligence to law enforcement. They can be a force multiplier in the fight against human trafficking. 

One flight attendant interacts with a minimum of over 500 passengers per week. 

This translates to 24,000 passengers per year. 

Airline Ambassadors International (AAI) was established in 1996 as a non-profit 

organization made up of members in the airline industry. AAI has led advocacy on 

human trafficking awareness since correctly identifying trafficking on four flights in 

2009. Working with Congressional members and government agencies they developed an ‘‘industry specific’’ training, which has been provided to 5,000 frontline personnel at 57 U.S. airports and international locations. This training is provided by 

volunteer flight personnel and survivors of human trafficking and is consistent with 

the ‘‘Blue Lightning’’ protocol of the Department of Homeland Security. 

The story of an Alaska Airlines flight attendant, Shelia Fedrick who saved a little 

girl with a note in the bathroom, went viral in February 2017 with over 2,000 media 

citations. Shelia is an AAI trainer and this is only one of dozens of stories of victims 

who have been saved as a result of these prevention efforts. 

Airline Ambassadors International commends the leadership of Senator Thune for 

the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2016 (S. 2658) which includes the requirement that 

flight attendants be trained to identify and report potential trafficking aboard 

flights. Since the new legislation, most airlines have now adopted a human trafficking policy and have implemented a minimum level of training for flight attendants. However, there is still more work to do to strengthen this momentum. 

Problems Still Needing Solutions Airline Industry 

Oversight 

There is not adequate oversight evaluating effectiveness of training on human 

trafficking awareness in the airline industry. There is not motivation for companies 

to ensure maximum effectiveness of such training of flight attendants, or to train 

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other critical employee groups at major human trafficking transit hubs, including 

airports. 

Flight Attendants 

Positive momentum has begun with several airlines adopting the DHS Blue 

Lightening computer based training, or a few slides in the on line portion of recurrent training. However many airline professionals have said they do not pay close 

attention to on line trainings and the typical flight attendant glosses through on 

line trainings as fast as they can, and very little of the information is retained. The 

issue of human trafficking awareness is not even mentioned by the training staff 

of most U.S. based airlines during annual training. Emphasis by trainers is needed 

in recurrent training. 

Pilots 

When flight attendants report suspected trafficking situation on board they are 

to inform the pilots, who are to radio the upcoming airport, to contact law enforcement for evaluation. However, in two recent cases the pilots refused to report despite the fact that flight attendants were concerned and the procedure was in their 

‘‘In Flight Manual’’. The pilots stated that they were reluctant to cause a problem 

for the passenger and the suspected trafficker and victim deplaned unhindered. . 

This issue needs to be addressed in pilot recurrent annual training so pilots will 

feel comfortable following the procedure. 

Operations personnel 

Operations personnel are also not trained. Their responsibility is to monitor hundreds of flights arriving at each major airport location. When questioned recently 

on what action would be taken if a pilot radioed in a potential human trafficking 

on the flight, one supervisor replied that he would take no action, as this issue was 

not related to aircraft security. 

Passenger Service Agents 

Agents also see trafficking indicators when interacting with customers checking 

in for flights and are not trained how to respond. Some have shared that they have 

seen many potential cases but did not know who to report to and were even concerned about risking their jobs. Many have said they would like training so that 

they know what is expected of them, and most are quite willing to act. 

Lack of Corporate Commitment 

Although the private sector is critical in this fight, most airlines truly do not understand the importance of human trafficking awareness and hesitant to integrate 

new actions into their corporate cultures. They are nervous that vigilante flight attendants will make false accusations and cause a lawsuit. They have no motivation 

to ensure proper training for employees, eliminate trafficking in the supply chain 

or adopt policies on this issue that include providing of training and job opportunities for victims. When AAI sent a letter on April, 2017 to the CEO’s of 24 airlines 

and hospitality companies to support human trafficking policies and being open to 

hiring survivors—there was no response. 

Data Sharing—Law Enforcement 

The Department of Homeland Security was created under the Patriot Act to coordinate information among agencies and partners to secure our critical infrastructure, but this information is not shared. Despite formal FOIA requests for how 

many tips came from airports where trainings were given, no information was 

shared and thus, evaluation of training programs cannot be measured. Although details of law enforcement cases should remain confidential, the sharing of information 

on how many tips were received, and if they led to arrests or prosecutions would 

provide valuable data for NGOs, airlines, academia and the American public. 

Reporting Mechanisms 

The current public reporting systems for receiving human trafficking ‘‘tips’’, cannot receive data rich information from the partners that is seeks to empower. For 

example, AAI employs a smartphone application that can transmit encrypted trafficking data in critical real time, but law enforcement and NGO partners cannot receive such data, including video, recordings, text and pictures. 

Department of Homeland Security has spent millions of dollars on an excellent 

advertising campaign on human trafficking awareness with posters highlighting sex, 

domestic servitude and labor trafficking, but 

1. The reporting phone number is different from the National Human Trafficking 

Hotline (NHTH) # which is confusing for the general public. 

143 

2. The DHS Hotline is not a direct number 

3. Although the National Human Trafficking Hotline can receive texts there is no 

mechanism to receive data rich information by either Hotline, which many AAI 

trained professionals are equipped to provide. 

Recommendations 

Oversight 

1. The relevant critical infrastructure oversight agency (FAA or DOT) should be 

established to provide minimum results based educational standards to oversee compliance to human trafficking training for airline transport industry. 

Enhanced Training for Airline Personnel 

2. Minimal, on line training should be supplemented with classroom mention and 

training should be required for all frontline or relevant employee groups—flight attendants, pilots, operations personnel and passenger agents. 

3. Legislation to require airlines to train staff could provide resources for live 

Train the Trainer programs on human trafficking to training staff of major U.S. 

based airlines. Such training should include live participation of survivors of human 

trafficking to make the issue come alive for trainees, so training staff of each airline 

will understand the issue and emphasize it during annual recurrent trainings. 

Corporate Commitment 

4. Legal protection offered to airline and employees who report potential trafficking be established along with a reporting protocol to FAA or the Department of 

Transportation. 

5. Tax incentives be considered for companies for providing minimum standards 

in compliance to combat human trafficking, (including training of employees, elimination of trafficking in the supply chain and willingness to provide jobs to victims 

of trafficking.) 

6. Federal Government consider providing incentive to airline companies by deciding to book government travel only on those air carriers meeting minimum standards for corporate social responsibility in this area. 

Data Sharing 

7. A system be established to measure the number of trafficking tips received 

from airports, airlines and airport employees and number of ‘‘tips’’ which lead to actual cases and prosecutions. 

a. That data be shared with relevant partners or academic institutions for evaluation. 

Strengthen Reporting Mechanism 

b. Establishment of an e-mail address to be monitored 24/7 as a system for reporting potential human trafficking ‘‘tips’’ for quick response and the ability to 

receive data rich information—phone, text, e-mail, pictures, video and geo-location to ensure prompt action and the ability to receive rich data—rather than 

just a phone call or text 

In the words of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, APFA: 

largest flight attendant union in the United States: 

‘‘We are committed not only to preparing our membership to recognize and report 

suspected instances of human trafficking, but also to raise public awareness of the 

problem. Flight attendants have thwarted these criminals in the past, but putting 

an end to human trafficking will require a coordinated and sustained effort as well 

the commitment of the entire transportation industry.’’ 

The CHAIRMAN. Senator Blunt. 

STATEMENT OF HON. ROY BLUNT, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM MISSOURI 

Senator BLUNT. Thank you, Chairman. Thank you and Senator 

Nelson for holding this hearing. 

We’ve been increasing funding the last couple of years for this 

topic. Hopefully, that’s beginning to have an impact. I think the 

Health and Human Services Victims of Trafficking program went 

144 

from $15.8 million to $18.8 million in the last 2 years. The hotline, 

the human trafficking hotline, got a 50 percent increase. 

And, Ms. Sorensen, I think Polaris operates that hotline for 

HHS. Would you give us a little sense of how you’re using—how 

the hotline is being used and how important that funding may be? 

Ms. SORENSEN. Sure. Thank you. So we’ve had a 24 percent increase in calls, texts, and other signals on the hotline in the last 

year. Since Polaris got the program, so that was December 7, 2007, 

we’ve had a 650 percent increase in contacts. So that money was 

vastly important and continues to be vastly important for the basic 

functioning of that hotline. 

The kinds of signals that we receive from people tend to be multilayered. So we will hear from someone who is experiencing the 

sense that something is wrong, and that might be the first of six 

or seven calls before they’re ready to leave a situation. 

Our calls from victims directly have gone up exponentially over 

the last few years from something like 5 percent to around 20, but 

I could get you the exact figures. So those calls just take a lot more 

time because they often involve a very delicate situation. 

But we do hear also just as often from community members reporting a tip. And reporting tips is complicated. You want to make 

sure that those tips are actionable by law enforcement, and so 

seeking out the correct level of information, the correct details, is 

of paramount importance to us as well. Our calls from victims directly have gone up by 241.4 percent between calendar year 2012 

and calendar year 2016. In 2016, calls from potential victims made 

up 16.7 percent of all substantive calls that year. 

Senator BLUNT. So 80 percent of the calls you get are from people 

who think they’ve seen something happen that shouldn’t be happening? You said 20 percent are from—— 

Ms. SORENSEN. I can get you the exact number. I actually have 

that percentage broken out by state. 

Senator BLUNT. OK. 

Ms. SORENSEN. I don’t have it nationally right now. 

Senator BLUNT. OK. I don’t know that I need that. 

Ms. SORENSEN. Yes. 

Senator BLUNT. But most of the calls are from people who think 

they’ve seen something. But you’ve got an increasing number of 

calls from people who are victims? 

Ms. SORENSEN. That’s correct. 

Senator BLUNT. How do they know to call? Where do they find 

that information? 

Ms. SORENSEN. Yes. 

Senator BLUNT. Where do they find that number? 

Ms. SORENSEN. So, gratefully, we’ve worked with the Federal 

Government and with Congress specifically to ensure that we have 

additional places for educating people about the risks to trafficking, 

posts in Federal buildings, posts in airline centers or in transportation hubs. We actually worked for years to pass State laws so 

that we could specifically proliferate the hotline number in important locations where we saw the most calls from those centers, 

whether they were rest stops, whether they were maybe strip 

clubs, other areas where we thought someone was vulnerable or at 

risk. 

145 

There’s a lot more to be done on public awareness. We know that 

we’re still not reaching some of the most at-risk populations, particularly those who are working as subcontractors on agricultural 

crews or other kinds of labor settings. So there is still a lot to do. 

Senator BLUNT. Let me get another couple of questions in here. 

Ms. Goetsch, in your testimony, you said that 31 states have 

adopted the Iowa model for Truckers Against Trafficking. Would 

you submit those states for the record? If we have those, I don’t 

know that we have them, and it wouldn’t hurt us to have them 

twice if we don’t. 

Mr. Goswami, you noted that a number of companies were trying 

to proactively look at their supply chain, and I think I’ve heard this 

mentioned a couple of times already, where the supply chain for 

major companies are much more likely to be a problem than the 

stores themselves. And what are they doing at the—stores, like you 

mentioned, Walmart, what would a store like that be doing to 

verify that their supply chain has the integrity for workers that 

they would like it to have? 

Mr. GOSWAMI. Thank you for that question. So obviously, as you 

can imagine, Walmart has a very large and complex supply chain 

with tens of hundreds of suppliers that also provide goods in their 

retail outlets. And I can speak to what Walmart has done with the 

Issara Institute in Thailand in our Asia—in our region. 

We face a hurdle where there are multiple smaller operations 

that are providing fielding services, fishing services, et cetera, to 

suppliers that may eventually end up in seafood products that are 

in U.S. stores and Walmart, and it’s hard for Walmart to get visibility into the very bottom rungs of that supply chain. 

So they have been partnering with us to develop technology tools, 

including this app that I mentioned called Golden Dreams. It’s a 

Burmese language app. And with their funds, we’ve been able to 

outreach this app out to various populations in their own language. 

About 3,000 folks, workers, have signed up to it, and they’re giving 

us data every day on what their experiences are, which we can 

then take back to Walmart and match that with their suppliers 

who may be impacted by that data, and then drive improvements. 

And Walmart, at least in our region, has been very good about 

using their supply chain leverage to ensure that their suppliers, if 

they want to continue to do business with Walmart, are acting 

upon the data that we provide. 

Senator BLUNT. Thank you. 

Thank you for the time, Mr. Chairman. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Senator Blunt. 

Senator Schatz. 

STATEMENT OF HON. BRIAN SCHATZ, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM HAWAII 

Senator SCHATZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

I just want to thank all of you for the work you do. It’s not often 

that we have unanimity on this Committee, but you certainly have 

it here in terms of our commitment to solve this problem. 

I would like to just go down the line and get some data, and if 

you’re not able to give it to me in the moment, I’ll take it for the 

record. But I just want a sense for the scope of the problem, the 

146 

size of the problem. In your testimony, you didn’t give numbers, 

and it may be that those data don’t exist. But if we could just talk 

about the extent of the problem by sector in the United States, that 

would be great, starting with Ms. Sorensen. 

Ms. SORENSEN. Yes. Give me a moment because I did prepare 

some stats for you. So in terms of—so there are a lot of calls—I 

should be clear. There are calls we get where someone does not 

give us information about the sector, does not give us information 

about the trafficker, doesn’t give us information about themselves. 

So when I tell you that there are over 32,000 calls where we’ve 

pulled data, I want to be clear that out of all of those, we’ve been 

able to run venue and sector information on 18,786 of those. OK? 

Because there just wasn’t that information for everyone. 

Senator SCHATZ. That’s in one year. That’s in one year? 

Ms. SORENSEN. No. This is all-time human trafficking cases. So 

December 7, 2007 to April 30, 2017. 

Senator SCHATZ. OK. 

Ms. SORENSEN. That’s my timeframe for you. So we’ve got related 

to the labor trafficking sectors, which I mentioned were 18, we’ve 

got domestic work is the leading sector where we see the most 

human trafficking. After that, I’m looking at traveling sales crews, 

followed by restaurants and food service—— 

Senator SCHATZ. Sorry. What is a traveling sales crew? 

Ms. SORENSEN. Sure. A traveling sales crew is typically someone 

who comes door-to-door to sell cleaning products, magazines, candy, 

et cetera. It’s typically a network of illegitimate businesses, and it’s 

usually runaway kids. 

Senator SCHATZ. Yes. Yes. 

Ms. SORENSEN. OK. After that, we have records from the health 

and beauty services, so that’s labor trafficking within those, not 

just sex trafficking, which we also see. And then it’s agriculture 

and animal husbandry. 

Senator SCHATZ. Before we go down the line, it seems to me 

you’re getting data coming in—— 

Ms. SORENSEN. Yes. 

Senator SCHATZ.—and those are the calls that come in. They may 

or may not be proportionate—— 

Ms. SORENSEN. That’s absolutely right. 

Senator SCHATZ.—to sort of the problem by sector. So maybe instead of going down the line, it seems to me that there’s a data 

problem. We don’t—— 

Ms. SORENSEN. Oh, there’s an enormous data—— 

Senator SCHATZ. We actually don’t know the scope of this problem. We don’t know in terms of raw numbers or by sector necessarily in which sectors this is the biggest problem. We don’t know 

if it’s hundreds of thousands of people or tens of thousands of people. You may have a sense of it at the line level, but we just don’t 

know, do we? 

Ms. SORENSEN. Senator, that’s totally correct, and that’s a huge 

problem that Polaris and others in the field have been highlighting 

for years. We actually have a proposal for a prevalence study that 

we would love Congress to consider because we think that this data 

is absolutely insufficient to form our policies around. It is incoming 

data only. 

147 

Senator SCHATZ. OK. So rather than go down the line, I want to 

get to one other question. In Hawaii, we had an instance of trafficking in the construction context. And the way that the bad guys 

were nailed was with a partnership with a carpenters union. 

And so I’m wondering if any of you can comment on the partnerships actually with labor or with the chamber, because it seems to 

me that they have, both at the management and at the labor level, 

that that’s the most logical approach. And I’m wondering, there 

was not a mention of organized labor or unions, and it seems to me 

that that would be a smart place to start because they have both 

an ideological alignment with what’s happening and an imperative 

in terms of their organizing that aligns with this. So do you have 

any thoughts? And I’ll start over here. 

Mr. LARES. In Florida, the Farm Workers Association, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, those are some of the more of the agricultural—what we have, I would say, the more organized groups in 

Florida because of how our state—the various laws, and the limited 

or lack of unions. But those would be the ones that have organized 

our state. For example, right now with the tomatoes, they are asking for some of our stores—one of the biggest grocery stores in Florida is Publix, to give a penny more toward the workers. 

So they’re organizing our communities and the agricultural industry. That’s the extent that I’ve seen. 

Senator SCHATZ. And very quickly, Mr. Goswami and Ms. 

Goetsch. 

Mr. GOSWAMI. Thank you, Senator. I’m going to actually try to 

answer the first question you had about data and numbers. 

Senator SCHATZ. Sure. 

Mr. GOSWAMI. Yes, there definitely is a need for better numbers, 

but I would also argue that we do have enough numbers that we 

need to act upon and act more rigorously on with more resources. 

I can tell you that in the Thai seafood sector, there are about 4 

million or so migrant workers in Thailand, that the government estimates that about 300,000 of which work in the seafood industry. 

And there were a couple studies that have been done recently both 

by Issara and by Johns Hopkins that show that roughly a third or 

so are victims of exploitation that could be forced labor and trafficking. I know for Issara itself, through our hotlines, we get about 

6,000 calls a year, and many of whom are, if not victims of forced 

labor, other egregious forms of illegal labor conditions that they’re 

in. So we know enough and we have better tools to collect that 

data, but we do have to respond to the information that we get. 

Senator SCHATZ. Excuse me. My time has expired. I appreciate 

it. Thank you. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Senator Schatz. 

Senator Fischer. 

STATEMENT OF HON. DEB FISCHER, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM NEBRASKA 

Senator FISCHER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Ms. Sorensen, as you noted in your testimony, the Polaris Project 

has identified and defined 25 different types of trafficking. And can 

you talk about why it is important that we understand the difVerDate Nov 24 2008 11:05 Jul 25, 2018 Jkt 075679 PO 00000 Frm 00151 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 S:\GPO\DOCS\30786.TXT JACKIE
148 

ferent forms of trafficking and how identifying the forms can help 

us to understand and then combat the traffickers? 

Ms. SORENSEN. Yes. Thank you, Senator, for the question. I think 

there are two ways that we see it. The first is the importance of 

understanding the types. Each type has its own network of traffickers, recruiters, smugglers maybe, and individuals who make up 

an at-risk vulnerable population. Each type tends to take advantage of certain kinds of vulnerable classes, whether they’re foreign 

national or U.S. citizen. 

When we understand the types in their most comprehensive 

forms, we have the ability to direct policy to actually dismantle 

them most effectively, whether that’s targeting prevention education toward a particular class that might be migrating, or whether that’s figuring out how to create better AMLs, so that financial 

institutions can look for certain signs that would only be present 

in particular types of trafficking. So I think in building out that understanding, we can be very targeted in our response. 

The other thing I would highlight is that there are cross-type 

issues we can leverage, whether it is the supply chain transparency 

provisions, whether it’s child protection provisions, whether it’s 

gender equity provisions. There are things we can do that would 

actually help us to dismantle types through this unique grouping 

strategy. And so the strategy from our perspective is doing both, 

being able to tackle these things holistically in any way we can. 

Senator FISCHER. And you briefly mentioned the Department of 

Transportation’s Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking Initiative, and specifically the campaign that’s put the 

brakes on human trafficking. Can you elaborate on the work that 

the Polaris Project is doing with the Department of Transportation? 

And is it effective? Is that program effective? 

Ms. SORENSEN. So Polaris’s work with the Department of Transportation was a few years ago. I can absolutely get you notes on 

what we did, but it isn’t current, so I wouldn’t be able to comment 

on that. 

[The information referred to follows:] 

Polaris was involved as an advisor to the U.S. Department of Transportation in 

2013 and 2014 when they were working on a human trafficking public awareness 

raising initiative. They had launched a group called Transportation Leaders Against 

Human Trafficking, and we were part of that group, and attended the group meetings hosted at DOT as an NGO representative. We also advised the public awareness campaign that came out of this group as a recommendation called Putting the 

Brakes on Human Trafficking. What was unique about this effort is the number of 

new stakeholders it brought to the table. Through TLAHT, we were able to meet 

new government agencies and new major players in the transportation industry 

whom we had never met or engaged with before. We were pleased to see the DOT 

public awareness campaign promote the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline 

number at 1–888–373–7888 at unique new locations and with new stakeholders 

across the country. A number of new corporate relationships emerged from this initiative, and the effort helped to connect the dots to inform different government 

agencies of the role they can play in combating human trafficking. 

Senator FISCHER. OK. And for the panel, we have several Federal agencies that are tasked with different grants and objectives 

to train and equip state and local governments to better address 

human trafficking. And do these agencies coordinate among themselves? Do they do so adequately? Do they work with state and 

local law enforcement? If we can begin down here, please. 

149 

Mr. LARES. Sure. We, in the greater Orlando area, we have a 

very unique vice unit that both the Federal, the state, and the local 

law enforcement are comprised of. It’s called the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation. And so we have amazing collaboration because of that unique vice unit that we have in the City of Orlando. 

And that way if it’s across state lines or whatever jurisdiction, that 

it can address that potential victim or get that trafficker without— 

you know, it’s more seamless. 

So from that level, I know that the funding sources don’t necessarily mix, but because of our unique vice unit, we are working 

together. So I couldn’t really address the funding source or who’s 

getting what. 

Senator FISCHER. Have you seen an increase in arrests? And is 

that due to more activity by the vice unit and working with others, 

or is it an uptick in activity with human trafficking? 

Mr. LARES. I think it has been really key with the awareness 

more and more as the awareness gets out there, especially with the 

Polaris hotline, that we’ve been able to really post just every stakeholder. So the dozens of stakeholders that comprise our task forces 

a lot of times put on their websites. 

So I think, Senator, it’s more of a—I don’t think the problem is 

getting worse, I think that people are reporting, and as she stated 

earlier, we’ve seen more victims self-identify in the last year than 

I’ve seen in the last 13 years. So they’re getting the information 

where it’s on the street that there’s help. 

Senator FISCHER. Thank you. 

Sir. 

Mr. GOSWAMI. Thank you, Senator. I can only speak to again 

Southeast Asia, where we operate. And unequivocally, the funding 

and assistance and partnership we receive from USAID, specifically 

their supply chain initiative, and the U.S. State Department has 

really helped us both innovate in the technology arena so we can 

capture more stories of workers through technology, but also do onthe-ground programming working with suppliers and taking an act 

upon those stories and make the necessary changes. 

Senator FISCHER. Thank you. 

Ms. GOETSCH. Yes. So we do work with the Federal agencies 

across the Nation, but I would say it varies state by state as far 

as our public-private partnership with them and how that’s fleshed 

out on the ground level. So we do really look to activate local law 

enforcement because typically they’re going to be the first responders when you’re talking about travel plazas or truckers making 

calls. 

And, you know, with the hotline, all of our material that’s going 

out to the trucking industry has a hotline because we want to continue to seamlessly work with law enforcement who are trained on 

human trafficking and who are going to respond appropriately and 

arrest the trafficker and the buyer and hopefully recover the victim. 

Senator FISCHER. Thank you. 

Ms. Sorensen. 

Ms. SORENSEN. Sure. So I just wanted to speak to the integration 

of law enforcement with the National Hotline specifically. And so 

one of the responsibilities in operating the hotline is not just to asVerDate Nov 24 2008 11:05 Jul 25, 2018 Jkt 075679 PO 00000 Frm 00153 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 S:\GPO\DOCS\30786.TXT JACKIE
150 

sist the victim with their real-time concerns, but also to make reports where appropriate. And so while we have confidentiality policies and reporting policies, unless—most of the time victims do 

choose to report, and so we have protocols, hundreds of protocols, 

throughout the country that are locally based, but national in 

scope, that cross Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, local police. 

And it’s really up to the state and locations how they want to integrate their policy so that they work on the ground, whether it’s 

a call at 3 a.m. about a domestic minor sex trafficking victim or 

maybe it’s about a foreign worker who’s in agriculture. Right? We 

need to make sure that they can appropriately respond and that 

that victim is safe. 

Senator FISCHER. Thank you. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Senator Fischer. 

Senator Cortez Masto. 

STATEMENT OF HON. CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM NEVADA 

Senator CORTEZ MASTO. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Ranking 

Member. This is a great conversation. Let me just first of all say 

this. I’m from Nevada. I was a former Attorney General there for 

8 years. Thank you to the Polaris Project. You are instrumental in 

my state in helping us address this issue, which I look at as human 

trafficking, really breaking it down to labor trafficking and then 

sex trafficking, and then further, different types underneath. And 

in Nevada, we really focused on the domestic side of human trafficking. So thank you for what you do. 

Thank you to the Trucking Association. Because of your help and 

support, our Nevada Trucking Association has an incredible program to educate our truckers. And I went through every single 

truck stop in Nevada with our Trucking Association to educate and 

talk about how we address this issue in human trafficking. 

But before I forget, let me ask a couple of questions. The hotline 

is instrumental. And I agree, we do not have enough data collected 

nationally. There is data locally. The vice units. I know in southern 

Nevada, our vice unit collects data and has been over 10 years, so 

that has helped us, but we don’t have enough of it nationally. 

The hotline is a great help. And you’re absolutely right. One of 

your partners that I think is key are the Attorneys General because of the work through the Attorneys General and the data that 

we’ve collected, you give that back to the states, and we do something with it. 

The hotline calls that you get, though, are not necessarily victims, though. They could be from anyone. And they don’t necessarily always pan out as a human trafficking incident, but we 

want to make sure people know about it. Is that correct? 

Ms. GOETSCH. That’s absolutely correct. 

Senator CORTEZ MASTO. Right. And in the state of Nevada, not 

only did we work to pass State law to make sure that the hotline 

is located in many of our buildings, many of our task forces, many 

of our groups are working under the same premise that the hotline 

151 

is key. So we should use that at a national level and promote it 

everywhere we go, so thank you for that. 

So it’s a space that I’ve worked in for a number of years, and we 

still have work to be done. One is on the demand side, which we 

really need to focus on. And so I appreciate the Chairman. And I 

heard that you’re looking at addressing this potentially. I would 

love to work with you on that. 

But the other is the training, and this is sort of my pet peeve. 

Training is absolutely necessary. And there are different types of 

training, however. I know working with victims, not every victim, 

particularly of sex trafficking, realizes they’re a victim. And then 

there is a level of trust. And the training we provide to a first responder versus a training we provide to somebody in the trucking 

association or in our airports is going to be different. And there is 

always this talk about we need to fund training, we need to promote it, but we don’t talk about what the training should be, what 

it should look like. And because of it, there are so many people that 

want to help, but I don’t know if we’re doing the right by those victims and the responders in identifying this. 

So what I would like to see, and I’m curious about your thoughts 

on this, is to have some sort of national standardized training 

model or a center of excellence where we can actually bring people 

together to figure out the type of training that is necessary for the 

type of human trafficking we see, and then send them back to their 

states or wherever where they’re providing that type of training 

that is specific. I’m curious your thoughts on whether that is needed or not? 

Ms. SORENSEN. Sure. Thank you for the question. And I would 

love to hear Esther’s response to this as well, given her very particular lens. 

So we have—yes, we have encountered a problem about quality 

in training for years. And one of the responses that the Federal 

Government set up was in instituting the Office of Victims of 

Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center that specifically 

focused on human trafficking training for task forces and local communities. It has been very successful in its efforts to create a level 

of quality for those audiences and associated audiences. 

Health and Human Services recently also built a pilot training 

for health care providers, and their method of going about this was 

to bring survivors to the table, bring medical professionals to the 

table, dental professionals, psychiatric professionals, and NGO advocates, and take about a year and a half to actually build and test 

something that they’re now feeling fairly confident about. That was 

the first time that I saw something really thoughtfully integrated 

into the community for specific audiences, but to do so in all of 

the—I would say, going back to Senator Heller’s question, the idea 

of these cross-purposed types, like when we’re looking at vulnerable 

populations, how do we address for that? How do we address for 

the sectors that are most influenced or impacted by human trafficking? I love the idea. 

I think a group that I would love for you to float that idea by 

is the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking. I think they’re 

going to have a lot of thoughts on this. And since they are already 

giving feedback to Federal agencies specifically on training, I think 

152 

they’re going to be able to reflect for you the challenges that are 

currently facing the agencies and how you might be able to address 

those from a policy lens. 

Senator CORTEZ MASTO. I appreciate that. I’m really curious, 

though, in bridging that gap between what’s happening at the Federal level and the State level. So let me address this as somebody 

who came from the law enforcement side. In the state of Nevada, 

we had no sex trafficking crime. Most of the sex trafficking was 

prosecuted at the Federal level because there is sex trafficking 

crime at the Federal level. So we passed a state crime of sex trafficking, which then gave our DAs, the Attorney General’s Office, 

the ability to now investigate and prosecute and go after it at the 

State level as well because unfortunately there’s enough work to go 

around. 

I think—I can’t speak for every state. I know that’s what was different in Nevada, and that’s why now we have the ability to do it 

at the State level and the Federal level. I want to make sure, 

though, the Federal training that is still needed out there, whether 

it’s for law enforcement or whoever, that the state—the folks, the 

nonprofits, that are also providing the training, are doing the same 

thing. They should be collaborating. There should be this networking and connection, and that’s why this kind of idea of a center of excellence or the standardized training is important. So I appreciate that. 

Any other comments other than I appreciate the conversation 

today? 

[No audible response.] 

Senator CORTEZ MASTO. Thank you very much. 

Thank you. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Senator Cortez Masto. 

Mr. LARES. Could I ask the Senator a question? Yes. That—did 

you—was it mandatory in Nevada for law enforcement to report 

the data? 

Senator CORTEZ MASTO. It was not mandatory, but because we 

came together as the Task Force, and this was a focus of everyone 

in the state, we shared the data. So law enforcement in southern 

Nevada automatically was collecting, the vice unit was already collecting that data for over 10 years—both on the child side and the 

adult side. Northern Nevada, they started collecting some of the 

data. The challenge we had, though, is not apples and oranges, 

right? So somebody might be collecting data in northern Nevada 

that is different than southern Nevada, so you couldn’t put the two 

together. So there still needs to be that standardization, and that’s 

what the task forces should be working to do. 

Mr. LARES. Yes, ma’am. 

Senator CORTEZ MASTO. Yes. 

Mr. LARES. Thank you. 

Senator CORTEZ MASTO. Thank you. 

The CHAIRMAN. We’re just discussing, though, that’s a first 

whether someone on the panel asks a Senator a question, so—— 

[Laughter.] 

The CHAIRMAN. We may be creating a new precedent here, who 

knows. 

[Laughter.] 

153 

The CHAIRMAN. Senator Cantwell is up next, but I understand 

you’re yielding some time to—— 

STATEMENT OF HON. AMY KLOBUCHAR, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM MINNESOTA 

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Yes. I’m just going to thank all of you. We 

have the FBI hearing. I’m not just leaving because I don’t want you 

to ask me a question. 

[Laughter.] 

Senator KLOBUCHAR. And I’m actually going to ask Christopher 

Wray about human trafficking. But I just want to thank you for 

your work. As you know, we’ve been long involved in this, and it’s 

always been bipartisan. Senator Cornyn and I passed the major 

bill, and I want to thank Senator Thune and Nelson for their work, 

Ms. Cortez Masto and many people here. And I really believe this 

work we’re doing now training people in the private sector is going 

to be very important as well. Two reasons, one, more eyes, ears, on 

the ground; but, two, it makes more people aware of this problem, 

which is still a huge problem in our country when you talk to police 

officers that are in undercover operations. It’s unbelievable numbers. So thank you so much for your work. 

Thanks. 

STATEMENT OF HON. MARIA CANTWELL, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM WASHINGTON 

Senator CANTWELL. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And again I also 

want to thank you and the Ranking Member for holding this hearing and for our panel and the discussion. It is so, so important, and 

so I thank you for the work that you’re doing. 

Mr. Goswami, I wanted to ask about obviously the victims of 

trafficking. You’ve talked about how oftentimes they are brought 

here illegally from various countries or put into slavery-type conditions. And obviously this is one of the things we have to crack 

down, and obviously lots of things that we need to be doing. 

What about the actual victims once they are brought out of the 

situation, what do we need to be doing to make sure that they get 

the medical services they need? Because I’m worried that some of 

them being the victims of this are afraid to come out of the—we 

were involved several years ago with our colleague Senator 

Brownback on some legislation on the male order bride industry, 

and we found out that people, women, were being recruited to come 

to the United States and be married to somebody, but they would 

very rarely feel comfortable in coming out of the dark when abusive 

treatment and all sorts of things happened because they thought, 

well, I’m going to be deported. And so they would not come out of 

the shadows. And we were able to successfully put some new regulations into that area of the law so that, first of all, women knew 

who these individuals were so that they weren’t just, ‘‘Oh, yes, 

come to America and get married to somebody.’’ We wanted to 

make sure it was disclosed if they had any kind of criminal backgrounds, all this. But, anyway, it exposed this coming out of the 

shadows effort. So what are we doing to help these victims when 

they can come out of the shadows and get the kind of medical and 

social services treatments that they need? 

154 

Mr. GOSWAMI. Thank you, Senator. That’s a very interesting 

question and probably requires more than 5 minutes. I’ll talk briefly about the experiences we’ve had working with primarily Burmese, Cambodian, and Lao migrants in Thailand who do come to 

Thailand because there are better economic opportunities for them 

there. Sometimes they migrate willingly on their own because they 

are pursuing a job, or sometimes they are trafficked into Thailand 

as well. 

One thing that we’ve done, many surveys of workers and migrants in our areas, to determine what their needs are so that we 

are adequately meeting those needs, or referring them to organizations I can. And we find that time and time again most of them 

want compensation for the labor that they did, that they were not 

paid to do or that they were forced to do in slavery-like conditions, 

even unpaid overtime, et cetera. So they do want—they want their 

just due. They also want access to jobs. 

And that’s why our methodology of working with global plans 

and U.S. companies to put pressure on their suppliers to improve 

working conditions so that those workers can continue to work but 

in decent, fair, and legal conditions so they can provide for themselves and their families. 

We do find, by and large, that after those first two needs of getting decent employment and fair wages, their needs are a whole 

host of social as well, which I think the Polaris Project can probably talk more to in the U.S., but it could be family reunification, 

it could be medical issues, it could be other issues as well. However, I think one thing that I would like to leave with is I think 

it’s very important to not assume what their needs are. They may 

have PTSD, they may have other trafficking-related issues that 

they deal with, but it’s important to listen to them and say, ‘‘What 

are the top three things that you want immediately and then we 

can work on the other stuff later?’’ and not impose what we may 

think the solutions are. 

Senator CANTWELL. Is there a supply chain of medical help that’s 

available to these individuals? 

Mr. GOSWAMI. Issara does rely on the network of local nonprofits 

and some government-backed institutions in the Thailand area to 

provide medical assistance. And Thai law also requires that if a migrant is, quote/unquote, escaped from a situation of slavery or trafficking, they are entitled to certain medical benefits as well. They, 

as you can imagine, including in this country, they are far and few 

in between and not enough to meet all the needs of—— 

Senator CANTWELL. So is that something that we should, I don’t 

know what the right word is, try to make sure that there is an 

awareness of the availability of services? 

Mr. GOSWAMI. I think definitely an awareness, but also more resources for services in general. 

Senator CANTWELL. OK. All right. Thank you so much. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Senator Cantwell. 

Senator Capito. 

155 

STATEMENT OF HON. SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM WEST VIRGINIA 

Senator CAPITO. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank the ranking member as well. And thank all of you for your dedication to a 

really tough issue. 

You know, I’ve been in Congress now for a fairly long time, and 

we’ve done quite a bit, I think, to raise awareness, to focus more 

resources, but we couldn’t do it without help that we’re receiving 

from folks like you. 

I’m from a rural state, and I thought, well, I’m going to have a 

community meeting on human trafficking, thinking I’ll probably get 

10 people to come. But it’s an interesting topic, we were doing 

something on the floor of the House at the time. I was amazed at 

the number of people and the different and divergent folks who 

waited from law enforcement and social agencies, and youth. A 

woman came and testified about her daughter who had been sexually trafficked for years and the ups-and-downs of her life. 

So my first question is, you know, you assume this is happening 

in big cities, but it’s happening in rural America. And I’m wondering, Ms. Sorensen, what is your perspective in terms of what 

you’re seeing in the data and anecdotally in terms of rural America 

versus more urban areas? 

Ms. SORENSEN. It’s going to be dependent on what part of the 

country we’re talking about rurally. 

Senator CAPITO. Yes. 

Ms. SORENSEN. Obviously, different kinds of agriculture institutions, different kinds of labor historically or otherwise, being 

present in certain rural locations, but I would say that generally 

speaking the awareness is much lower. And so when we are looking at rural communities, we are just not getting the kinds of responses that we are from urban communities. That’s a major concern to us, that we don’t have that level of engagement—I mean, 

it sounds like perhaps the meeting you held was very different, 

which is wonderful, but that’s not consistently true. 

We certainly don’t have the resources available—— 

Senator CAPITO. Right. 

Ms. SORENSEN.—for victims in rural locations in the same way 

that we do in urban locations. That’s most concerning particularly 

when we talk about males being trafficked, and we can’t rely on 

maybe domestic violence shelters the way we would for women or 

for girls. It’s also going to be concerning when there hasn’t been 

some level of intimate abuse because then there is also just a 

dearth of housing services in particular. 

We also are concerned about the lack of transportation generally. 

One of the things that I noted in the written testimony is that 

while we have a lot of awareness with transportation partners and 

with the Department of Transportation itself, in rural communities 

even when we do identify a shelter we are unable to get someone 

to the location. So we end up relying on local police or on donations 

to get someone to that critical resource. 

Senator CAPITO. Right. 

Ms. SORENSEN. So it’s a different issue. We actually have a staff 

member whose role right now is focused on building awareness and 

integrating the understanding of what the hotline can provide with 

156 

rural communities in particular. And we have another staff member focusing on the American Indian/Alaska Native communities. 

And in combination, we’re hoping to address some of the issues 

that we see across those two vulnerable populations. 

Senator CAPITO. Well, I mean, I would love to work with you on 

that issue. I think what was mentioned earlier about training is 

absolutely critical, and it is more difficult. A lot of these smaller 

areas cycle through their law enforcement folks rather quickly, and 

they’ve got a lot of different issues. 

One of the things that—I have two kind of other questions, and 

anybody can jump in here—the relationship between trafficking 

and drugs and the drug trade and drugs being used to further enslave people or to be used as mules or whatever, because we have 

a huge opioid crisis going across this country, and heroin. So that’s 

my first question. 

The other, which is probably—so let’s start with drugs because 

I don’t think I’m going to have a chance to get the other. The other 

one I was going to ask about was language barriers. Obviously, 

that’s got to be a big issue as well. 

So on the drug issue, Mr. Lares. 

Mr. LARES. Yes. Nine out of ten of our survivors and/or victims 

are addicted to some kind of drug. And in Florida we’re seeing just 

a skyrocket in heroin and meth, some of the two drugs. So they all 

have to—we have partnered with detox centers to get them in 

detox. 

Senator CAPITO. But nine out of ten. 

Mr. LARES. Nine out of ten. 

Senator CAPITO. That’s a pretty stunning number, I think. 

Mr. LARES. Very close relationship to the traffickers, whether 

they’re already addicted or getting them addicted. 

Senator CAPITO. And then further grabbing hold of them that 

way. 

Mr. LARES. Yes, ma’am. We have a case in Orlando where a 14- 

year-old girl was given drugs, her and her sister, and she ended up 

dying after being in the ring for 8 days, unfortunately 14 years old. 

Senator CAPITO. Oh. 

Mr. LARES. And so they are definitely using the drugs and the 

epidemic that’s occurring across our Nation as a part of the entrapment. 

Senator CAPITO. Does anybody else have a comment? 

Yes. 

Ms. SORENSEN. I want to send you data that we ran that I do 

not have with me today that was looking specifically at the last 2 

years and the involvement of opioids, and it is significant. And so 

it is worth further attention, and I will make that available for the 

record and follow up with you. 

[The information referred to follows:] 

Here is some National Human Trafficking Hotline data that we ran for 2015 and 

2016 that highlights the cases of human trafficking that involves substance abuse. 

Almost 20 percent of all potential victims reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline in 2015 and 2016 were said to have some relationship to substance 

abuse. Of the potential victims who had a connection to substance abuse 109 (5 percent) had a caretaker with a substance abuse issue, 664 (33 percent) had a substance abuse issue prior to the potential trafficking and twenty of these individuals 

were recruited into their trafficking situation directly from drug rehabilitation cenVerDate Nov 24 2008 11:05 Jul 25, 2018 Jkt 075679 PO 00000 Frm 00160 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 S:\GPO\DOCS\30786.TXT JACKIE
157 

ters. Additionally, 1,594 (79 percent) had drug abuse either induced or exploited as 

a means of force, fraud, and coercion in their situation. Please also note that the 

numbers I’ve just shared are non-cumulative as individuals could have experienced 

more than one of the above situations. 

Finally, a connection to substance abuse is seen most frequently in sex trafficking 

and sex and labor trafficking cases. 527 (28 percent) of the potential victims about 

whom Polaris had information on age and who had a connection to substance abuse 

were minors. At least 66 additional potential victims were minors at the time their 

trafficking started. 

Senator CAPITO. Thank you. All right. Thank you. 

Yes. 

Mr. GOSWAMI. Thank you, Senator. Just to say that as you can 

imagine, working on a fishing boat off the Thai coast, it’s hard 

work, it’s arduous work, and oftentimes we have had quite a few 

cases where the workers are fed, knowingly or unknowingly, amphetamines to keep them awake so they can work for 18- to 20- 

hour shifts. 

Senator CAPITO. Yes. I’m thinking about that movie I saw, Captain—what was that movie? The Somalis were taking some kind of 

drug. Remember? Well, never mind, but they were on a boat as 

well. I guess that’s the similarities. 

Anyway, thank you. 

The CHAIRMAN. This Senator from West Virginia is going to movies other places or something else. 

[Laughter.] 

Senator CAPITO. Tom Hanks was in it. 

The CHAIRMAN. Oh, yes. OK. That one. I know that one. 

[Laughter.] 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Senator Capito. 

Senator Sullivan is up next. 

STATEMENT OF HON. DAN SULLIVAN, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM ALASKA 

Senator SULLIVAN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you for 

holding this hearing. And I appreciate the witnesses’ focus on this 

really important issue, but it’s a very difficult issue. I know I’m not 

going to ask Senator Cortez Masto another question, but her line 

of questioning I think was actually really important with regard to 

state-Federal cooperation. And 2 years ago, in the Victims of Trafficking Act, we were able to include an amendment that really 

forced the Federal Government to be more forthcoming on cooperating with state AGs and local district attorneys in prosecuting 

Mann Act violations. And I’m sure you’re all familiar with the 

Mann Act. That’s the Federal law that prevents essentially trafficking of, you know, young people across state lines. But it’s hard 

to bring an action as a state AG. 

Even though you have all talked about the lack of resources, so 

this was a part of this bill, and we’d like to work with all of you 

to get the word out more that state AGs, district attorneys, actually 

have a lot more authority under the new law that we passed 2 

years ago to prosecute Mann Act cases even though it’s a Federal 

crime. And this is something that I think a lot of us could do a better job of highlighting to make sure our state AGs and district attorneys know that we have those resources now. And we’d love to 

work with you on getting the word out because I think it’s a great 

158 

way to go after some of these crimes and spread the resources 

when, as you’ve testified, we’re all kind of hurting on the resources. 

So I would look forward to working with all of you on that. 

Let me ask another question. It’s really a follow-on from Senator 

Capito’s question when you talk about vulnerable populations. She 

mentioned rural victims, and I’m very interested in that, being 

from Alaska, but also homeless victims and homeless youth. 

My wife works at Covenant House in Anchorage, and you may 

be familiar, and I would like to submit them for the record, Mr. 

Chairman, a study, a ten-city study, by Loyola University and Covenant House on labor and sex trafficking among homeless youth. 

The CHAIRMAN. Without objection. 

[The information referred to follows:] 

159 


712LABOR1.eps

labor and Sex Trafficking 

Among Homeless Youth 

A TeP-City Study 

Executive Summary 

u.ura T Murphy 
160 


712LABOR2.eps

Mission Statements 

-

LOYOLA 

UNIVERSITY 

N£WoRI1ANS 

loyo&.J UnMirWtY New OfM.ans 

LO'JOia Unver$1ty NewOrleal'l$. 

a Jest.ut and CaUlolrc tnsUtu\100 

of higher educatton, welcOlne'i 

nudimts of dtwrse b.ld:grounds 

~nd P<eP<l<ts them to lei!d 

l'neanrngful hve$ Wlth and ror 

others. to pursue truth. wtSdom, 

and vtnue, and to work fO« <l 

mort ,ust world lnsptrfd by 

lgn.at.us of LO)'OI.n Vts.ton of 

f•nd•ng God in ill lh•ngs. lhtunrv~stty is grounded rn the 

•~al arts and sc;tences. wtlllt 

al:so offering opportunrttes 

for profesSiOnal studies m 

undefgraduate ~nd selt<1ed 

gradvatt prograrm Thro~ 

te.xhing, rmarc;h, c:rea1Ne 

actiVIties., and serwce. the 

fc1cutty. en cooperabon wtth 

lhe ~tal f. sttr.•es to educate the 

whole studt~nt dOd to btneftt 

l.he larger comnU.J'tty 

Loyola Utwer$tty's Modem 

Slaomy Res.ear<.h Protect WOf'ks 

to mak.e escape pos,Sible tor 

vtcwns of human tt.iffiCk.ll'lg 

W'llov•s•ana. the us., and 

lnternattonally through 

SUVJ'I'Ot.(entered, data·dnvM, 

cOt'I"'I'l..ntty·bastd rest•rch 

Lhat better sef'IIM survf\IOSs and 

supports ~atts who ~t< on 

the from ltnes of identtf)llng unci 

assasvng those held tn modem 

""'"'~' 
161 


712LABOR3.eps

Cov..,.,.tHovse 

lnttf'n.a\ionll 1o ~ Lit~l 

I>'""""YP"V•"'Y-'"""'" 

c:'\lrlty ·lU\1 Amrr'.us. c.t~ 

~-H<II,Of'dIIM(Htohonftuyw1h bch 

,-. ..... ttw orc;r.:unon ~ 

,...., ., oooyouon., JO<>'..n 

.n s..r. coun1r.n 

Executive 

Summary 

Human trafficking- the exploitation of a person's 

labor through force, fraud, or coercion- is a crime 

whose victims tend to be society's most vulnerable. 

People who are homeless. lack a support system, 

or are desperate for work are susceptible to the 

promises of people who would exploit them for 

labor and for sex. Recently, homeless youth providers 

In the United States and Canada have become aware 

that their clients are particularly at risk of trafficking, 

and research has begun to uncover the extent and 

contours of the problem within that community. 

Bttwttn FtbcV.tl'( 2014 ilfld' Junt 1016, rHearchers from Loyol.a Un''ltf"IY NfWOfltW~~\ 

Mo<htn Sl.wffy A:rw.trch P't0jtc1 (MSRPI wtft 11'W1ted by (cw~nanl Hou\.t lnt~ln...t.on.r Jnd 

ten of their !fld,...,~ !>!lift In ll'lt UMtd Statts itnd Canad.l to Wt'Vf .u ~xt•1NI n~r1\ 'o ~tudy 1~ prf'w'llton(• .and NtU't of t\uma'l ttaHd:•ng arnot"19 homtitU you1P\ •?f'd 1 7to 

25 MSRP lfW-'rtl'wl' lnt.tf'V~641 homele$S and rtXIIWd'{.,ou'thwho.xctUMMC:ft 

1'">1ough C~t Houw\ nttwotit o' shet!ers. tr.-ns1•JOI'Wt lrv.ng •r"ld ~untnl P'OI7Mnl, 

M'ld ~00-m.Ctrltfi'S. YouthVHf•.lf'IV·tfti topMboC:W~e.on •volvl:..Y~ In• pol'lt-.t~ 

tmt ~ lbo....! 'NOlie~· Stffi..structll'ed n~f\'\'lfWS"Mf•<Cl1"16.1CWd V'119 !t\f 

Hi,l'nilft&.,f.t.'k:ftg~~A~tV,fa\Uft(HTtA~·fd'toMWU'htw'ihtf)'OUCh 

~ bHn tr•ffk,ed tor w·• Of t.to 1'1 theW I •eo~ 

Youlh .._ inlt~ in the following cities; 

-··--

AWont.O.Gfo<9'0 

0<11001. Ml<"'9>n 

~of1 Lludt!d•l•. ~loctd• 

losAngt\H.. C•I•IOfnl.a 

New Orle.am. Loo!Wnl 

Oakland, c .. ·,fOina.~ 

S1 lllt.A MIUOU'I 

fotonlO.Orlt .. fiO 

vn~Bt.t~CotutrO~ 
162 


712LABOR4.eps

Key Findings 

Human Trafhclcing 

Of tt •641 ~·th wt lt'ltlfYifiNtd atCov.n.nt Hou\tt-~tfs •our.d 

tN>Un•tKI )UIIL' •nd C•nada, ooa ~one •n f,\'e(19,. Of 114) 

were ldenhl•tcl li VICiltnl or iOme form ol hum.tn tr.•lt•<•""'9. 

foU01Mf"9 tnt!~ dtol•n liOtl ouu:.rM!d by the US V1tl!l'n$ ol ''•' 

f>(k+ng ..nd Vdtnct Plot«: !Jon Act (l.t:tr ren.~med 1M lr•lhc,,ng 

Vc.tltf!S Pto1«.t(ln Ac.t (TVPAJ) 

Mort UW\ .t~ (91) ot U'lf 1c:.a! pcpJ,itoOnNd bHn &r.atll! \td 

f01 it'.(. lft/':'b 8~ (S.l') hid bMn ttaff<:Ctd •or e;Vwr b ctd Llbol 

3" (11)"""" CJ.afht,fd tor bc::h sn: M'll2 bbot 

\lnoty...,.ll«Cffll(!li~ Ofii>OrfiPQf'drnt>rl'OOI'Wdboa'l;l 

.ar>POICht<J by somront ~ w.n cffertt'lj., ~tl.nty for 

n:omt m.two.~ltoo9QOd robt-uvt ThrslnCludtciJ+tY~~tons. tf'wlt 

r~rntd ,nto tr•ll" k-+'"'9 eswtl as othtt offtr1 fOt commtrdil '\#xual 

exch<1"'9fi. froi~t.Atnt (OtlYTIISSoiOn--bas.ed wit-\, crtdrt C.tO i(oll'n~ 

stolen phont .. ,111, .nd d'letk fraud 

Sex Trafficking and Commercial Sex 

· 1 4'\- 9])W~I• VI'Hf'n' Of ~·~~:1r~f'<"lf'l9- ~r"gtntlJ$ ff'dfc .. 

Dr1n ~ofr••••-~~:"9 

• or tht91 'fOU~whowtrt ickft• '"lfd ISst• u.atfiC "" "9 wteum 

w•twt t.''llt 11~ ~ S8,. 'S)j wtt• tn ~lW~ of bet. 

t•.iUd. Ot COffCiOn ctw«ttrr.:.•...c of nutNn uaff;.(.,<n9 undtf w 

US ft<lof.tclof.nr""' 

• .t2'Wt ol yOIJtt'l owtlo W•rt tc;Ntltlf td i5 5u tliffll 1(,~ V<tlml w.-rt 

l'nlnors ~nvotv.ctl"n tnt w ~of commtr<sal ~ll Gr"ld ~urv•v~l t.t• bvt 

wtrt not forctd by • th+rd l)itty ~o do so 

· 20~ {49) of Cl\l]l'ndtr womrn •nt~ repocttd f~ptutncts 

cons11t1nt w11h the doti1Mo0n of stx lt.lff•<~tng. on d d 11 ~ (40)ot 

C"9'n<iot ,_ 

• 24'W. OO)of lGBTOYQU1t'!Wflt tra:t:"•c~fd for kit (~td '" 

11~ of '--tG8TO ,.,..., 

- lK (121) ot lht voA\ .wii'IIMWWec t.ml!d to~ tel~~ 

cifku:t pen, In !nH tw-1 

30'10 (19))of""-"''-hooot>gq<JUI_W,., 

11'1 !ht tot• u~ Mt tomt pc>N 1t1 cn.r fc•IJ'IIH. 2-1" {')))of 1~ 

young mM. ll" ('91) of tn. young WOIT\E'n, v.tleUwr ttwt w;n 

thtough t•IUdbon1. Of .OICt, SUt'VIY•I Sf.lt. Of (OtnlfleofC~ SfAU,.JI 

WOik. a~ idull\ (/ tr•nJ9tndtt youth wt!t tnq.gl"d 1n tht Stll 

uadt, bu1 lhe s.tmplt s.zt w~n not lcnge ti'IOugh to J)focfuct 

~n~f•c•nt f nd·~s ) 

Thtl'nfd.,... qot tnlry W'!IO tJ.td~ WXW.S 18. wt.ltlht rT!«i1<1n 

•tc:w thow.....toww.c~edtra•.-ICQdwa\ 1& 

Nearly • • • • 

1 in 5 1111 

(19'MI) of Interviewed youth were identified as 

victims or some rorm or human trafficking. 

L<Jbor Troff"t<kong 

8~ of tf"i.PPndtnl\ 'Wtff found to haw been ttaff+clcfd IOf libor 

- S.tuauonsof fcxced l<)bof •ncludtd youth who weu~ forced to 

work 1n f.ctOfte\. dome~trc l•bot ~ilu•liOnt •9fiCUilure, lnttr 

nit.oONI drug vnug.)!tOQ kit t,.dt rtlittd labor. lnd commjj,• 

s-on·bistd s.a ~ 

· "Tnt vast I'I\!IJOfJ!y{Sl~ Cf llbor 1•4lff t~.ng cases reporttd '" tM 

~W!tftft.tM'ICHOIICifetdctugdNfng Ni8rty7~ 4}) of•l 

l'(l.ith t·~Nd bHn '<weed •J.Owcrc.ng ntht ~ l!.tdt 

• 'or<tdd<u? dt*"' O<C\ntd ...... )!! ,......, .... """'" "'"'""' ~-.. -lht_ot_and_ How are homeless youlh affected? 

H~s youth itt vufnPr•blo co both ~ll ~nd labot u.ft1< '( .ft9 

bt<auw tney li'~ to tliPf'tlf'nCt • hl?htt rat-e of tht ptlmary r11.~ 

fo\(tOn to traffl(krng powrty, untmp~t. a Mtory of ~ll.u•l 

4btM, and • hr~tory of ~ot•l tOth ts"WeS 11 u.ry havt' f•mrllft 

who i'f •f"'V'*"'I."d 1n tht commer<wl t~'ll ttidt or 9~ tnn "'"' ' ~ hr~ HOI'I"ftu y~lh lf'1d1Ci>ltd tN1 thfy strU991f<f lO ftnd '*' wodt. iffor~Utli# hDuw'lJ M'ld II4"PP'' systft"'M tNt WOIJd 

hl'Jc;! ·~ ol((f'S$ baSIC nt(ftSillft fhtoy fwd erptftft'lc:f'd drSCrl'no 

IW).t~n~jObf.ill'dl'lhcMtng Acor.~eo'~.ot~tNat 

the ,..,....ess )('~.~!."' wto Wt~ Y!Jiner.t:lle to bcM wa..,.., liibot 

tr•"'JCkeJ:swhoprf')'t'Oont!"'lr""" t.tl'SOI"T\aOe'ttwmft"IOf'e cfty 

to ~~n to lhe WA !:ttl~ t01 S&~VI't'.ti 
163 


712LABOR5.eps

Participant Characteristics 

and Prevalence 

Participant Chara<teri$tlcs Human Trafficking Prevalence Rates 

Total Parti<ipants: 641 x-~r,;aff,tO:o,...; .i.ar.>!T•lli•dt-,g " 0 AJ Partocip.mb(6olo11 

...... 

<~..w. 

·-...... 

·.... - - · . .._ ...... ""-M.OI~ 

Voong Wom«l {2Jl) .-...- NIMC:-.do.on .• 

'"'MAI.titlltl 

..... ...... 

- eMultll'~lw 

, ...... 

~ S.Kui i OMr!ut.lon '1001"19 ~.,.,en (383) .-......... 

tr..ero 

G ro,t.,tal'tHinory 

"' LGBT0Yooth1123) 

..... 

12S 

B4 

79 

-

Youth v. th Fo!>ter Care H1-.tory i. i37i 

117 

ss 

58 

2S 

"'~"'.ckll 

At'OfltJf11dng 

14% 

8% 

19% 

20% 

7% 

24% 

11% 

9% 

16% 

24% 

8% 

29% 

18% 

10% 

23% 

Ex«udve Summary • 
164 


712LABOR6.eps

Economks: fOt tnt vast maJOI'Ity of youth, e<onomc f~ors ma~ 

lhem ~~vulnerable 10 traft1ck~s and urwvanted engagement 1n 

tho stx u>d• They rfiX)<ted that they olton found thornsflvts de<· 

~rate f.ot wor': •nd that people t~ .idv""tago of the.r floMd N-ne 

l)'·one perctnt (91~) of rt'Sf)Ondtnts reported btlng a-pr;xC*hc!d by 

1tl¥\gtr$ « acqua1ntances who offe-red tucroltl'Ye work oworturutltS 

lhat nuned out to bf fraudulent WIXk SttWtiOOS. scams. pandering. 

or wx traff1ek1n9 While some-were res~hent and w.1~ed .1WifY hom 

l.he~ olfer~. many of the youth who were trai11Ckecl fot ~:t and 

l.lboc' were reautted., lh11 wcty Others (eh lcx<ed to turn to trad1ng 

~ bKaus.t they could not f1nd leQ•I.I!Tiate wOflt El.;f\ty-four percent 

(84%) of yovth who reported tng.lg!fl9 1n rhe- $CX u~de Without a 

lhltd·party controler did so because of econom1c need 

Housing: Youth re-ported thit the•r feir of slecp.og on the suetts 

ltft themwlntrabSt to sex and tabot uafl!cktts and to su!VNal stiC 

Secunng hous1n9 was a pr.m¥Y concern fOt the vast mal()nl)' of the 

)'OOlh we 1nteMewed Sooy~ht percent (68") of the youth who 

had e1ther been l.faffl.c:ked or eng.aged In surviVal sex or commema! 

~x haddooesowhlle hornet& N~tteteen pefCent(l9%)of .all 

)'OUth 1ntennewed Md e11919ed •n surviVal se.x solely so that they 

<Wd acCe$S houstng- ex food lhrs probWn rs even stall<~ itl'flCI09 

th0$t' who ar~ not sheltered The lnodence of tr.1ff,ck•ng among 

d!op-ln youth-sometimes called "street youth· -was high relabVe 

to the ~eltered cohort 24% Wfle traH1d::ed t01 sex. 13% for labor 

forty-ant percent (41 %) of 1nterv>e'\Wd drop-en youth had eng.aged 

In the s.tx tr.xle rn sotne w~y .u somt' pornt lf"' their l!\'l"S One-llurd 

(33%) of th«n h.ld eonga.g.ct "' SUtVIV.l! ~as trth~ adults 01 

l'hncliS M¥rf of tht uaffid:fd youth v.ttow~ acctsSing (0\'tn.ant 

House's ~tN prograf'I'\S sa1d they Sil>v ~ sl'ltlttf'S .lS ~fe havtnS 

from (tw.f tr~Hidcefs 

Work: Tht youth,..., •ntervlewed 1nci!Cated that they encWlteted 

peopf.e who took adv.vlta~ ol them when they were s.e.vchlng fOt 

work A lack of JOb oppo.tun1t1es Convef~ w1th a lad: of computef 

tterKy ard }Ob sk.1Us to lead to vufneJabtltty Many youth pursued 

jOb adveHisemenu tl'wt turned out to be frc1uduleot They sought 

11a1rungonhow to id«<tlfy<tSclfetoband~~l.lOnallob sl:dls tta1n.. 

"'9 pcogt,).''ns to ht!p \heorn c!IYO•d l<tbol tJaffd:trs, stx tr.lffl(k:ers, 

~ olhtt ~plort311\ .. I.Jbot Slt~tlons 

GondQr: ~ '" f(ve of all crsgeodtf WOfY'IieO and ont '" ttn of all 

<isgender men had expenenced a srtu.atJOn that was (Ot'tS.c;t~r«i st• 

lraffi<k ng Wh1l~ c•s.gendet women were more likely to be uaff~eted 

.1nd to engage •n the sex trade, ctsgender rTIE'n were mete l!(ety to 

• Llbor .,nd se.x TraftKI(Ins Arnons Hom~~s Youth 

68% of the youth who had 

either been trafficked or 

engaged in survival sex or 

commercial sex had done so 

while homeless. 

be IJ.tftiCked than many peop)e mghl e:..pect Ele....en percent {11 ~) 

of colgonder mon had b<on uo11ocked. ond atotOI of 24% of Nm 

had eng.1ged '" at least one commetclal S6Ual exchan~ at some 

po.nt In the.r lives Nearly one in ten men YA'Io 1dent1f1ed as het· 

e~osexual twd been Lraft~elted, wh1!e more than one In ftw (21 '!4) 

lGBTQ men hdd been ualf,cked Ots;~ite tM. he~erast'!xual ctsgendet nwle youth r~pcwted that they typtcal'y had no1 been .Mked 

about eng.ag.ng •n tht sex LJ.Mte \vhM mttrclC\!09 With SOCI<ll seJVtCt 

ptO'\'IdfrS and Weft not typlca~ offtrtd seMCtS for U<t1f,cktng ot 

~al explolt.lllon 

S~xuallty: LG8TO youth wtft d1sp!oporb0n.ately afftcte<l b)' sex 

traffickmg and ~nJKantly ITlOft reported engag1ng in the wx 

trade lhCitJ9h LG8TO youth accounted f()( 19~ of the respon· 

dents 1ntervtew.ed, they accounted fllf 36% ot the sex tralfl(k•ng 

v1ctms and 36~ ol those who eng.aged'" the~ tJade Half of the 

lGBlQ youth~ engaged'" the sec uade 1n some W1t'J duung the11 

•t~tm~s lGBlQ youth w.te Sigtllf~tantJy more ltk:ely to be sex..ttaff•clcfd th.ltllhf~r Str.llgh1 COut'lterp.CillS 

Aging Ou\: Ag1ng ovt or N fostN Ulf system made youth vut~r· 

.able to ~r.aftckers and to engigemtnt i!'l the stX tt.cle The med1an 

a9e of eo try tnto trild1ng wx for me yoUlh we lntffVIev'ed was 18 

y~.us old, and fOf thOS4' who Wift sex ttaftt<ked It was 16 Youth 

teported btcorrung home!eu as a resl.il of leoMng foster c.ue, and 

they indicated that homelessness resulted in vulnerabWty to the sex 

!Jade dnd sex traH.ck•ng Though they constituted 21% (13nof !.he 

samPe. youth who had a hlstcxy of trNdvement in the foster 1ystem 

a<coonted foe 29% (25) of all se:x traffldtrng VJCtum. 27~ (49) of 

AI youth ••9-'9.0 on t1ot sex u.C•. And 26'10 (13) of All )'O<lth who 

were labcx uaff1c.ted Youth be"tVRen tne ages of l1 and 19 need 

soecial.tttenbon beoc.ause of tlleu unique vuklerabiL1t!i!S 
165 


712LABOR7.eps

Recommendations 

For Practice 

lbJftaw•y and hom~less yoolh sMttefS ;,nd ptograms should bf 

equipped to meet the needs o1 traffiCked youth becau!te they are able to .tddress lhe root e<onomK and SOCII!tal problems 

lhat make youth vulnerable to expbtauon Wrlh p.ograms 

d!U!<Uy rt1porurve to the heightened needs of uaff•C.'<Ing 

viCtims, fUnot~w,y .ltld homtle-s.s youth shelters can ~ffe<tt~y 

help ttaffickmg survwors and prtvf'nt othtr homeless youth 

from being txpfontd Wt ttcommtnd a four·pronged apptoiCh 

that Includes pft\lfntiOn. outreach, confident•al and lndus.Nt 

tdtotJf•ubOO. and spe<•alilt'd lntt>rvtotlons 

Proventlon tfforts that fO<Us on lOb starch and job ~·lis programs. 

housing opportunn•es. and healthy SE');uahtyltNtlooshlps Will 

Increase )'OUth lfS.tllence to ua:ffiCkets and exploitation 

Outroach programs and advttUS!nQ for wrvKes ~targ-et 

locauons wt"ttrt youth ~rt betng approachtd by thost who would 

e~01t them on soc\al med1a .and onllllf job s.rt~. at bus stops ¥Ki 

transportat•on statlOOs. and at gQYffnment .assistance offices 

Confidential and inclusive identificatkln strategieS should 

be erJ'f)loyro by aU youth·SE!fVIng CMgamzat,OfU to 1nuease the 

t.k.~hood that youth Will dtsclose a 5rtuab0n of traffK~mg and, 

lherefote. provr~ g;Nter access 10 speao)!iZfd seMCM aod are 

lnclud.ng mtn. tG9TO. ood foster C.tfe•rtlaltd vulnero~blhtJoeS in 

wHn~ng protocols should bt standard pract~ce 

Spec.laUzed lnWtvendons rnght indude antl-lraff•cklng 

ontnwuon and droP"n progr~ms. IMUm.'J·Informed coun-seling, 

ha1m rediJCtlon tra1nrn9. and V<bm reloc;a1Jon oe1woO:s 

forq~IOnS~t tht (()n.ltntof fofq~o~ntiOOS ~ COYfNnt 

thisftPQI1. ~ (Qntl(l Or. L1ura HOUH lntttr\OII10ni11\. ~ 

Murphy. Modern Sl,wffY ~n:h ~u.e <Ont~ David HowAld bl 

Prolect.l~ UfiNtf'SitYNew dbt!lrli)rdtgwrONJ1hgw gm 

91°/o 

of youth reported being 

offered lucrative work 

opportunities that turned 

out to be fraudulent, scams. 

or sex trafficking. 

ForPolky 

Sooat sew:e p!~ cannot pt'Otect young peop4e ftom labof 

u•lf>dong •nd -CJ.llse.<uol exjlb"'oon Ot •ff«Wffy Nip 1hom 

<Ntt"comt relat«< tt.:k.IT'IaS Wthoot Sl~f-cantsuppott leg!St<ttorsmus1 

JR~• roftiO ensuong that ()1.# y'OUt.h ife pcotfCt.fd from tfiffld:1n9 

1'tw fOIIO\Mng k>glsiaW,'fchingtsCould MSiSt US II\ denttfylfl9 itfld 

heiJ>Il9 more uaff~kng"""""" 

·US Congress shotAd pass the Runaway and Homeless Yoolh and 

Traffick.1ng PreventiOn Act wt.ch ptO\Ildts rooch-needed fund<ng 

for Sff\'!Cflto pttwnt and address uafflck.,g among horneoltss and 

rvnawHf yooth populations 

• Oedl(.tted fund1ng should be allocated fOr .ldd1ttOC'\al shelters and 

shefte; btds equ.pped With \YI'olPaf'OtJI'KI.)nd speoafiZOO St>MCH 

to seNt! SUI'YW<WS of lt.llff!Ck1ng .tnd ~IO.tatlCW"' 1n both the United 

Swtes and Cinada 

·All US s-tates should pass c~ll"hl."rn.ve •Safe Hqrtx. ~ laws that 

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166 

Senator SULLIVAN. And this is just a recent New York Times article. Also I would like to submit for the record ‘‘Homeless Youth at 

High Risk of Human Trafficking.’’ And in Anchorage, 28 percent of 

homeless youth were victims of human trafficking, which was a 

shocking number for our community. A lot of people weren’t aware 

of that. 

[The article referred to follows:] 

New York Times—April 17, 2017 6:21 pm 

HOMELESS YOUTH AT HIGH RISK OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING

By Tariro Mzezewa 

For decades, one set of activists and legislators have fought to end human trafficking, while a different set have worked tirelessly to try to end homelessness. Activists and legislators have rarely teamed up to fight the two issues simultaneously. 

Now a new study suggests that the key to ending trafficking of young people is 

to eradicate youth homelessness first. 

‘‘The vulnerability children experience when they are alone, hungry and without 

shelter on the streets makes them particularly susceptible to trafficking,’’ said Kevin 

Ryan, president and chief executive of Covenant House, a shelter for homeless teenagers and young adults across the country. 

The study was released on Monday by Covenant House, as well as the Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice & Research at the University of Pennsylvania and 

Loyola University Modern Slavery Research Project in New Orleans. 

After interviewing 911 homeless young people across 13 cities in the United 

States and Canada, researchers concluded that 56 percent of homeless transgender 

youth had been involved in the sex trade in some way, while 40 percent of homeless 

young women and 25 percent of young men were. About 27 percent of L.G.B.T youth 

reported experiences consistent with the U.S. Federal definition of sex trafficking. 

Sex trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, 

patronizing, or soliciting of a person for the purposes of a commercial sex act, in 

which the commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which 

the person induced to perform such an act is a minor. 

‘‘The vulnerability children experience when they are alone, hungry and without 

shelter on the streets makes them particularly susceptible to trafficking,’’ said Ryan. 

The researchers found that of those interviewed, nearly one-fifth of homeless 

youth in the United States and Canada are victims of human trafficking, including 

those trafficked for sex, labor, or both. Some 20 percent were victims of human trafficking. 

For Naomi, who was trafficked as a teenager, learning that so many young homeless people are often exploited is no surprise. 

In 2008, at the age of 16, Naomi, whose real name has been changed, left Haverford, Pa., to spend a week with a friend in New York City. Upon arriving in the 

city, she was trafficked. Over the next four years, she was bought by one pimp from 

another, sold for sex in New York and New Jersey, forced to have sex with strangers 

several times a week and eventually arrested for prostitution. 

While trapped in a Brooklyn apartment, owned by a pimp who locked her in a 

closet when he left the house, Naomi tried to plan several escapes, but always ended 

up choosing to stay with the man who abused her because she was scared of ending 

up homeless and alone. 

‘‘The fear of having nowhere to go, of being homeless was very real,’’ she said. 

‘‘He would say my family wasn’t looking for me, that they didn’t care where I was 

and no one would help me if I left.’’ 

Naomi was mandated by the court to attend therapy sessions at Girls Educational 

and Mentoring Services, an organization that helps girls and young women who 

have been involved in prostitution. The organization connected her with Covenant 

House. 

In March, a month after vowing to end human trafficking, President Donald 

Trump proposed, through his budget, eliminating the Interagency Council on Homelessness. His move was widely criticized by anti-poverty advocates, who believe that 

ending poverty is central to fighting trafficking. 

‘‘One of the ways we will end criminal exploitation of children and youth is to 

make sure there is a robust safety net for homeless issues,’’ said Ryan. ‘‘To end 

human trafficking, we must end youth homelessness.’’ 

167 

Senator SULLIVAN. What are the things—and I’ll just open this 

up to everybody—what are the things that we can do and we can 

focus on working with groups like yours to help address these populations, whether they’re from rural states like West Virginia and 

Alaska or whether it’s the homeless youth problem that seem particularly vulnerable to human trafficking? What are the things that 

we should be trying to do here working with you or working with 

states, like we’ve been talking about earlier? Yes, I’ll open that up 

to all of you. 

Ms. SORENSEN. Thank you for the question. Your wife works at 

Covenant House, what a wonderful institution with great research, 

so hats off to her work. 

Senator SULLIVAN. Yes, they’re great, very passionate. 

Ms. SORENSEN. Homelessness is indeed one of the greatest drivers that we see. I’d love to run stats for you specifically looking at 

minors and then looking at young adults so that we have some sort 

of data differentiation there, but I would like to give that to you. 

I don’t have that with me now. 

[The information referred to follows:] 

From January 1, 2015 to June 30, 2017 there were over 1,200 potential victims 

of human trafficking reported to the hotline who were runaway or homeless youth 

or others who experienced unstable housing prior to the start of their trafficking situation. The age breakdown of these individuals when Polaris first learned of their 

situation is as follows: 614 minors; 262 Young adults (18–26); 156 older adults; and 

226 individuals of unknown age. 

Ms. SORENSEN. But it is certainly something that we see all of 

the time. It’s either something that—whether a parent is insecure 

and that makes the minor at risk, or if it’s the minor themselves. 

We also see tremendous intersection with the community that 

identifies as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender, and when 

these risk factors are combined, we have cause for deep concern. 

One of the policy areas that we think needs immediate attention 

is the reauthorization of the Runaway and Homeless Youth and 

Trafficking Prevention Act. That has been lingering for some time 

in front of the Senate and the House. But it does provide the majority of resources for youth either at risk to homelessness or who 

are already homeless, including resources for counselors and other 

school staff who can provide guidance and assistance to the youth 

who are still attending school as well as street outreach and other 

kinds of services. 

So I think we’re looking ideally at, how do we prevent that homelessness in the first place? 

Senator SULLIVAN. Yes. 

Ms. SORENSEN. We need to look at revamping the way that we 

deal with families. How do we keep them together? How do we provide resources to them so that they’re not at risk of homelessness 

in the first place? But then once that’s happened and that minor 

is still engaging with community resources, how do we keep them 

safe? 

So I think there are a couple of things, but RHYTPA, I would 

deeply advocate for its reauthorization. 

Senator SULLIVAN. Great. Anyone else on that topic? 

Mr. LARES. In Orlando, we’re also partnered with the Covenant 

House there. They’ve been a great partner in taking victims of 

168 

human trafficking. The majority, Senator, of our victims are homeless, and so as she had also stated, the LGBT community is super 

at risk. Also—— 

Senator SULLIVAN. Why is that? I mean, I know that was in some 

of the studies. But what makes them more at risk than other populations? 

Mr. LARES. I believe part of it is there is no housing or shelter 

for boys who are transgender, and so they repeatedly end up in 

forced pornography, these different sex rings. It starts a lot of 

times as survival sex because maybe they came out and were rejected by family or the community. And so this is definitely a problem, is the housing and shelter, as she had indicated, for these 

young people. 

Senator SULLIVAN. All right. Thank you. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Senator Sullivan. 

Senator Young. 

STATEMENT OF HON. TODD YOUNG, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM INDIANA 

Senator YOUNG. Thank you, Chairman. 

Ms. Goetsch, I first want to commend you and your organization, 

Truckers Against Trafficking, for shining a light on this issue, 

doing what you can to help staunch it. I represented one of the 

counties in our Nation that’s been worst hit by the opioid epidemic 

in recent years, Scott County, Indiana. There were massive HIV 

outbreaks. And Scott County sits along a major interstate corridor, 

and we fear that the transit hubs located along that corridor and 

other corridors can become incubators for addiction and disease 

and further social pathologies. And so I just wanted to publicly 

commend you for your work. 

Ms. Sorensen, you’ve spoken to, in your testimony and elsewhere, 

the importance of a data-driven approach. In fact, that’s what Polaris offers, those who are trying to make a difference here, identifying trends, working to stem the flow of these appalling crimes 

through identification of those trends. There’s clearly an importance of collecting the relevant data, of standardizing that data, of 

disseminating it to decisionmakers and analysts and scholars who 

are doing their best to try and staunch this human trafficking industry. 

Given that Polaris is on the forefront of combatting this crime 

and this challenge, how can Congress best assist groups like Polaris in this data-driven approach through improved data collection 

or perhaps other measures? 

Ms. SORENSEN. Thank you for your question. 

Senator YOUNG. Yes. 

Ms. SORENSEN. I think this is a real area of conversation. So the 

Presidential—sorry—the President’s Interagency Task Force has a 

subgroup that specifically focuses on data collection and standardization. And it has been a struggle. I think they wouldn’t mind my 

reflecting it that way, but across Federal law enforcement agencies 

in the first instance is difficult. Incorporating state law enforcement agencies after that, more difficult. But also even across HHS 

and DOJ for the Office of Victims of Crime has been challenging. 

169 

So we hear Federal agencies pushing the mantra of standardization, but I think the more we can bring perhaps academics into 

that debate to help with that conversation so that it happens more 

quickly, so that it happens as efficiently as possible, it would always be welcomed. 

We are trying to do work slightly outside of the Federal agencies 

as well, so we have recently embarked on a partnership with the 

International Organization of Migration to create something called 

the Counter Trafficking Data Collective, which would gather all of 

the data from anonymized cases from hotlines around the world to 

make available to scholars and academics and others who can access it privately so that we can learn more but without endangering any sort of victim through sharing too much information. I 

think—— 

Senator YOUNG. Have we gotten to the point where we’re able to 

analyze sort of leading indicators so that we can get out in front 

of this problem in particular geographies or among particular identified sets of our population? 

Ms. SORENSEN. I think if we collate that information, we can. 

There’s another idea I might put forward to you, and it’s something that Senator Blumenthal introduced last Congress. It was 

called the Visa Transparency Anti-Trafficking Act. And it would require an annual publication of particularly the temporary work 

visas that are granted every year. And we know from operating the 

hotline, we analyzed 2015 data, and in one year, we saw that 40 

percent of our labor exploitation and trafficking references were 

from people on temporary work visas. So we see this massive correlation. 

Now, if we had the information about where those populations 

were coming from, what industries they were being authorized to 

work in, what regions of the country were they going to, we might 

be able to better direct Department of Labor or other kinds of investigators to target their oversight in particular ways. We could 

also drive prevention education efforts to populations that we know 

are consistently migrating for certain kinds of at-risk work. 

So I think there are a few ideas. One is obviously that data 

standardization, but it’s also we have a lot of this data, we’re just 

not necessarily using it to the best of our ability yet. 

Senator YOUNG. Well, this area of data science and data analytics and so forth is something that we’re increasingly becoming 

sophisticated at. So I would love to work with you and your organization on any improvements at the Federal level we can make, 

statutory, regulatory, whatever. 

I just want to sort of conclude here by shining a light on the 

state of Indiana. As some of you are aware, our state has done 

some incredible path-breaking work with respect to addressing this 

issue, really regarded, I think, by many states as a national model. 

The Indiana Protection for Abused and Trafficked Human Task 

Force, or IPATH, has been an ongoing initiative to study the problem to come up with a way to address it across jurisdictions of government, with various other stakeholders around the state of Indiana. And it was informed in no small part by Polaris and the work 

you do. So thank you for that. 

Mr. Chairman. 

170 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Senator Young. 

Well, let me ask one last question maybe for the panel, and then 

we’ll wrap up and let you all go. But your testimony I think really 

highlights the significant impacts that awareness can have and 

make when it comes to combatting human trafficking. So in your 

view, how can the average person be more vigilant to identify 

human trafficking? And what can they do or what can we all do 

to help? It’s kind of an open question for whoever would like to respond to that. 

Ms. GOETSCH. That’s a great question. You know, at the heart of 

our work is turning those once passive populations, which are 

made up of individuals, into a disruptive force. And so I would encourage people to do those small acts of resistance against, you 

know, the bad and the evil around us, whether that’s becoming 

more informed and aware about human trafficking, and then recognizing places in your everyday life that you can activate that information, whether you’re a taxicab driver, a bus driver, a truckdriver, a hotel worker. 

All of us, you know, as you said in your opening remarks, it’s a 

crime that often happens in the open if we have eyes to see what 

these victims are going through and what some of those indicators 

are. 

Mr. LARES. One of the things that we’re doing is encouraging not 

just my agency, Florida Abolitionist, but all the task forces in Florida, to wherever they present, we have everyone put in right on 

their smartphone, it’s part of the presentation, the Polaris hotline. 

And so literally thousands of people have the hotline, and we say 

you can call, you can be anonymous, but please make the call. If 

you see something, say something, and I believe many in Florida 

are responding to that. It’s very practical. 

The CHAIRMAN. Anyone else? 

Mr. GOSWAMI. A couple of years ago when we had a lot of new 

reports around slavery in the seafood sector in Southeast Asia, we 

realized that a lot of this seafood, this tainted seafood, is coming 

into both consumption for Americans but also their pets. The first 

thing I did when we saw those news reports is I called the pet company that we buy our pet food from, and they immediately responded with some proactive steps. They told me about the 

proactive steps that they take. 

In that vein, although we do have these data challenges, we do 

know enough about where slavery or human trafficking is impacting the clothes that we buy and the food that we eat, and I think 

the more that the public can both encourage companies that they 

buy from to implement ethical sourcing measures and hold them 

accountable to that, the better it is for the rest of us who are working with them on the ground to make these changes. 

The CHAIRMAN. All right. Thank you. 

Ms. Sorensen. 

Ms. SORENSEN. I would just echo my colleagues, who are providing excellent suggestions. I think there are also tools that in 

particular in the private sector and the Federal Government have 

already produced. I want to draw attention to the International 

Labor Affairs Bureau’s Sweat and Toil tool, which people can 

download, to identify at-risk products and materials that they 

171 

might think twice about buying. And it’s a phone app. So when 

people go to the grocery store and they know that their such-andsuch produce is from such-and-such country, they might reconsider 

because we know that that actually might be made with forced 

labor. So there are easy tools like that. 

The people who run companies, people who are employees of 

companies, can check Responsiblesourcingtool.org and figure out 

where common supply chain problems might be happening within 

their companies and take action. That can certainly be true of investors as well. So as investors, if we have retirement accounts, we 

all have some level of agency to demand change there. 

So I think the more we start to vision ourselves as actors in 

this—I think this crime unfortunately is one that happens not just 

because there are bad actors, but because we are ourselves exist in 

such complex supply chains and we are so interdependent on each 

other’s global markets. So once we can start to change that view, 

we have a chance of changing this crime. 

The CHAIRMAN. Well, thank you all very much. Like I said earlier, I think that this is an issue which, at least in this country, 

our goal ought to be to completely eradicate it. And I know there 

are other areas of the world where it happens, and we need to be 

combatting those in every way that we can, too, but we want to use 

every tool at our disposal. 

And this Committee’s jurisdiction, of course, is the transportation 

sector, which plays into this, as we heard today. We have technology under our Committee’s jurisdiction. And so there are other 

committees also that share that jurisdiction within the Senate, but 

I certainly want to give the focus that’s necessary, the attention 

that’s necessary from our Committee as well to ensure that we’re 

taking all steps possible. And as I mentioned, there will be a couple 

of bills that hopefully on our next markup we’ll include that will 

address this issue more specifically. 

But your testimony has been outstanding. Thank you so much, 

not only for that, but for the great work that you and your organizations are already doing. These are heinous crimes, and it’s hard 

to imagine sometimes what—that this is a blight on humanity, and 

we need to do everything we can to stop it in its tracks. 

So thank you for what you’re doing. Keep up the good fight. We 

will keep the hearing record open for a couple of weeks in case 

Members have questions, and if they submit questions for the 

record, we would ask that you respond to those as quickly as you 

can. 

Thank you. And this hearing is adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 11:46 a.m., the hearing was adjourned.] 

(173) 

A P P E N D I X 

RESPONSE TO WRITTEN QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY HON. DAN SULLIVAN TO

KEELI SORENSON

Question 1. I understand you grade each state based on the legal framework each 

state has created to punish traffickers and support survivors. The last report appears to be from 2014, in which Alaska ranked in Tier 1, illustrating that the State 

has passed significant laws to combat human trafficking. Will you be doing an updated report, and if so, do you have any information as to what Alaska’s grade be? 

What would the Nation’s grade be looking at our Federal framework of laws regarding trafficking? Do you have suggestions for improving the Nation’s grade? 

Answer. Polaris completed our final State Ratings Report series in 2014. At that 

time, Alaska had received a Tier 2 rating, indicating concrete areas where the state 

could improve anti-trafficking laws. The 2014 state report pointed to the following 

recommendations: 

• Renew appropriations for law enforcement training. 

• Enact the creation of a state-wide human trafficking task force 

• Require the posting of a human trafficking hotline 

• Enact laws enabling victims to vacate convictions for crimes they were forced 

to commit as a result of their trafficking experience 

• Provide support for victim assistance 

• Pass legislation that requires law enforcement to treat minors engaged in commercial sex as victims instead of criminalizing them 

While Polaris does not engage in rating the whole of the United States on its antitrafficking commitment, we would recommend that the U.S. Congress take steps to 

address critical gaps in the law. We would recommend that the U.S. enact laws that 

enable victims to vacate convictions for crimes they were forced to commit as a result of their trafficking experience, and take steps to protect children who have been 

engaged in commercial sex, and ensure robust funding for victim services. Additionally, we believe the government should take steps to develop a prevalence methodology to understand the number of victims of human trafficking in the United States 

at any given time. 

The United States also lacks sufficient laws regulating foreign labor recruiters. 

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people coming to work in the U.S. on visas 

are put at risk of labor trafficking by labor recruiters who prey on the hopes of 

workers by charging them brokerage exorbitant fees and deceive workers about the 

conditions and terms of their work. The U.S. lacks robust legal safeguards to ensure 

that recruiters cannot abuse structural failures in U.S. visa programs and exploit 

already vulnerable workers. Greater legislative action is required to hold exploitative recruiters responsible for their actions. Congress should pass legislation which 

includes provisions requiring foreign labor contractors to disclose honest information 

about the terms and conditions of work in the United States to workers; prevents 

foreign labor recruiters from charging workers fees related to recruitment activities; 

requires employers to use recruiters who have registered (for a fee) with the Federal 

Government (thereby indicating compliance with the aforementioned conditions); 

and ensures that foreign labor recruiters are subject to criminal, civil and administrative penalties if they violate the aforementioned provisions. 

Question 2. How many hotline calls, on average, do you receive from Alaska on 

a monthly or annual basis? 

Answer. Our call volume increases at a relatively rapid pace every month. In calendar year 2016, the National Human Trafficking Hotline received 91 substantive 

calls, which is almost double what it received in calendar year 2015. While the call 

volume by month varies quite significantly, the highest call volume months for Alaska in 2016 were (in order) December, August & October (tied), and March. 

174 

RESPONSE TO WRITTEN QUESTION SUBMITTED BY HON. BILL NELSON TO

KEELI SORENSEN

Trafficking in Commercial Aviation. Ms. Sorensen, another area where we see a 

substantial amount of human trafficking is in the commercial aviation area. In last 

year’s FAA extension bill, there was a provision that sought additional training for 

flight attendants to recognize and report suspected incidents of human trafficking. 

Question. Do you think this additional training is helpful and is there anything 

else we should be doing in this area? 

Answer. Training for commercial flight attendants and other airline personnel is 

critical. We know that victims, whether foreign national or U.S. citizen, use commercial flights while in their trafficking situations and that training efforts can help 

staff to identify and assist victims safely. The National Human Trafficking Hotline 

has received calls from airline staff who have successfully assisted victims. Increasing access to this kind of training is important. I’d recommend seeking additional 

advice on ways to improve training efforts from Airline Ambassadors International, 

an organization made up of airline industry professionals who have led advocacy on 

human trafficking awareness since first identifying human trafficking on flights in 

2009. 

RESPONSE TO WRITTEN QUESTION SUBMITTED BY HON. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL TO

KEELI SORENSEN

The State Department Trafficking in Persons report from June 2017 showed that 

labor trafficking prosecutions dropped to just 5 percent and labor trafficking convictions dropped to 3 percent of overall human trafficking cases in the United States. 

Question. Mr. Goswami and Ms. Sorensen, with the Trafficking Victims Protection 

Act up for reauthorization in September, what can the U.S. Government do to 

incentivize more accountability in labor trafficking cases? 

Answer. Polaris has become increasingly concerned about the steady decline of 

labor trafficking prosecutions by the Department of Justice (DOJ), which has been 

happening since 2009. In order to improve these efforts, we believe that the U.S. 

congress needs to direct additional funds to the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, Human 

Trafficking Prosecution Unit with specific instruction to designate staff time and attention to the pursuit of labor trafficking cases. It is well known that labor trafficking cases can require more intensive resources than sex trafficking cases, often 

necessitating unique coordination among law enforcement partners. Additional funding should help HTPU better undertake these lengthy investigations. 

RESPONSE TO WRITTEN QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY HON. CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO

TO KEELI SORENSEN

Question 1. The most recent State Department Trafficking in Persons report 

showed that labor trafficking prosecutions dropped to just 7 percent and labor trafficking convictions dropped to 2 percent of overall human trafficking cases in the 

United States. With the TVPA up for reauthorization in September, what can the 

U.S. Government do to incentivize more accountability in labor trafficking cases? 

Are there tools that would help identify labor trafficking cases? 

Answer. Please see answer to the question above. 

Question 2. A 2014 GAO report identified the failure to define recruitment fees 

as a primary challenge to the implementation and enforcement of the anti-trafficking procurement rules. I understand the Office of Federal Procurement policy is 

expected to come out with a revised rule that defines recruitment soon. Can you explain how recruitment fees are used and how they lead to various abuses related 

to trafficking? Why is it important we define recruitment in our procurement rules? 

Answer. Many foreign national guestworkers are subjected to unregulated and 

abusive recruitment processes before they enter the United States. In many cases, 

these workers are charged exorbitant recruitment fees or incur substantial travelbased debts. Applicable fees vary significantly by industry but can range anywhere 

from $100 to $20,000 depending on the country of origin, method of transportation, 

and site of employment in the United States, before accrued interest. 

175 

1The American Dream Up For Sale: A Blueprint for Ending International Labor Recruitment 

Abuse. The International Labor Recruitment Working Group. February, 2013 https://fair 

laborrecruitment.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/final-e-version-ilrwg-report.pdf 

A report from the International Labor Recruitment Working Group 1 speaks to the 

arbitrary and capricious nature of recruitment fees: 

• Migrant workers from Mexico in the Maryland crab industry pay recruiters 

roughly $750 per season for all fees and expenses necessary to participate in 

the program, without an explanation of what these costs cover. 

• Guatemalan H–2B workers pay an average of $2,000 in travel, visa and recruitment fees to obtain employment in the forestry industry in the United States. 

• Teachers recruited for employment in H–1B or J–1 visa programs pay fees 

ranging from $3,000 to $13,000 to recruiters who schedule interviews, secure 

visas and arrange transportation and housing. 

• The J–1 students who participated in the highly publicized strike at the Hershey processing plant in Hershey, Pa., paid between $2,000 and $6,000 in preemployment expenses, depending on their country of origin and recruitment 

agency. 

Believing that they will be able to easily repay these fees once they have secured 

high wages and gainful employment abroad, guestworkers often borrow money from 

friends and family members. In many other situations, guestworkers must mortgage 

their homes, sell valuables, or take out loans from predatory lenders to cover their 

debts. It can take several months, even years, for these guestworkers to repay what 

they owe, especially when they are shortchanged by their employers. 

Data reported through the National Human Trafficking Hotline and the BeFree 

Texting Helpline indicates that guestworkers charged excessive recruitment fees are 

especially vulnerable to debt bondage, where they are forced to work for free until 

their debts are repaid. Unscrupulous employers are eager to keep these workers in 

a state of debt servitude and in many situations, will continue to garnish their 

wages for unspecified debts. It is very difficult, especially for workers who are paid 

in cash or under the table without written documentation, to keep track of their 

earnings and by extension, their progress on repayment. 

Economic necessity, including dependent family members back home, as well as 

fears of retaliation or blacklisting from employers, make many indebted guestworkers reluctant to report exploitative recruitment or employment conditions. 

For many guestworker visas, recruitment processes are not regulated at all. Even 

for those visas that are, recruitment processes are poorly monitored and existing 

laws are poorly enforced. Exploitative recruiters are rarely held accountable for 

fraudulent behaviors, further incentivizing abuse. 

Developing a comprehensive definition of recruitment fees is extremely important 

so that the U.S. Government can prohibit these predatory practices. Furthermore, 

the U.S. Government should take necessary steps to ensure that the products and 

services it purchases are provided by workers who have not been exploited or 

abused as a result of having paid recruitment fees. 

Civil society has already taken steps to provide the Department of State with a 

comprehensive definition of recruitment fees (which can be provided upon request), 

the next step is implementing this definition. 

RESPONSE TO WRITTEN QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY HON. DAN SULLIVAN TO

ESTHER GOETSCH

Question 1. Due to the uniqueness of Alaska, in our supply chains we likely do 

not have as much interstate trucking as other states, but rather have a higher level 

of air freight and sea cargo. When thinking about force multiplying, is the advocacy 

and education work you are doing being applied or shared with other industries, 

such as the airlines, hotels and motels, or sea cargo shipping companies? 

Answer. Currently, TAT’s model is being replicated within the convenience store 

industry with the introduction of CSAT (Convenience Stores Against Trafficking) 

begun by In Our Backyard. TAT has already begun partnering with Mexico’s 

Consejo Ciudadano in order to replicate portions of our model to the majority of 

transportation modes in their country. TAT also just launched BOTL (Busing on the 

Lookout), in order to engage the thousands of school and commercial bus drivers 

and bus terminal employees in our Nation around this crime. Our model is highly 

replicable, and we are willing to consult with other agencies and organizations interVerDate Nov 24 2008 11:05 Jul 25, 2018 Jkt 075679 PO 00000 Frm 00179 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6621 S:\GPO\DOCS\30786.TXT JACKIE
176 

ested in replicating it via multiple industries. We also know that Polaris has developed training materials currently available for the hotel and motel industries. 

Question 2. Are there any specific areas where there is Federal jurisdiction—such 

as ports, border crossings, consular officers issuing visas—that you believe need further oversight or training to identify and protect victims of trafficking? 

Answer. Absolutely. All port authority agents, border patrol officers, and anyone 

issuing official U.S. Government documents, should be well aware of the signs of 

human trafficking and how specifically their office intersects with potential traffickers and victims. Generic training will not do here . . . what is needed is nichespecific training for each agency that takes into consideration the uniqueness of 

their line of employment and also provides the stakeholders with the necessary resources to assist victims they might recover. TAT highly recommends the convening 

of effective anti-trafficking NGOs and agency experts, from the offices mentioned, 

who could bring their expertise to bear in developing a focused and well-studied 

training curriculum, as well as a highly pragmatic and effective response protocol. 

RESPONSE TO WRITTEN QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY HON. BILL NELSON TO

ESTHER GOETSCH

Ms. Goetsch, about 30 states have implemented all or part of the Iowa motor vehicle model that works with the trucking industry and law enforcement to combat 

trafficking. 

Question 1. What is the impact in states that have adopted the Iowa model? Why 

is it important that states adopt this program? 

Answer. Based on the groundbreaking work with TAT materials done by the Iowa 

Motor Vehicle Enforcement (Iowa MVE) agency, the Iowa MVE Model organizes the 

state patrol and other law enforcement entities to utilize entry points into the trucking industry to spread the TAT anti-trafficking message. The components of the 

model are as follows: 

Train MVE/CVE/and/or law enforcement personnel with TAT materials. 

Stock weigh stations, ports of entry and rest areas with TAT materials. 

Ensure that every CDL issued (or renewed) is accompanied with a TAT wallet 

card. 

Join the National Hotline law enforcement network by calling 1–888–373–7888. 

Visit truck stops with TAT materials, urging them to train employees and distribute. 

Implement TAT training as part of mandatory safety meetings for trucking 

companies. 

In addition, states may also: 

Use asset forfeiture funds to pay for TAT materials. 

Begin collecting data of interdiction stops that lead to human trafficking investigations. 

Mandate TAT training for entry-level CDL holders statewide. 

The impact of the Iowa model has been 3-fold: 

(1) State agencies that are often overlooked in the fight against human trafficking 

are becoming activated. As there are over 3 million CDL holders in the US, 

and over 400,000 trucking companies, it is imperative that we engage as many 

entry points into the industry as possible in order to reach them all. Whether 

it be handing out one of our wallet cards with every CDL issuance or renewal, 

playing a TAT PSA in a waiting room monitor, allowing us to train specialized 

law enforcement units with this information, equipping rest areas with posters that contain the national hotline or assisting survivors in obtaining a driver’s license, TAT is currently working with the Department of Transportation, 

Department of Motor Vehicles, Department of Public Safety, Department of 

Licensing and Department of Revenue in multiple states to accomplish those 

goals. 

(2) Law enforcement officers are receiving anti-trafficking training and becoming 

empowered to reach the industry with this message. What good is it if a trucker makes a call and law enforcement arrive, only to have the officer arrest the 

15-year-old as a child prostitute? This is why the main starting point of the 

IA MVE model is ensuring all law enforcement become trained on the issue 

of human trafficking. Not only has TAT created a free and easily accessible 

177 

law enforcement training DVD: https://vimeo.com/206215538, but with our 

two field trainers (survivor-leaders), TAT does in-depth law enforcement 

trainings around the Nation in order to equip officers to detect human trafficking cases (specifically sex trafficking), while administering a victim-centered approach. In fact, after training all of the DOT officers in the sate of 

MS in January of this year, two of the officers credited their TAT training 

when they were able to successfully separate a victim from her suspected trafficker during a routine inspection (see attached case study). TAT specifically 

targets Commercial/Motor Vehicle Enforcement, as these units (typically of 

the state patrol) come into the most contact with members of the trucking and 

bus industry. Whether it be ports of entry, weigh stations, interdiction stops 

or mandatory safety compliance meetings within trucking companies, we are 

asking all law enforcement units to spread TAT’s anti-trafficking message 

whenever they come into contact with members of the industry (for an example, see attached report from the Michigan State Police). As a result, we have 

seen multiple state patrols partner together in outreach campaigns to the industry: http://www.in.gov/activecalendar/EventList.aspx?fromdate=2/1/2017 

&todate=2/28/2017&display=Month&type=public&eventidn=256841&view= 

EventDetails&information_id=255348&print=print 

In addition, the Ohio State Patrol credited their work with TAT in seeing a 

32 percent increase in calls, generating 125 cases. TAT has also provided resources to multiple state patrol units when conducting undercover investigations of truck stops. The model has also opened doors for TAT to host many 

of its coalition build meetings between industry stakeholders and their federal, state and local law enforcement officers. The details of these meetings 

and impact reports can be found here: http://www.truckersagainsttraffick 

ing.org/coalition-builds/ 

(3) More professional drivers are becoming TAT trained and making calls that ultimately save lives. At any given time there are more professional truck drivers out on the road than law enforcement officers. By equipping and activating 

state agencies and law enforcement personnel to help us reach all 3 million 

CDL holders, we firmly believe a transient army of eyes and ears is being created to aid in the detection of traffickers and assist in victim recovery. While 

the National Human Trafficking Hotline only documents the location where 

the driver is calling from, not his or her home state, since the inception of 

these programs we have seen a continued increase of calls into the hotline 

from drivers . . . who have now made well over 1800 calls into the hotline, 

identifying over 500 cases, involving close to 1,000 victims . . . and this is 

only one slice of the data pie as no one is tracking 911 calls or calls made 

to the local sheriff around this crime. The following story was related to TAT 

from the hotline. 

A male trucker was sitting in his truck when he was approached by a female 

no older than 14 years old, who was offering sexual services. Earlier, the caller 

had observed the minor walking from truck to truck with a male in his 20s. 

The minor spoke to the caller alone and told him that she was from another 

state and wanted to return home. The caller offered to help her but her male 

counterpart arrived at the truck and she became silent. The caller observed the 

male take the female to the shower area and reported the incident to truck stop 

management. The caller was directed by the management to call the NHTRC. 

The NHTRC took down the reporting details and advised the caller to call 911 

for immediate assistance and to call the NHTRC back to help coordinate additional services and a report to our specialized law enforcement for investigation. Shortly after the call, 5 police cars were dispatched to the location and 

several males were arrested. The police notified the trucker that the minor was 

a runaway from another state and that the male had outstanding warrants 

and was arrested for kidnapping and other charges. 

Question 2. How can we encourage more states to adopt this program? 

Answer. The National Governor’s Association would be a great place to start. If 

the governor of each state could share with his/her cabinet the effective pathways 

their agencies could adopt to become more aware themselves of this crime (because 

let us remember that this message is also taken back to the families of each employee), as well as engage industry (and this model can be replicated across modes 

and industries), we believe states would be able to fast-track engagement. We also 

recently presented at the National Association of Attorney General’s conference, and 

have worked with numerous AGs across the nation, who we find to be ideal co-hosts 

for our coalition builds. We would love to see NAAG adopt this program as a best 

practice and use their extensive reach to ensure all law enforcement agencies in 

178 

their state become trained on human trafficking and empowered to reach industry 

members (specifically trucking and busing). Moreover, we believe the USDOT would 

be an ideal convener and conduit of information if they created a National Advisory 

Committee comprised of industry and NGO stakeholders who could inform states 

(governors and DOTs) of the existing best practices in combating human trafficking 

via transportation modes . . . the IA MVE model being among them . . . as well 

as report back on state implementation of the committee’s recommendations. 

RESPONSE TO WRITTEN QUESTION SUBMITTED BY HON. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL TO

ESTHER GOETSCH

Increasing awareness and improving training programs for key actors—such as 

truck drivers—to identify instances of trafficking is an initial step to ensuring survivors receive justice. Training is especially needed to identify labor trafficking, as 

there is less understanding about how to recognize, investigate, and prosecute this 

crime. 

Question. Ms. Goetsch, are there additional tools and resources needed that would 

help the trucking community identify trafficking cases—particularly labor trafficking cases which are often underreported? 

Answer. Labor trafficking cases are indeed underreported, and we believe in order 

to change that local agencies (government or NGO) should compile reports detailing 

which types of labor trafficking occur in their state. For some, the construction industry is rife with it, for others it’s occurring on farms, for others it’s sheepherding 

(CO), for still others sweatshops are a major culprit. Before we can begin to instruct 

industry, particularly truck drivers, on what to be looking for in the course of their 

everyday jobs (which is why sex trafficking is so easily identifiable as it literally 

comes knocking on their doors), the intelligence must exist to determine where industry intersects with potential victims, and what credible pathways exist to safely 

assist the victims. TAT does not have the capacity to compile such uniform reports 

for each state, but would like to see either a state agency or a top-notch anti-trafficking NGO compile the information. TAT could then be a conduit of that information during our in-person trainings (tailored to each state) and on our website. 

Moreover, all law enforcement personnel should receive training on human trafficking . . . both labor and sex. It is extremely disheartening to have a professional 

driver make a call and have law enforcement arrest the victim, rather than the trafficker (or buyer), if they show up at all. In addition, more accurate and up-to-date 

data needs to be kept on what each city/county/state is seeing in regards to these 

cases, and that data needs to be easily accessible to other law enforcement personnel, state agencies and pertinent NGOs working to address this crime. Such data 

would assist in the aforementioned report creation, allow law enforcement to understand trafficking routes and hotspots in order to target investigations, and enable 

anti-trafficking NGOs to strategically focus their awareness/training efforts. 

RESPONSE TO WRITTEN QUESTION SUBMITTED BY HON. CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO

TO ESTHER GOETSCH

Question. The Department of Transportation has taken a number of steps to work 

with other government agencies and transportation stakeholders to address the 

issue of human trafficking. As an outside stakeholder, how do you think the DOT’s 

efforts in this area are progressing? In your opinion, what more can or should the 

DOT be doing to combat human trafficking? 

Answer. As TAT was an original member of the DOT’s Transportation Leaders 

Against Human Trafficking group, we can speak to their initial efforts. While the 

intent was good, the resources were lacking. To my knowledge (Kendis Paris, executive director and co-founder of TAT, and the one who represented TAT on TLAHT), 

all that came of the group was a set of awareness posters and a website they hoped 

transportation stakeholders would utilize to exchange best practices. However, after 

the initial push, a 3-month rotating intern was appointed as coordinator of the program and as soon as that person got up to speed on the program, he or she left 

and a new intern was put in their place. (Please note, my knowledge on their efforts 

is limited . . . I am providing firsthand testimony of my own experience, their efforts may certainly extend beyond what I observed). 

If the USDOT is going to engage transportation stakeholders on this issue, then 

they either need to create a new position to coordinate efforts, or add this responsibility into an existing full-time position. However, I believe the best way the USDOT 

could utilize its position to combat human trafficking is by being a convener of 

179 

transportation stakeholders and a conduit of information. By creating a National 

Advisory Committee comprised of industry and NGO stakeholders who could inform 

states (governors and DOTs) of the existing best practices in combating human trafficking via transportation modes . . . TAT’s Iowa Motor Vehicle Enforcement model 

among them . . . as well as report back on state implementation of the committee’s 

recommendations, they could play a pivotal role in fast-tracking states’ engagement 

on the issue. 

On June 7, 2017 around 3pm CST in Mississippi, MDOT officers were doing a special detail that week for the 72-hour check . . . check all trucks. One of the trucks 

hadn’t come through the area, so Ofc. Havard flagged him in. He had a passenger, 

so when she started to do the inspection, she questioned him and asked if he had 

any passengers. He said, yes, but gripped the wheel, turned his back to the passenger and tried to maneuver his body towards the officer, which was odd, and so 

she kept questioning him. His body language, how he was acting, his flirtation with 

her were all red flags that something was off. It seemed he was trying to distract 

me from paying attention to his passenger. 

Another strange thing was that he stayed in the cab of the truck and hadn’t taken 

off his seatbelt. Normally drivers want to get out of their vehicle, they take their 

seatbelt off . . . he was resistant. He was also resistant to answering questions 

about his passenger. When Ofc. Havard tried to make contact with the passenger, 

she wouldn’t maintain eye contact with her and she hid a little. 

Ofc. Havard asked the driver how long he had known his passenger, and he answered that he only knew the passenger for one day. She asked if the company 

knew he had a passenger. He said, ‘‘I am the company.’’ At this point, she knew 

she wanted to have a conversation with the passenger, so she asked the driver to 

come with her to the office to check his paperwork. The driver went with her, and 

Ofc. Havard asked a male officer to take over with him, so she could go back to 

the truck and speak with the female passenger. 

She was dressed in flip-flops, very short shorts, and you could see her bra line 

under her shirt. She had very bad hygiene. Ofc. Havard asked her if she was in 

trouble. She kept pointing to her throat. The officer didn’t know what that meant, 

but she first asked her if she spoke English. She nodded yes, but continued pointing 

to her throat. The officers asked her if she could write and gave her a pad and pen. 

Ofc. Havard asked her questions, and the woman would write the answers. 

She didn’t know her last name or DOB. She didn’t have ID or possessions . . . 

didn’t have or remember anything. She said her things were back in Florida. Ofc. 

Havard asked her if she was in any kind of trouble . . . the lady asked her to clarify 

. . . and she wrote on the paper, ‘‘how can I connect with you if I need help?’’ I 

asked her if she needed food or water. She wouldn’t respond. The officer knew something was terribly wrong, and she told her that she couldn’t let her, the driver or 

the truck go until she felt she was safe. The passenger wrote, ‘‘Don’t do it.’’ She 

seemed very fearful about the driver or truck being detained. Both the driver and 

passenger were being questioned. Passenger and Driver stories didn’t match . . . 

who bought what, where they were headed, etc. 

At that point, Ofc. Havard Called for another female officer and Captain Edins 

came to the scene. A 4-hour interview ensued, and they learned that someone had 

damaged her throat. The victim hadn’t seen her family in a very long time, didn’t 

know her age, and then guessed that she was 47. She was Romanian. She was 

watching for the driver constantly . . . she was reluctant to talk with LEOs. She 

wouldn’t speak with male officers at all. When Captain Edins kneeled down next 

to her in an attempt to be at eye level and not intimidating, the lady went ballistic, 

and seemed both angry and scared by that. The FBI were called, but they couldn’t 

get much more information than MDOT officers. Ofc. Havard and Captain Edins 

called the HT taskforce, and they got her help. She didn’t go with the driver, and 

the driver kept refusing to leave without her. But he was told he had to leave the 

premises without the woman. That night, she was taken to a safe house in Jackson. 

She wouldn’t eat during the interview, and she wouldn’t eat when the lights were 

on. She would only eat in the darkness when no one could see her, and workers 

say she ate like she hadn’t eaten in days. 

The next day, Captain Edins called her at the safe home and spoke with her as 

she had promised. Unfortunately, later on she walked away from safe home. 

Officer Havard and Captain Edins did everything correctly in this situation. They 

took extra time to ask questions of the driver because he had a passenger. They 

paid attention to non-verbal cues that indicated something was off, they separated 

the driver and passenger, and they used a victim-centered approach with the passenger. They took their time with her, figured out a way to communicate and got 

180 

her to a safe place that night. This lady had obviously been traumatized for a long 

time, and there was a lot happening internally due to the apparent long-term exploitation. It is the hope that a seed was planted in this woman’s life that will give 

her the strength to seek the help she needed. In the short term, the officers were 

able to get the woman away from a man she was very afraid of and get her into 

a safe environment with food. 

STATE OF MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF STATE POLICE

DATE: January 28, 2016 

TO: Capt. Michael Krumm, Commander, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division 

FROM: Lt. Susan Fries, Commanding Officer, Special Programs Section 

SUBJECT: Truckers Against Trafficking Initiative 2015 Year-end Report 

Background Information 

The Michigan State Police (MSP), Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division 

(CVED), has began an initiative to support the nationwide program Truckers 

Against Trafficking (TAT). Founded in 2009, the mission of TAT is to educate, 

equip, empower and mobilize members of the trucking and travel plaza industry to 

combat domestic sex trafficking. Currently, all but four states are supporting the 

TAT program through their state’s trucking association, state law enforcement 

agency, or both. The TAT program has partnered with the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) in establishing a nationwide phone number to report suspected sex trafficking. MSP and the Michigan Trucking Association (MTA) 

were approached to promote TAT in the past but a program was never developed 

other than having pamphlets available at weigh stations for a short period of time 

with no follow-up. 

Purpose 

To establish a targeted approach in engaging the commercial vehicle industry to 

include truck stops, trucking companies, rest areas and the MTA in educating them 

on the TAT program. Through increased awareness, the MSP’s goal is to build strategic partnerships in addressing the problem of human trafficking in the commercial 

vehicle industry. 

Problem 

It is estimated that anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 minor children are being 

trafficked in this country at any given time. Truck stops are a preferred area for 

traffickers since there are many potential clients in one area and the girls can go 

from truck to truck quickly and easily. Motor carrier officers are the first line of 

defense for identifying criminal activity associated with the use of commercial vehicles. However, our officers had not been trained to identify, enforce or engage situations that may involve human trafficking. Furthermore, truck stop personnel, commercial motor vehicle drivers, and others are not aware of the TAT program and 

the resources available should suspected trafficking be encountered. 

CVED Initiative 

The CVED identified and trained two personnel to develop this initiative. These 

individuals met with TAT staff, attended a national conference, and developed a 

rollout plan for this initiative. The official kick off date of the program was January 

15, 2015. The rollout plan consists of the following: 

• Provide a 45 minute awareness level training session to all CVED members at 

their next district meeting scheduled in December and January. 

• Provide talking points to enable officers to open a dialogue with drivers and 

provide TAT wallet cards for distribution to drivers. 

• Train two or more members from each district as the CVED human trafficking 

coordinator who will initiate contacts with each truck stop in their district and 

serve as a resource for other presentations to industry and community groups. 

• Track and maintain a database on the contacts made by CVED members. 

• Develop and send out media releases to increase awareness of the program. 

• Identify partnerships through the Michigan Secretary of State (SOS) to assist 

in disseminating the TAT materials and work with the Michigan Department 

of Transportation (MDOT) to have TAT posters hung at rest areas. 

• Present CVED’s initiative to MTA board of directors in February and follow-up 

with training in TAT at their annual conference in August. 

181 

Program Leaders 

Lt. Susan Fries, Special Programs Section, 517–241–0583 

District Coordinators 

District 1 District 2 District 3 District 5 District 6 District 7 District 8 

Investigator 

Recollet 

Investigator 

LopezPatterson 

Officer 

Jurkowski 

Sergeant 

Leonard 

Officer 

Parling 

Sergeant 

Richardson 

Officer 

Kennedy 

Officer Russo Officer 

Brendel 

Officer 

Bartin 

Sergeant 

Morrison 

Officer 

Priebe 

Investigator 

Archer 

Officer 

Cameron 

Officer 

Streichert 

Presentations and Contacts 

FY 2015 4th Quarter Oct. 1–Dec. 31, 2015 

Truck Stops Carriers 

Industry 

Assn. Rest Areas CVED *Other 

Media 

Contacts 

Q4 YTD Q4 YTD Q4 YTD Q4 YTD Q4 YTD Q4 YTD Q4 YTD 

Presentations 1 110 9 16 8 10 0 24 0 9 6 11 1 3 

Persons 1 165 161 205 415 554 0 24 0 170 470 630 NA 

*Includes hotels, fast food establishments, churches, schools, etc. 

Materials and Cost 

This program is not eligible for funding under and CVED outside grants or funding sources. General fund monies were used for associated costs for implementing 

this program. Total materials costs to program thus far are $1,923.30. The distribution of wallet cards has decreased significantly and there have been no additional 

purchases made in the 3rd quarter. 

December 2014 Material Order 

Posters Wallet Cards Brochures Window Clings DVDs Total Cost 

300 17,000 1,400 3,000 160 $1,459.30 

March 2015 Material Order 

Posters Wallet Cards Brochures Window Clings DVDs Total Cost 

100 20,000 1,400 $464.00 

December 2015 Material Order 

Posters Wallet Cards Brochures Window Clings DVDs Total Cost 

400 5,000 2,000 1,000 0 $552.21 

2015 Calls into the NHTRC Hotline from Michigan (last update 1/28/2016) 

• Total calls—717 up 35% from 2014 where 529 calls were received. 

• Human trafficking cases reported—152 

• Calls from victims or survivors—124 

• Michigan calls are up 16% compared to 2014 when 131 cases were reported 

Significant Presentations to Date 

• West Michigan Safety Council, (12/15/2015) 

• MTA Summer Conference, (08/20/2015 

• MTA Truck Board meeting, (2/20/2015) 

• Newago County Farmer’s Forum, (12/08/2015) 

182 

• U.P. Traffic Safety Conference, (10/28/2015) 

• Kent County Road Commission Driver’s Challenge, (10/13/2015) 

• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 17, (10/7/2015 

and 10/14/2015) 

• Michigan Dept. of State, (12/10/2015, 12/15/2015, and 12/17/2015) 

• Northwest High School, Jackson (12/18/2015) 

• Michigan CJIC Crime and Security Conference (09/01/2015) 

• Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan (10/16/2015) 

• MTA Truck Driving Championship (6/5/2015) 

• Dept. of Natural Resources, (04/21/2015) 

• Alcona County Road Commission, (05/19/2015) 

• MTA Safety Expo (4/14/2015) 

• Chelsea High School sociology class awareness (3/5/2015 and 11/20/2015) 

• Lunch and Learn MSP Headquarters (3/11/2015) 

Program Highlights 

• CVED was responsible for conducting 162 presentations on human trafficking 

awareness reaching 1,744 people in addition to countless roadside contacts with 

CMV drivers in 2015. 

• Increased media coverage beginning February 5, 2015. 

• Successfully trained all 170 CVED personnel. 

• Trained 16 district coordinators. 

• Partnered with MDOT placing TAT posters in all 78 rest area locations. 

• Training of CVED investigators and auditors to offer TAT presentations during 

compliance reviews and safety audits. 

• Presented human trafficking presentation to a record number of participants for 

a MSP Lunch and Learn. 

• Positive feedback from field officers and drivers. 

• CVED programs have been subsequently shared with Indiana, Nebraska, and 

Ohio. 

• Presented to 125 drivers of the Michigan Trucking Association Truck Driving 

Championship. 

• Presented to 105 teens at the Kiwanis (51) & American Legion (54) Youth Academies. 

• CVED represented on Department working group to address human trafficking 

issues. 

• Michigan Dept. of State (SOS) to include human trafficking awareness in next 

revision of the Commercial Driver’s License Manual. 

• Tips have been reported by CVED officers. Tips were reported to the NHTRC 

hotline and to D/Sgt. Ed Price. D/Sgt Price advised that though the tip regarding a young female traveling cross-country with an older male driver was unfounded at the time, he felt the she was possibly in danger of being recruited 

and/or had not yet been forced into the business. 

• As proof that creating an awareness and changing perceptions is effective, a 

truck driver in VA reported seeing a female victim looking out the window of 

a motorhome where she was being held captive and forced into prostitution. The 

driver was aware of the program because Con-Way Trucking discusses this information. His call resulted in two federal court convictions of human trafficking. 

• Female CVED TAT coordinators joined several other women of MSP to spend 

a day with teen girls at Vista Maria, a residential treatment facility for teen 

girls suffering the effects of severe abuse, neglect and other traumas such as 

human trafficking. The goal was to develop mentoring relationships with the 

girls. 

Upcoming Opportunities 

• CVED is working toward a partnership with Michigan Dept. of State to display 

a short TAT looping video in SOS Super Centers, and distribute TAT materials 

to CDL holders at the counter of all SOS branch offices. 

183 

Next Steps 

• Continue providing human trafficking/TAT awareness training opportunities to 

the trucking industry and the community. 

• Encourage CVED members to continue to talk about human trafficking awareness with truck drivers, use provided facts and talking points, and distribute 

wallet card on every stop. 

• Begin conducting enforcement operations in cooperation with troopers and local 

law enforcement agencies using motor carrier officers and CVED commercial vehicles at truck stops. 

• Work toward a department-wide plan to stop human trafficking in Michigan. 

• Follow up with truck stops and rest areas in Feb. 2016 as a part of a tri-state 

initiative with the Indiana State Police and the Ohio Highway Patrol. 

RESPONSE TO WRITTEN QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY HON. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL TO

SAMIR GOSWAMI

Question 1. As consumers demand ethically sourced products, more companies are 

establishing policies that promote human rights in their supply chains. Unfortunately, connecting these policies to everyday practices often fall short of expectations 

and are proven to be easier said than done. 

Mr. Goswami, how can we ensure the private sector goes beyond their corporate 

responsibility policies and takes full, credible action to clear their supply chains of 

forced labor? What tools and resources do businesses need in order to effectively vet 

all tiers of their supply chains? 

Answer. There are many tools available to businesses to vet all tiers of their supply chain for risk of forced labor. Some are in initial pilot stages while others have 

proven effectiveness. The more promising models employ worker voice-centered approaches, engaging workers to confidentially share and exchange information 

through phone text message, smartphone apps, hotlines, and other channels. These 

tend to be more effective—and cost-effective—at finding labor abuses and risks 

throughout multi-tiered supply chains as compared with social audits, which are 

traditionally more reliant on feedback, documents, and reporting from the employer 

regarding labour conditions, rather than from the workers themselves. For example, 

in the case of Issara Institute’s Inclusive Labor Monitoring and worker voice systems, virtually every factory or farm that we found to have forced labour had been 

social audited in the past year. 

On a related note, Issara has also found that running a worker voice-centered approach alone is significantly more effective when it is directly linked with the relationship and ability to immediately catalyze and drive solutions with risky suppliers. The action that follows the discovery of serious labor abuses in a global supply chain can lead to a host of unintended negative consequences if not well planned 

and executed with partners who can provide ongoing technical support to transforming business systems and carrying out remediation, while also looking out for 

the best interests of vulnerable workers. 

Either way, businesses need to increase their spend, which stems from executive 

commitment, and go beyond the first tier of suppliers—a task which is considerably 

more affordable and possible now with the advent of a range of worker voice-centered tools and solutions. 

Question 2. Some claim the global demand for inexpensive seafood has increased 

the pressure on companies to minimize labor costs and maximize profits. For countries such as Thailand, which suffer from labor shortages, the pressure for suppliers 

to meet the global seafood demand can lead to a reliance on human trafficking. 

Mr. Goswami, drawing from your work experience in Southeast Asia, what prevention efforts do you believe are necessary to ensure large fishing companies are 

not contracting with traffickers who are exploiting migrant labor? 

Answer. We need safe, ethical labor recruitment channels between source and 

destination countries in Southeast Asia whereby employers pay the costs of recruitment and not fishermen. Government legislation prohibiting the charging of recruitment fees to jobseekers and workers is helpful, as exists in Thailand, for example. 

However, if similar legislation does not exist in the source country as well, then 

there is a high risk that unscrupulous brokers and cost-cutting employers will find 

a way to extort fees and costs from workers in the source country, prior to migration. Business codes of conduct such as those promoted by the Leadership Group on 

Responsible Recruitment (which includes several of Issara’s Strategic Partners, such 

as Walmart, Tesco, Mars, and Marks and Spencer), can be especially helpful in 

these situations, particularly if local employers and recruitment agencies are 

184 

incentivized to collaborate with technical partners such as Issara Institute to be 

transparent about and make commitments to ethical recruitment in their contract 

and fee structures, as well as their provisions for protection of workers, ensuring 

that all workers—in this case, fishermen—are not in debt bondage, have control of 

their identity documents at all times, are not being charged fees that should be paid 

by employers, are placed into safe and non-exploitative workplaces, and are treated 

with dignity throughout. 

Question 3. The State Department Trafficking in Persons report from June 2017 

showed that labor trafficking prosecutions dropped to just 5 percent and labor trafficking convictions dropped to 3 percent of overall human trafficking cases in the 

United States. 

Mr. Goswami and Ms. Sorensen, with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act up 

for reauthorization in September, what can the U.S. Government do to incentivize 

more accountability in labor trafficking cases? 

Answer. Often, local law enforcement jurisdictions lack the expertise to investigate and prosecute what could be complicated human trafficking cases. The Department of Justice’s ACT Teams have proven to be an impactful resource to local 

jurisdictions within the United States that have increased prosecutions. It should 

be recognized as well that most victims of labor trafficking, whether in the United 

States or abroad, are often not incentivized or made to feel adequately protected and 

prioritized by the criminal justice system, thus leading to low statistics such as the 

ones quoted from the TIP report, given the importance of victim testimony in 

human trafficking criminal cases. A May 2017 Issara research study entitled ‘‘Towards Demand-Driven, Empowering Assistance for Trafficked Persons: Making the 

Case for Freedom of Choice over Protection at the Expense of Empowerment’’ analyzed 117 human trafficking victim cases from our 2015–2016 caseload and found 

that the top two needs prioritized among trafficked persons were the need to find 

secure employment, and the need for support in legal proceedings to obtain compensation for lost wages. Remarkably, only 1 out of the 117 (less than 1 percent) 

had any interest in participating in the criminal justice process. The data strongly 

suggest that efforts to empower victims of labour trafficking, address swift repayment of lost wages, provide options for placement into safe jobs, and support reunification with family often go far in helping victims of labor trafficking stabilize to the 

point where they may be interested in reporting cases and cooperating with investigators and prosecutors. 

Question 4. Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing is a significant 

global problem that distorts competition, compounds global overfishing, and is frequently associated with a host of illicit activities—particularly human trafficking. 

Mr. Goswami, how can the United States Government leverage current technology 

to establish traceability and ensure seafood products entering the United States are 

not the result of IUU fishing? 

Answer. The U.S. Department of State and Department of Labor conduct research 

and publish reports about human trafficking around the world. These reports are 

very useful to multiple stakeholders, particularly businesses who wish to understand the related risks they face. U.S. Government entities can also increase their 

usage of new technologies that capture the experiences of workers directly to inform 

reports. That is, U.S. Government backed researchers should also collect primary 

source data from workers directly and publish those findings that will further inform supply chain decision makers. Importantly, U.S. Government entities can use 

these tools to monitor their own suppliers and contractors to ensure that they are 

complying with related procurement laws and regulations. Such leverage will then 

compel those suppliers to work with on the ground actors, like Issara, to implement 

improvements in supplier practices. 

RESPONSE TO WRITTEN QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY HON. CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO

TO SAMIR GOSWAMI

Question 1. The procurement rules for U.S. Government contractors and subcontractors requiring disclosure and certification that companies do not engage in 

any trafficking-related activities are a great first step to rooting out bad actors in 

our supply chains. However, I am concerned that these rules lack enforcement. I understand that since their implementation, there have been zero suspensions or 

debarments of contractors. To what extent are these rules being enforced and what 

are the barriers to enforcement? 

Answer. Issara’s experience in SE Asia demonstrates that business leverage 

works. That is, when businesses proactively work with their suppliers to share information and compel good action—the suppliers generally do so. The UK Modern 

185 

Slavery Act, the CA Supply Chain Transparency Act as well as increased media attention to labor exploitation in Thailand’s seafood industry have all motivated businesses to use this leverage with their suppliers. However, it is not sufficient to simply compel suppliers to make improvements—often they need the technical assistance to create good systems and processes. While the U.S. Government can do more 

to enforce its own laws, especially pertaining to its own procurement, contractors 

and supply chains, it is equally important to resource the training and education 

required that promote on the ground solutions, including any victim rehabilitation. 

For example, Issara Institute has benefitted from such resources and has successfully worked with the local suppliers of multi-national businesses to implement data 

informed systems that have measurably improved working conditions for tens of 

thousands in just two years. 

Question 2. In addition to ensuring justice for victims and prosecuting traffickers, 

we must eradicate the goods and services made by forced labor from our marketplaces. What can Congress do to incentivize companies to evaluate the risk of 

human trafficking in their supply chains? To what extent should businesses be responsible for informing consumers about the presence of forced labor in their supply 

chain and how can the average consumer access this information? 

Answer. Government can play, and has played, a key role in incentivizing and 

stimulating companies to evaluate the risk of human trafficking in their supply 

chains. The California Supply Chain Transparency Act and UK Modern Slavery Act 

have compelled many companies to investigate and disclose their own diligence processes and procedures. USAID’s Supply Unchained Initiative and U.S. State Department funding to organizations with boots on the ground and science and technology 

capacity such as Issara Institute have enabled the development of the tools and innovation needed to actually root out and crowd out exploitative labor practices. 

However, it is important for companies to provide outcome based metrics on successes they have had in transforming supply chains. That is, not just disclosing 

what processes they have employed, but what impacts they have achieved and in 

what percentage of their entire supply chain. 

Question 3. You mentioned your work with retailers and importers to identify and 

address risks of trafficking and forced labor in their Thailand export supply chains 

and the use of the ‘‘Inclusive Labor Monitoring’’ approach. How do you work with 

suppliers and businesses to rectify the problem when you find labor abuses in a supply chain? How can Congress help foster and encourage such public-private partnerships that monitor supply chains and root out abuses? 

Answer. Issara’s system is basically one where we incentivize and enable multinational businesses to get a direct view of labor conditions across their supply chain, 

no matter how complex; support local suppliers to eliminate their labor risks and 

abuses, or risk being cut from the supply chain; and, offer technical assistance to 

progressive suppliers to fix broken labor recruitment and management systems. The 

three key elements of the model are partnership with business, data and technology, 

and on-the-ground solutions: taking a collaborative and science-driven approach but 

also an on-the-ground, within-supply chains-based methodology that draws upon the 

leverage that multinational brands have to drive improvements in their supply 

chains. 

Issara is currently partnering with 15 leading brands, retailers, and importers, including Nestle, Walmart, Mars, Red Lobster, Tesco, Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury’s 

and Waitrose, to identify and address risks of trafficking and forced labor in their 

Thailand export-oriented supply chains. We do this through our Inclusive Labor 

Monitoring program, whereby business partners share their confidential supply 

chain data, and our team on the ground works directly with their suppliers (all 

tiers) to identify labor risks and support solutions that are ‘‘owned’’ by the supplier. 

The approach is inclusive because all workers have the opportunity to individually 

share information in confidence at their own time and location of choosing, and receive assistance and support via Issara’s multiple worker voice channels. 

Issara builds trust with workers by engaging with them at the factory, in the community, and sometimes pre-departure in their home countries before migrating, and 

provides meaningful and timely information to help them navigate their journey. 

Trust is key because it underpins successful worker voice systems, and provides the 

concrete details for business and suppliers to understand what is happening in their 

factory and to take action. The end result is an integrated model where both workers and business see benefits, and there is impact to address trafficking in persons 

at scale. Having started out as a pilot in 2014, the Issara Inclusive Labor Monitoring approach has already made fundamental changes to exploitative working conditions for over 60,000 workers last year, with over 5,000 of those directly helped 

out of situations of trafficking or forced labor. 

186 

Support from USAID and the U.S. State Department have been critical for these 

efforts, for example, in providing the resources to Issara Institute to help develop 

its worker voice technologies. In addition to such funding, these government agencies also have the convening authority to incentivize businesses to work with on the 

ground civil society experts who can assist with supply chain remediation in a credible and independent manner. 


712BRIEF1.eps
187 


712BRIEF2.eps

Direct Employment 

Oirec1 employment refers to a situation where all 

worker'$ a~ contracted directly by t.h~ employer 

rather ttlan indirectly by the recruitme-nt agency. The 

employer may still use recruitment agencies to 

recruit the workers:. 

What constitutes a recruitment fee? 

There is a consensus around what constitutes 

fee-free recruitment in general terms but not yet on all 

the details. All 'no·fees' initiatives agree that fee--f~e 

recruitment specifically prohibits: (I) the cllargir19 to 

migrant workers of recruitment f~s and pf,acement 

fees. irrespective of wtlere or how they are recruited 

and (2) a requirement for workers to pay a deposit or 

bond to secore work. 

The costs on where there is no consensus include; 

pauports and othtt travel documents; prt-dtpa.rture 

training (which some governments make mandatory 

for all departing migrant workers): and uansport from 

home to lhe fif'$1 point of departure. With tegard to 

passpor1s. for example. one view is lhet a passpon is 

lhe personal property of lhe wort<.er and is a 

legitimate cost to any worker taking a job abroad. A 

conlrasting view is 1hat most workers employed are 

relatively poor and unskilled aoo would be unlikely to 

need a passport for any other reason. 

A wort<ing definition, proposed by Fair Hiring Inc. and 

endorsed by several people consulted in this paper, is 

to consider any costs incurred prior to a job otrer as 

the responsibilil)' of the worker. This is a useful 

starting point. but does not in i1seJf necessarily 

resolve ques-tions such as passport costs. U is 

important to note that, with the possible exception of 

Direct Recn~itmont 

i~ recruitment Is: where companies take 

responsibility for the recruiting and hiring of all 

workel'$. 

pre-training departure costs, the costs on which there 

is disagreement are generally comparatively small 

a.nd not those that might placto an undue burden on 

migrant w01kers. 

Theleodership Group for ResponSible Recruitment 

The Leadership Group for Responsible Recruilment 

srates that ·che costs and fees associated with 

reeruitm~nt, crave:! and processing of migrant workers 

shall be cov~ed by the employer from their home 

communil)' to the workplace. and return when the 

reloeation is not p~rmanenC 

Fees included are oullined in the diagram below. The 

Group also state$ that • M • where the migrant wotker 

i.s legally required to pay a fee or cost directly, the 

migrant worker $hall be reimbursed by the employer 

as soon as practicable upon discovery. • 

The Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) 

and the clothing company, Pataijonia. have developed 

mOte detailed li.sts of fees th&t should be paid by 

suppliers, as represented in the infographic on the 

following page. As ean be seen. PatagonJa differs 

from EICC in that it eons.iders transpor1 costs from 

the worker's community to the first point of departure 

as a legitimate cost for migrants. 

COSTS AND FEES TO BE COVERED BYEMPlOYER 

llllWERSlllP-fOIIR£SI'OIISIIL£R1£1111lll£1fl 

. 

0 

0 

' ' ......... __ 

,-------'<1 
188 


712BRIEF3.eps

EXPLORING TWO PROGRESSIVE MODELS FOR FEE-FREfRECRUITMENT: 

ELECTRONIC INDUSTRY CITIZENSHIP COALITION (EICC & PATAGONIA 

PRE-DEPARTURE & DOCUMENTATION FEES 

Nl""' hre trarwc ·~ '"bl' tcsaonamul 

• • • • • • • 

TRANSPORTATION& LODGING COSTS 

• • 

• • 

fiHN~I)tiCf"lholt 

:,:11" nt~lt"'~11101N 

• *"'' ;;:- --worimshatMIIOIM,...Idtt ·- _,,dlpclllorboftdiOtean 

--

Jbefellt:Minlleddeblteon 

... 

-~·-'""" . ..... .. ... lr1V11'6' .. ::: prHIQirt.III!IIft'W. 

:': lllm;IO!ttramboaletD~Irll 

' penr/de!JIIU• 
189 


712BRIEF4.eps

The link between migration fees and exploitative practice2 

Initial eftons to address exploitation of workers in product supply chains focused on the immediate working 

conditions at the factosy or worksite. 11 is now widely recognized, however. that much of the exploitative practice 

in supply chains occurs in the process of recruitment for migrant workers. something that may or may not take 

place with the knowledge of end employers. 

Migrant labour recruitment is dominated by ptivate for-profit reorvitment agencies that link employers in countries 

of destination with potential migrant recruits in countries of origin. The-se agencies generally charge a fee for thtir 

services. Although genera tty billed as a fee-for-service payment, the1e are a number of mutually·reinforcing factors 

that contribute to the charging of significant and unauthorized fees to workers. These include: 

1 Pressure on tectultment agenc1es to present the 

lowe$t bid to employers. which encourages 

passing recruitment costs to the worker to keep 

4 Rrquuement to pay .a "behavKNal. bond. which is 

forfeited for mf9rants not seeing out their 

contracts. often irrespective of the reasons 

their fees to empk>yer$ low. Employers or behind this. 

employment agencies may also demand a 

commission from rtcruitment agencies. the cost 5 of which gets passed to workers. 

"Warehousmg• - where reetuiters stockpile 

migrant workers until jobs become available. 

charging tMm tot food and accommodation in 

the meantime. 2 :~::~~:~~=~ ~~~:~i~~s ~:~~:=~~~ 

3 opponunitiH for recrurtment agencen to & reqUire worker& to .attend Pfe•departure traanlng 

Oppor1unrties for further explortahon of the 

worket through contract subs-titution. non· 

uanspare.nt salary deductions and mandatory 

and infla·ted charges for expenses such as 

accommodation and food. and charge (potentialty excessive) additional 

fees. 

R.hlka of Debt Bondage. The requirement to pay excessive fees as a condition of 

obtaining employment means that many workers go into debt. Often the debt is to 

be recovered from the future earnings of the work. tn other cases. workers may 

borrow from money·lenders, often lin.ked to sub-agents: who recruit them. Lnterest 

rates on these debt·s tend to be usurious. As a consequence it can take migrant 

workers: anywhere from five months to two years to repay their loans. 

Ln the meanthn~. the existti~Ce of the debt- at\d the worker's utgent need to repay 

it- mean that the worker can more easily be manipulated by the employer to 

~e<:ept lower wage-s tban that originaUy promised. poor workjng conditions. 

excessive work hours. or similar abusive practices. Debt·burdened workers are 

also much more vulnerable to threats: of depotlation-and eonsequentloss of their 

earning potentiaJ - than workers with no debt obligations.. 

FaUure to repay debt can have severe personal and social consequences. 

particularly if the money is owed to those with connections to criminal elements, 

or if family assets have been leveraged as co11aterat Even in the best case scenario, 

many workers return home having earned much less than antic ipated or 

promised. Further. employers or recruiters often use lhe presence of a debt to 

justify withholding the passports of workers. 

m::r •:t R. lUilm<"ntiW6•'!d/tJ. 1/Aflfs 

.:u!t hllJt,:.,_CJM/~WQJk.MJ. tlSI 
190 


712BRIEF5.eps

Why does this situation persist? 

Regulation of global migrant labour rec:ruilment is 

extremely weak and "heavily influenced by vested 

interests and rent·seeking behavior among officials 

involved in providing the necessary authorb;ations for 

recruilment." A recent repon by Verite highlighted a 

range of additional paymencs paid by r~ruittr'$ 

including: di.rect kick-backs to employers for providing 

them with contracts; costs of travel. accommodation, 

and ef'ltenainment exptnses for employer 

reptesentative.s: and btibt.$ to government officials for 

ctppluvdll> 1.:tnging f1um 1he i~>sulf";, .;,f wot"k quotlits 10 

visa clearance. All of these oosts are passed on to 

migrants. 

Current Initiatives 

There are no universally agreed standards wilh respect 

to the payment of fees by migrants. To the extent that 

fees have been regulated in the past. there are a 

number of examples of these being set at a maximum 

of one month's wages. Early versions of the Electronic 

Industry Citizenship Coalition's Code Of Conduct. for 

example. stated that "Workers shall not be required to 

pay employers or agents recruitment fees or other 

ag.gre9ate fees in excess of one month's salary." At 

government level, Germany and SWitz~land art 

examples of countries that regulate the charging of 

fees (in Germany this is 12000. white in Switzerland 

this is set as five percent of the first annual gross 

wagt). 

More recently, there has been a growing interest in fee· 

free or employer pays recruitment. This in pan 

ep~sents recognition that tt\t> cost of recruiling 

workers is a fair and legitimate cost of doing business, 

The main impetu$. however, is the widespr~d abuses 

in the existin9 system. 

l iLO's Private Employment Agencies Convention 

ILO"s Private Employment Agencies Convention 

(known as ILO 181) was est'ablished in 1997 and 

state'$ that "Private employment agencies shall not 

ohar9e dire<:Uy or indirectly, in whole or In part, any 

fees or costs to workers". although there is an 

exception for fees "(i)n the interest of lhe workeJs 

oonoemed, cmd aftet consulting the most 

representative organizations or employers and 

work~ _ ". The convention 1\as bee.n ratified by just 32 

countries, however. 

Undetpinning this situation is a large excess in supply 

of potential migrant workers compared to the dem&nd 

for migrant labour, as a result of which the wotktts 

themselves nave extremely limited bargaining power, 

Lower skilled migrants will often tolerate significant 

levels of exploitation, knowing that they can be easily 

replaced. In this environment, migrants are highly 

susoeplible to iUt9al and large deductions. Verite 

indicates that recruitment costs can make up as 

much as 62''% of a worke(s anticipated wages4

• 

2 The Dhaka Principles for Migration with Oigmty 

More recently, fee-free recruitment was highlighted in 

the Dhaka Prinoiplts for Migration with Dignity. 

Developed over two years of international multi· 

stakehokler consultation led by the Institute for 

Human Rights and Business (IHRB). the Dhaka 

Principles for Migration With Dignity were offkialty 

launche-d in December 2012 with the endorseme01 of 

the lntern.ationat Trade Union Confederation and tM 

International Confederation of Private Employment 

Agtneits (CIE11}. 

The Dhaka Principles are a $e1 of ten principles for I he 

tesponsible re<:ruitment and employmen1 of migrant 

workers. The firsl principle is that MNo fees are 

charged to migrant workers.~ ms is further elaborated 

as .. The employer should bear lhe full costs of 

recruitmenl and placement. Migrant workers are not 

charged any fees for recruitment or pljcement." 

AllhOUllh nol in any way bindi"9. lhe Oha~a Prinelplu 

arose out of the UN Guiding Principles on Business 

and Human Rights, established as a global standard 

for pteve.nting and addressing the risk of adverse 

impacts on human rights tinked to business aetivity. 

These are thus s.een as an important initiative in 

normative terms. 

rh~ *'" rmd;tbt '-'•1!11'fMY/f'tJ(/('r.l/lqiDiiTIM'"'• '"mctal" 'kbllo, t«'nmpk. 1/mt tMnl1 'lt"hob.wriO/d 

Na'l61o!lmdtht'tn~g~MWHJ 

AI~u~Ap'JStoi. Tltii/Ump/Jllllllll,. Plt>#l t.illJ..V( 1."r!JJclfl/ll!ICIIllU':WD(,•~"'bllfe.J~~ 111/ltiiWIIW :rtklortn.J7Dw;.•tnbn 

1/)/( A.mmlrn. leldlm 

hn;r:tWwwri«<OJhuon1Jf~·lJt'~ 

•osa:Sut~ycf/1cq1MS<nl" Tl•flic:kingtn Ptv«m$. lwtll 
191 


712BRIEF6.eps

Legislative/ Government led Initiatives 

Since lht Dhaka Prineipl@'s were launched,lhere have 

been a number of o ther init iatives to support fee-free 

recruitment at both govemme01 and private stct()f 

ltveL As noted, ll O 181 bans tM charginq of 

recruitment fees but has onty been ratified by 32 

coumries. Even where countries have banned 

recruitment fees for their own companies, lhis would 

1 Umted Kingdom 

The United Kingdom Modern Slavery Act requires 

companies with a global turnover of E36 million or 

more (includir19 turnover from subsidiaries) and carry 

on business in the UK. to produce an ·annual slavery 

and human trafr.eking statement.• It recommends 

including in this statement tnfetmation on •the parts 

of its business and supply chiDns where lhere is a 

risk of slavery and human uafficking taking place, 

and theo steps taken to asuu and ma.nage that risk.· 

Commentators have pointed out that the pan s of 

suppty chaill$ were there is a risk of slavery/ 

trafficking must indude the labour migration process, 

but a standard has yet to be estabfished on fee-free 

migration. 

Internally In the UK. howevet, the Gangmasters 

Licensing Authority {GLA) requires that the 'labour 

user requi1es its labour providers,. agents and sub· 

agents to have a clear public policy against charging 

directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, any fees or 

costs to wor1ters for work-finding services.• This 

suggest s that the recruiting agency must have a 

general policy on fee·free recruitmt4'1t. not j ust for the 

contracts directly under the auspices of the GLA. 

2 United Slates 

The most far·rtaching steps have been taken by the 

United States. through amendmen.s to irs Federal 

Acquisition Regulations.. which 'prohibits contractors, 

contractor employees. subcontractOts. subcontractor 

employees, and their agents from charging 

employees recruitment fees: In place since 2013, 

this prohibition is still being clarified In the current 

proposal on which comments we-re sought ea1ne-r this 

year, fees ate seen tl'> cover all costs associated with 

the recruiting process including: transferring, training, 

providing new--hire orientation, obtaining fabor 

c:ettificatil'>n, visas. border c:ros$ing f~e-s, photographs 

and identity documentation, and medical 

examinations and immunizations. Signrticantty. the 

Re-gulations cover subc:ofltractors at an tier levtts. 

not ne-cessarily apply tl'> the suppty ehai.ns of thes.t 

companies. The Convention does not specifically 

define what is to be included and excluded in the 

defi.nhion of migrat'lt fees. This is che focus of a 

tripartite meeti.ng with employers aod trade unions in 

Geneva in earty September 2016. 

3 Denmark 

The Danish Government Anti-Trafficking Centre has 

prepared guidelines which serw as a quick guide for 

companies and employers w;th rish of hidden forced 

labour and severe labour exploitation in their suppty 

oMins. The guide was prepared 1n consultation wilh a 

number of different stakeholders including business 

representatives and is intended as an awareness. 

business risk management and practical prevention 

tool. The guide is des.igntd including ohe-ckliscs.. II'> 

reduce risk and show responsible corporate 

behaviour with focus on precautions during direct 

recruitment and e-mploym~ t and use o f contractors. 

Companies can apply the tool to c:onduct risk assess· 

ment. risk management &nd prevention. The guide 

e-.nc:oorages self·re-gulation and action and provides 

measures which companies can apply in order to 

avoid unintentionally being associated with c-ases of 

hidden forced l.abour. which may result in serious 

reputational damage and police- investigations.. 

4 Multi-lateral lnrtiatives 

At multi--lateral level, the Organiz;ation of Security and 

Cooperation in Europe, comprising 57 member states 

inc::luding all EU members. the US and canada. 

ourrenlly 1\as an initiative aime-d at strengthening 

both govemment prOC\Irement practices and govem· 

ment re<Julation of labour practices in busine-ss suppty chains. This initiative is expected to ptoduce 

recommendations for govemments by ~ end o f 

2011. As well as ti9htening up of government 

proeurement processes to ~uc~ the risk l'>f 

procuring goods and services produced witll the 

involvement o f forced labour, the reoommendatil'>ns 

are likety to address government contrac·tin9 criteria 

that are based solely on lowtst cost. 

The EU has already included a •social conditionality 

clause· in its ptocurement regulations to enabling 

pureh.astrs to 1ake Into account factors not relating 

1oprice.. 
192 


712BRIEF7.eps

Industry Coalitions 

1 The Leadership Group for Responsible 

Recruitment 

The Leadership Group for Responsible Recruitment 

was launched in May 2016 with d\e stated intention of 

eradicating the charging of recruitment fees to 

workers within • decade. The Leade-rship Group's five 

founding companies are Coea·Cola, HP Inc .• Hewlett 

Packard Enlerprise, IKEA an<l Unilever. II is convened 

by the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) 

and also involves the Interfaith Center for Corporate 

Responsibility, the lntemational Organization for 

Migration (10M) and Veritt. 

The $1Jted aims of the Leadtfship Group include; 

raising awareness and engaging industry teaders: 

providing a roadmap of concrete aelions to move 

beyond commitment to the 'Employer Pays Principle' 

to implementation of policy and p~ctice; coll.eborclting 

with and reinforcing other complementary business 

lnit iativ~s such as TM Consumer Goods Forum on 

Fighting Forced labour and the Electronics Industry 

Citizenship CoalitiQn Working GrQup on Protecting 

Vulnerable Workers; ~00 supporting the develop!M'nt 

and implementation of system-s: tQ identify ethical 

recruitment agencies. such as the lntemati<loal 

RecruitmMtlntt9rity System (su below). 

The Le~dership Group also encourages dir~t 

empklyment. Direct employment provides employers 

with con1rol over worker eon1racts. enS\Iring that 

recruitment agencies are not maki09 ongoing 

deductions from workers. and that workers are not 

subject to contracl substitution by the-se agencies. It 

does requ i~ an increase in int«nal tesources to 

manage lhe contracting and payment process, but not 

to the same degree as direct recruitment 

2 InternatiOnal Confederation of Private 

Employment Services (CIETT) 

The International Confederation of Private 

Employment SeMces (CIETT) was founded in 1967 

and consists of 49 national federations of private 

employment agencies and eight of the largest staffing 

companies wortdwkfr: Adeceo. Gi Group, Kelly 

Services, Manpower. Randstad. Recruit Co.. LTO •• 

Trenkwakter and USG People. Its Code of Conducl 

states that Private employme.nl setvices shall not 

charge directly or indirectly, in whole or in part. any 

fees or costs to jobseekets and WQrkers, for the 

services directly related to temporary a"ignment or 

permanent placement." 

3 The Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition 

(EICC) 

The Electronic Industry Cititen$hip Coalition (EICC) is 

comprised of more lhan 100 electronics companies 

with combined annual revenue of over $4.5 trillion. 

EICC requires members to adhere to a Code of 

Conduct on social, environmental and ethfcal issues. 

In March 2015. EICC had a special membership vote to 

change I he Code position on mi9rant fees. stating that 

-workers shall not be required to pay employers' CM' 

agents' recruitment fees or other related fees for their 

employment. If any such fees a~ found to have been 

paid by workers. such fees shall be repaid to the 

worker." Prior to that time, lhere was a one,month cap 

on fees. The Code of Conduct also applies to Tier 1 

suppliers. many of which are major compame$ in their 

own right. Tier l suppliets are al$0 expected to ~uire 

compliance from theW suppliers and so on down the 

supptycl\ain. 

4 StrongerTogelher 

Launched in October 2013 Stronger Together IS a 

business led, multi·stakeholder collaborative initiative 

whose purpose is to .support organisations to tackle 

modern s.lavery within their bus.ines:ses and supply 

chains. Stronger Together provides guidance, 

tesources and training to S\lpport employers and 

labour providers in at risk s.ectors to deter, detect and 

address exploitative labour practices. 

Stronger Together is currently developing its SUpplier 

Policy fw the Re:spons.1ble use of l abour Providers, 

which endor$e:S fee·free recruitment jOd also 

recognizes the importance of addressing possible 

workarounds by recruitment agencies. To this end, the 

drafl pt>liey states lhat labc>ur provide-ts must not (1) 

Charge workers for purportedly opttonal secviees 

which are in fact integral to the wor1c..fin<lill9 process: 

and (2) Make providing work.finding services 

conditional on the worker using o ther services or 

hiring or purchasing goods provided by the labour 

providet or any pel'son connected to them. 

5 Interfaith Center on Corpo~te Responsibility 

The ICCR is. a eoalitlon of failh and values·driven 

organizations. ICCR is working wHh 51 companies in 

the food and agriculture sectors, asking them to 

est.ablish procedures that ensure suppliers are abiding 

by the company policy to recruit responsibly and 

implement a supply chain rraoeab-itity proqram lo track 

the commodity to the producer. The program focuses 

on lhrH: areas: (1) eliminating migrant feu: {2) 

ensuring that employers or recruiters do not withhold 
193 


712BRIEF8.eps

che passpons and other travel documents of workers; 

and (3) ensuring workers have contracts in a langu&ge 

they undt:l'$tatld that are respt:cted and not subje-ct to 

substitution. ICCR has not yet defined the specifics of 

fee-free migratiorl and indicates it will be guided by the 

forthcoming tLO work In this regard. 

6 Global labour Provider Certification Scheme & 

lnt~ional R~rUitm~llntegnty System 

Two initiatives focusing on recruiter accreditation also 

include the principle of no fees 10 job seekecs. These 

are lhe Global Labour Providet Certification Scheme 

which is being developed by the Association of labour 

Providers ~nd the IOM·Ied International R«ruilment 

Integrity SyS:tem (IRIS). wl\ich includes a voluntary 

accreditation framewortc. based on adh-erence to 

cOtnmon princlpiK for t:lhical rt-eruitment. 

Crowding out exploitative praetic:e: The Fair EmploymMtt Ag~Utc:y, Hong Kong 

The Fair Employment Agency (FEA) aro~ from recognition that recruitment practices for Filipino domestic 

workers in Hong Kong were more focused on serving lh~ inte1ests of rtcrultment agencies than either tltt 

employers ot domestic workers. Not only did the charging of fees for domestic wo1kers place many of them 

in debt. it encouraged recruitment agencies to focus on placement quantity rather than quality, with 

unsuitable placements actually benefiting the sector through increased turnover. This contributed to a 

proliferation of placement agencies in Hong Kong. estimated at around 1,300 for 340.000 workers. 

FEA was set up in recognition of the need for an alternative for both workers and employers. It works with 

one loc-il agent, which identifies potential workers and is paid suJJicientJy well to discou.re~ge 

•double·dipping'*. that is. claiming additional fees from migrants. F£A's business mo<lel relies solely on 

payments from employers and is thus based on employer and employee satisfaction. Bad placements mean 

both a loss of income and a loss of reputation. Fair Employment thus places strong emphasis on matching 

the right worker to the right household, taking into account not just what workers art able to do. but want 

they want to do. Technology plays an important role in the matching process as weU as in 

communicating with both employers and employees. 

FEA does not currently cover fees for the mandatory worker training but, in de·linking the training 

requirement from an individual agent. allows each worker to shop around for the best deal. Although 

initially funded by donations, FEA believes it is close to a sustainable business model and 1eports a 92% 

satisfaction rate among employers. Further, they consider they have developed an agency standard which 

wiU eventually require other agencies to adapt or become uncompetitlve, thus crowding out inefficient and 

exploitative businesse-s. Although this mo<lel focuses on domestic workers, FEA considers that the core 

principles would apply much more widely. 
194 


712BRIEF9.eps

Individual Companies 

1 Hewlett Pa<:kard Enterprise (HPE) 

In keeping with its role as founding member of the 

Leadership Group on Responsible Recruitment and 

its involvement In the EICC, Hewlen Packard 

Entetprise (HPE) has been working within its own 

supply chains to eliminate recruitment fees, and to 

rtquire that "all foreign migrant workers must b.e 

employed and paid directly by the supplier, not by 

agents. svb·agents. or third partie$," HPE recognizes 

that improvements in the recruitment I)(Ocess 

rt-quirt time and planning noting. for example, that 

many suppliers rely on recruitment agents to handle 

on·site manageme01 of fOteign migrant wotkefs. 

Also. suppliers are obliged not to hold the passports 

of migr•nt workers, which means that the workers 

Med access to adequate and secure storage, to 

undtfstand the importance of safektt'pifl9 tMir 

ckl<:um~nts and to have access: to $01utions if tl'w!y 

do so. 

To assist suppliers to meet its Foreign Migrant 

Worker Standards, Hewlett Packard Company 

produoed a Supply Chain Foreign Migrant Work« 

Standard Guidance Oocument (available at hlli1.:lL. 

WWw§ bp s;om lh201 9 51y2tGcrP QF aSQl£/ 

c0511607Z ooo, The document covers; (1) 

transitioning to direct employment: (2) transitioning 

to a 'Supplier Pays' recruitment fees model; (3) 

ttl:'u'lsitioning to workers holding their own 

identification documents; and (4) identifying, 

screening. sek:cting and managing recruitment 

ageniS. 

Case Study: Thai Union Group 

2 FSI Worldwide 

FSI Worldwide is a recruitment company that only 

~c uits on a no·fees·for-migranrs basis. FSI 

predominantly recruits from South Asia for 

constNction in the Middle East. FSI manages the 

e-ntire reeruitmtnt prO<:es.s and does not use brokers 

or sub·brokers. Thus, while FSI requires its own 

infrastructure and is not necessarily a low-cost 

option. the organisation is &ble to guarantee fair 

recruitment practices. Many of FSI's clients are 

those bound by lhe US FAR to ensure that no fees 

are p.aid by migrants, meaning this certainty is 

important. Another example of a tecruitment 

company founded specifically to address exploitative 

recruitment practices is the Fair Recruitment 

Agency (see page 8). 

3 Vinet 

An altemative model is that pursued by the Frenc-h 

constNc-tion company Vinci. Vinci also recruits for 

consttuction In the: Middle east but its model 

established in Bangladesh invotves working with a 

select g roup of recruitment companies and ass-isting 

them to develop more p rofessional operations. This 

proeess has rel)ortedly involved a sileable 

investment but led to improvements in all areas 

although doubts remain about sub·brokering. 

Tbai Union Group Public Company Limited (T'U) is the world's largest shelf·stabJe tuna 

processor and owner of a portfolio of leading global seafood brands. In April 2016, it 

announced that it would aim to eUminate recruitment fees for all workers in its 

factories and processing plants, effective immediately for all future recruitment of 

workers both from within Thailand and also from overseas. 

Thai Union's workforce In Thailand is: composed of workers primarily hom Myanmar, cambodia. and 

Thailand, recruited toe-ally or through formal channels engaging licensed recruitment agents in 

Cambodia and Myanmar. The move follows Thai Union's continued development of an ethica1 migrant 

worker recruitment policy. In recent months, Thai Union has focused on reducing the potential for 

abuse and ex-tortion by agents and brokers in recruitment of migrant workers. This work incl'udes 

soc-ial condition mapping of aU ntai Union's factories and processing plants lobe carried out in 

2016. to identify challenges in recruitment requiring an urgent respon$e, In Thailand. the use of local 

recruitment agents (brokets) is being phased out, with Tb.ai Union aiming to employ wo1kers directly. 

Work with the lssara Institute and feedback from workers through lssara's helpline has also helped 

identify areas for improvement in the recruitment of workers. and awareness raising materials to 

educate potential workers on s.afe and legal recruitment are being dtveloped in multiple languages. 

By committing signific-ant tesources and time to dealing directly and building stronger relationships 

with recruitment agents in Cambodia and Myanmar, Tbai Union has b«n able to map out recruitment 

processes more effectively, and positively impact the lives of people comillg to work in 11\aUand in the 

seafood sector. 
195 


712BRIEF10.eps

Discussion 

A requlremt<nt for workers to pay reasonable 

recruitment fees does not. In itself. appear 

problematic so long as these are fixed at a reasonable level (e.g. one month's salary) rather than 

defined in vague terms such as 'not excessive'. 

Available data suggests that most migrants are 

willing t() pay significantly hig.her amounts. TM lack 

of negotiating power tl\at unskilled and lower skilled 

migrams have, however, combines with vested 

interest to le3d to a gron distortion of such fees. The 

EICC is an example of an organization that had 

initially capped fees at one month but ~en ually 

moved to an Employer Pays system, partly for ethical 

reasons and panty due to the growing international 

trend in this direction, particularly with respect to the 

US Foreign Acquisicion Regu1atf.ons. 

Advantages of the Employer Pays model 

1 Reduction in exploitative labour 

pract1ce, includ1ng debt bondage and 

a bener deal for all affected migrants. 

Fot a large proportion of the wortd's population, 

migrat.ion is ~ single greattst route out of poverty. 

Fee-free migr8tion and the associated reduction in 

exploitat i~ practice offers a btttet deal for migrants. 

which is likely to increase remittances and thus have 

flow-on effects to the- families and communities of 

migr8nts. 

2 Incentives to minimize worker turnover. 

In some sectors. the migrant pays system creates. 

incentive$ for reCfVitment companies with regard to 

high worker turnover - tM more migrants that pay 

fees. the more the rectuiters eam. This is gent-rally not 

In the interests of the employer. When the employer 

agrees a set fee with the recruiter for a specified 

number of workers. this creates an nctt~ tive for the 

recruiter to minimize turnover. 

J lower recruitment costs 

An immediate advantage of the employer pays 

system i.s that it is likety to reduce the tevef of 

recruitment fees. Fee& chaf9ed to employees are 

unlikely to be as 1\igh as those to migrants. Employers 

have conshjerably mot@ bargaining pow!i' than 

migrant worker&, and can ~shop around• diHerent 

recruitment agencies in a way that individual miorant 

workers cannot. This, and gr~ater power to nt-gotiate 

and enforce contractual agreement&, lessens the 

potential for recruitment to inflate charges. Kickbacks 

from recruitment agencies to employers for example 

would ~come an employer oost. Fun her. employers 

would not need to take on high levels of debt to cover 

recruitment C0$1.$, a major contributor to ig~nl 

vulnerability. 

4 More professionalized recruitment 

services. 

At present.. the: ability of recruitment compames to 

pas& almost all costs onto migrants means there is 

lin1ited inCt"ntivc tu t.M:-cun1e rno1c t:rficictll and 

professional. An employer pays system would likety 

encourage recruiters to focus on providing better 

value for money. 

5 Early adoption of an emerg1ng global 

standard. 

The EICC's decision to move from a capping 

recruitment fees at one month to an Employer Pays 

system came about partly due to ethical conct-rns and 

partly due to recognition of the growing international 

trend in this direction. While the US Forei9n 

Acquisition Regulation.s are particularly important in 

this regard because they will make the Employer Pays 

Principle an issue of compliance. and thus obligatory 

- lhe principle is also being driven by induslry·led 

groups and other interilovernmental fora. Over time. it 

is likely to be the focus also of consumer auention. 

Thus. there appears '" advantage to comp..,ies in 

taking steps at an early stage to build fee·free 

migration into their supply chains. 

Governments retain control over both labour migration 

reg!Jation and the regulation of recruiting agencies meaning 

thtrt ate a number of actions they can take to lnnuenct the 

labour ri!Cni tment malbt. both positive and nfgativt. ThKe 

include: (1) the imposition of adlitional fees. such as Mal-aysia's 

migrant worker ltvy; (2) regulations such as rtqliring workers to 

pay a S«Wiiy bond: (3) polleits and proefSSts rtgulallng 

f01eign wortter quotas; and (4) policies and pr.ietkes relating to 

the employment of WOftctrs with il'fegular migrant stalus (that is. 

without valid Vi$3S and cw work permit$), ThHt praetiCt$ ra~ 

from: vtry strict $41Ch as in Malaysia wh«t tmploym art held 

stro~y and €irectly accountable for the imrr19ration status of 

workers in their e~oy: to Thailand, wl\efe tht government's 

$)'$tematic lade of a.ction again$\ tmployers eng~ng inegular 

migrants &«vt!sto undermine the legal ~ationsystem. 

The rofe that C)O\'f'llVIltnts can play in facilitating or i~ding 

fait recruitment. including no o.. limited fHs. stJ99ests a 

potential advocacy role for businesses. particularly cdledively 

such as tlvough industry or crOS$·indJstry coalitior.s. 

10 
196 


712BRIEF11.eps

Challenges and decision-making factors 

1 Inc c .ed costs for employ• 

AI noted. many tmploym ar~ enjoying the btnd•ts of 

<hoop mooron• labour ""hout payong the full cost& 

Rtqu.nng employer$ to pay rectulttf'l and mon.cor 

t.M.r ptK'tiCH wt~ll edd tO production Cottt. tlthouvJ'l 

thotrt art polenhal off·seUing garna n ptoduC'tt'Vlty 

from a more stable and ideally better aelectt<f 

workforct. 

None of the companies consulltd dirKtly 

compenaattd suppliers for any additional coals 

incurred 11 a result of adoptin9 a fee-free migration 

model or knew of othe-r companie. who 1\1<1 done so. 

The Qt'nt,.l v.ew SH:mtd to be that thia was just one 

of many iuues that suppliers needed 10 coosidtf ., 

bitJdin9 for contracts and that. tn .-.enano dtat 

at~;trda for the emptoyers of ""9'~' WOfUrl. the 

bu'f"'9 company wn O<llng to low! the play1n9 fiefcl. 

One company notf'd that pnof to the .ctop110n of thla 

policy, aupphtfl with more ethical recruitment 

pol•clea wtre effectrvety being placed at a 

di11dvant19t. Another informant conaklertd tl\at 

compan;es with multiple suppliers were likely 

running a dual cysttl'l'\ wilh 'fee-free' workert working 

alongJide fH-paying migrant workers 

2 

Tho ~mtnt ol f ... by the tmploytr- not oct as 

a gUMantH that recruiling agMia art not also 

eharg1n9 migrants The onaka Prine1ptft Slate tNt 

"'En'lployers should check with migta.nt wotkera on 

amv11 11\at mtgrant recruiters have not cl\lrgtd any 

fees for recruitmenl or placement. and thould take 

remedial Mtion if ftts have been levied: While thtre 

are examplu of companies such as Apple who h.lve 

required overcharged fHs 10 be repaid, thefe may be 

renona v.tly migrants are unw-.llt.ng to dtsclose that 

thty have llreldy p.aid a fee - the recruiter ml9ht 

have w~ t.Mm. fot example. chat they woukt lose 

th .. ,ob. lhe<r communrty -.lei be ondogobl< for othe< 

eont.raec, etc To addtts.s this. some comp.anen 

promolmg fH--frH rtav«m.ent have sought to tmbtd 

their own staff in mqahon proceg Mo.l lti1IIOUtvta 

to date Involve empioymenl tn ·ctosifd" factory 

environments where il i.s much easi~r to monhor 

compltance Several informants have highlighted the 

difficulties in working on, for example. argt~ 

construction t•tes. where thete are oflen a large 

number of diffttent cotnpanies and recNiters 

involved 

11 

3 Com,...,y ol ratt 

Tho Employtr Pays Pnncrple ~~ a number ol extra 

obligations on ~· tn adcfthon 10 cosls. At the 

w:ry le~$\ rt ttqUitH compames to engage ltld 

negoriate with rtcrullmtnt compantt$ on recruilmtnt 

costs and lo put mti$Urt'l in plaer 10 ensu~ 

compliance wnh fe.·frH rtctuttment. A move to direct 

employment c.an 111111 to ensure compliance but 

places an addttional HR bvrden on companies. 

4 Sub·brokorr 

A$ noted. Che common prinaple for fee-free migration 

1$ that t:M tm~r t'flftlt cost from the point of 

~t:mMI Howevtf, by this tJme. many mtg~tl """'*•ady paid f .. o to ouiH>rol<ers. ThHe , .. , may 

be $f91'1ffK:Itlt .. lub-btok~ ~~ gtfltnlt)' 

unregulated OtgantzattOnt invofved in ~Nitment 

have highlighted aub-brok•rs as particularly difficult 

to eliminate from the mi.gran1 auppty c:hain. Many sub· 

brokt'rs ate based In comn1unltits and oft en setn as 

providin9 an important atrviee. Recruiters witl\oot a 

presence in rural and rtmote areas are often hotavity 

~iant on thue sub·broketl 

5 Ve!<tl!'d oeo .t 

There 1$ a huge amount of wsled tnl~t in the 

current rtcNitment tel-up. With many different ~tflts 

Mnefiting a t the t~lel of tM migrants. Initiatives 

to date are not .at a levf'l to siognihcantfy disturb t~ 

status quo and h fa unclear what would happe-n if this 

should occur. There are already ~ports o f recruiters 

already adapting by ovt"r·charging migrants for 

administrative functions (•n the words of one recrviter, 

·photocopyino is expe-nsive1 and e l$0 seuing up fa ~ 

advMise-rne:n.ta cleimtng to re-present the HR 

companies: set up by employ... As discussed betow. 

theft are also a number of ~t.ons ~ents can 

take to inftuet'lee the INI'k.et d intluert:tial (igwes are 

aclft...ty aff<Cted by lndu&tty changes. 
197 


712BRIEF12.eps

A common argument against fee-free migratton is 

that migrants will not respect their jobs and be 

more Hkely to leave if they have not paid a fee. The 

limited literatwe available at this point. and 

feedback hom those involved. suggests there is 

little evidence of this in practice. It is certainly true 

that some migrants are not prepared for the work 

they take and some wish to leave. However, there 

are also reports that some migrants leave to try and 

find other jobs (illegally) to be able to pay off their rt~ht FurthM. JUt nnt~>d ~hov". t-"Ctult,.t~Ct r:urr"n'IY 

have little motivation to mitigate turnover as more 

m1grants mean mor~ fe~. Fee·ftH migration 

advocates argue that the fee-free system increase-s 

incentives for ttocruiters to ensurto workers are 

weU·briefed and for employers to enswe migrants 

are reated f&irly, thus lessening the likelihood that 

migrants would want to leave. 

ENDGAME 

There is a growing impetus for companies to adopt 

and enforce a fee-free or employer pays model for the 

recruitment of migrant workers. This model 

recognizes thai current fee-paying models are 

resulting in huge exploitation of vulne ab~ migrant 

workers by recruitment agencies and otl\er vHte<l 

interests. The model also recogni:tes that rectUi1ment 

of workets is a legitimate business cost. 

Work in implementing the fee-free model is at a 

nascenl level and generalfy only at the top tier of 

company supply chains. Genffally. it is par1 of a wider 

range of measures tl\al includes requiring companies: 

not 10 withhold passports and other documents: 10 

ensure that contracts are rHpec:ted; and ofttn 10 

employ migrant workers direclly. At present, most 

eompanies appear to be' fO<:using primarily on thrtt' 

areas: (I) ensuring that their Tier 1 suppliers 

understand tilt requirement to move to an employtor 

pays model of migrant worker recruitment; 

(2) providing training to sup~iers on how to 

implement this mod~l: and (3) monitoring of 

complia~e. 

In order to facilitate implementation of these 

measures, there is 9rowing interest in developing a 

more professionalized woric.er recruitment $eCtor, 

with initiatives rangi09 from ac<:reditation and 

certification to companies investing in selected 

£mployer pays initiatives to date generally focus on 

Tier I suppliers, while including a requirement that 

these suppliers require their own suppliers to adopt 

similar policies and so on. The issue thus becomes 

one more of monitoring adherence to these 

requirements. At present. monitoring at levels 

beyond the first tier appears limited. One industry 

informant acknowledged the difficulties in moving 

beyond the first tier. While some buyers were able 

to 1ump• tiers. that i$, work directly with $tCond 

anCI\hUCl uer suppuers. most relied. on a eascad.lng 

approach, which would take time. 

recruitment agencies to companies laking on 

recruitment themselves. With the exception of Vinci 

as noted above, there is currently less emphasis on 

this at an individual company level. 

lr. ultimately. the issue is about compliance to agreed 

St.lnd.lrds. an approach in which compani~s work 

directly with selected recruitment agencies -and has 

robust measures in place to ensure compliance -

dOt$ not preclude the charging of fees to migrants. 

As such, where supplier resistance is seen as a 

barrier to •employer Pays". companies may consider 

an interim policy of allowing recruiters to charge. say. 

one month's salaty to migrants, so long as the 

employer pays lhis cost up front and claims back 

from workers through agreed. transparent and 

lnterut·free deductions. Up·front payment by 

employers would remove the ne~ for workers to go 

in1o deb1 and tM potential for ovet•charging, while 

providin9 migrants with certainty in the migration 

proces.s. 

Companies considering this approach would, 

however, need to take into account the growing 

impetus toward fee·free migration as a global labour 

recruitment standard. which is being driven by both 

industry and government initiatives.. and grounded in 

rec<>9nition of migrant labour recruitment costs as a 

legitimate business expense. 

ISSARA MEANS FREEDOM I www 1ssaramslltule org 

0

·• ··. ls.sara IMI•Mr is an~~ US not-for·profrt corpotai.IOn bawd in Thadind, Myif'l'nl,j and the llnlt~ States ~ 

: : lleldr'II)I:HUH of lllftiCmo ltld fOft'tod a.bou1 through ditJ ttdtroolo0'. pwll'lffWIIP, at~d U'IO¥J.'IOtl P~lf fli; , •. • "· 1fldu6nq wod:tf \"'OC1' Wld 1..-dl»c:k-.art .1t lilt Cftlltr of luara't dlll.a lfld 1n~~ W'Ofl\. and a! l$$ta l.JI» "' 1 !~~h'Mt conduct ' wtdf ' anqt Of fnP.Jrd\ analy•-K$. and l«~y dtvtl~l fti.J~td IO l'll•r., lnH~ 11'1 l)lobaJ s'-""*r 

c:M111 -!hr~ thrpollcltt,t.hflm,~»tlandf!O'III'IOflllr 'til 

IZ 
198 


712TECHB1.eps

TECHNOLOGY BRIEF Oclober 2016 

Technology to Address Human Trafficking & 

Forced Labour in Supply Chains 

A Landscape Analysia and Reco-eadatloa.o for Brancb, Developen and lnveston 

This paper examines how supply chain due dittgence solutions that aim to uncover human tr'afficking 

aclivily can contribute to systemic solutions lhatlransform supply chains. The overall vision is to not only 

rid produclion networks of modern day slavery, but become engines of opportunily lor workers. As lssara 

conlinues 10 use technology to drive long·te<m, sustainable solutions and impact across whole wpply 

chains, this paper provides recommendations 10 brands, investors and developers for an induslry·level 

analysis of the viabilily and reach of suCh products, and prioritizes the need for primary sourced, worker· 

informed data collection. 

AUTHOR 

:o·"···= "'~ #'I 

ISSARA 

INsnTUTE 

This brief 1\as btf'n prepared by S.amir Goswaml. Tt<:hnology ConS-ultant to the I$Sara Institute. 

Findings repre-sent the views of tile lssara fnstitute. 

METHO.DOLOGY 

This paper draws from lssara's experiences with wotkers, suppliers, brands and factories, desk 

research, and interviews and conversations with many of the featured technology solution 

developers. It explores many but not all of such solutions on the market today, providing a 

se.nse of the o~rall industry. This paper does not evaluate Mf' is it meant to critique individual 

existing solutions. II is intended as a guide to the industry to further connect the innovation in 

technology with transformative change on the ground. 

The market for technology-enabled human trafficking due diligence solutions 

Gtobal brands and retailers have been using various 

~ttablished thitd party or in·hous.t dut' diligence: 

tools El l their disposal to monitor suppliers for a 

variety of risks including financial. political, 

~vironmen al and r~putallonaL Due to heighttned 

awarenen and increasing rt9ulatory frameworks 

about human tr&fficking, child and forced labour 

oonnectt<l to the production of goods, some giC>bal 

brands have also demonstrated a need to source 

information about related risks in their supply 

chains. Subsequentty, established and new 

oompaniesl\ave ~merged tC> prC>vide this infotmatiC>n 

to them, ulilizing various methodologies. 

technC>Iogies and data capabilities. The presumption 

has been that prC>vidiog this infC>rmatiC>n to supply 

chain managers. in an easy·to-use format will inspir~ 

action. generally in the form of pressure on dubious 

s.ub.eontractors to improv~ on·srte working 

conditions. Thou-gh there ttre some good examples 

of this ooeurrin9. funht>r actiools needed to convert 

the information gleaned from technology-enttbled 

products to n-ear·term interventions on tM ground 

Md long·term transfC>rmational impacts. 

Some companies have increased spend on proourin9 

such cechnotogy-enabled due diligence solulions 

specifically tC> as~rtain human trafficking related 

risks. However. it is largely public and private donor 

entities and investors (for example. Humanity United, 

the C&A Foundation. the u.s. Agency ror 

lnternationaJ Oevelopmenl and other$) tl\at are 

ctJrrently driving the market for p.roduct creation. 

utilization and innovation. Some small to medium 

enterpris.ts, as well as larger global br'al\ds, are also 

tneotporatin9 such solutions, thou9h at a limited 

scale in parts of their suppty chain monitoring 

3<:tivitie~ . 
199 


712TECHB2.eps

Tho goal: b'UdonU&\g lDdutrl-. The practjce of continuously monitoring and 

responding to labour risks througbO\It production chains can and should become standard ope-ratmg procedure for global brand& in lh~ comlng years. particularly given how 

technology has made such efforts significantly more effective and cost-effective than in 

the past The technology-based product developers outlined ln this paper each employ 

remarkable innovations and demonstrate that it Js possible to gl~an insights from work~rs 

at the farthest rungs of a complicated supply chain. lt is this innovation that needs to be 

rewarded will\ investments that can brlng the technolO(Jy to scale so that entire indus-tries 

can be transformed for best practioes to become the norm. In order to fulhl this VISion, 

lssara lnstitu\e believes that at this juncture in tecbnol(l9y·enabled human trafficking due 

diligence product and market development. it is beneficial to gauge the advantages of existing and emeroino tools hom an industry perspecUve. and establish recommendations 

for develop.ers, brands and invt-Stors on an informed way forward. 

Supply chain due diligence at-a-glance, and slavery due diligence v1.0 

A corporation faces- many risks when entering into a 

financial and operational relationship with another 

entity. To mansge risks and prevent disruptions, they 

conduct due diligente to better understand and 

predict what issues may arise. Technology, typically 

computer-aided research capabilities that assist in 

.sovrcin9o aggregating and managing information. 

has facilitated due diligence of mulliple entities 

across geogmphiu. The variety of data soutcts has 

increased signific-antty. however so have concerns 

about accuracy and validity. Gentralty, soch due 

diligence was limited to environmental, political or 

governance factor that could cause a disruption in a 

supplier's ab41ity to deliver on its contract, activity 

that could cause reputational risk. and in some 

eases harm to a worker or community. Only until 

recently have these methodologies been applied to 

specifically uncover labour abuses and human 

trafficking activity in supply chains as: well. 

-. L410PVOICII 

·-· 

Made jn a Free World's Slavery F'ootprint app and 

Labor Voices have been some of the original 

pioneers in harnessing technology for human 

trafficking due diligence. They were among the first 

generation of product developers who showcased 

how technology can be used as an operational tool 

to inform a manager about the wor1<.ing conditions 

that site level worktl's experience, or a cons-umer 

about labour risks in products they buy. 

In the past five years. technical capability has 

improved significantly, as have political will and 

regulatory frameworks that compel and incentivize 

supply ehain managers to source such information. 

Thus. established due diligence and supplier 

management companies have entered the market 

wilh products and service-s, as have nonprofit and for 

-pcofit social entrepreneurs who have developed da1a 

enabled technology solutions primarily to uncover 

human trafficking, forced and child labour in supply 

chains. 

11M pioMets. Labor VOICH was 01~t or tM Jus.! J!lodua developers. to use SMS l~noiOQy 'o poll worke1s regatd.nq W01ic.ing 

conditiON. whi"' Sla~cy Footprintwu on• of tb•l'int•ppa \O~nnectconaumers otnd 1lwtrconaumption ~luwi.or wrlh 

potoibSeo.lawJY. 
200 


712TECHB3.eps

Human trafficking due diligence: general methodologies employed 

The general objective of human traffieking due 

diligenct- products is te> Inform and enable tilt 

reduction of risk in global supply chains. Some may 

have the mo~ ambitious goal of enabling systematic 

Improvement of working conditions by providing 

intelligence about hvman trafficking risks at tile 

supplier or production level. 

A number of solution providers collect and aggregate 

open source data (e.g. news repor1s, court filings, 

public records. NGO repons) about factories, 

suppliers or geographies of operation. Others utilize 

mobile1)hone based channels such as SMS, IVA• 

Interactive Voice Response, telephone hotlines, or 

smartphone apps to collect information from 

workers directly in 11\t communities and production 

facilities being investigated or monitored. Some 

conduct additional data analyses by combining this 

primary data with other data streams, both primary 

~md second•ry. to gain added context and insight 

Generally, depending on the product. these data are 

then aggregated, analyzed and provided to an end 

user (e.g. a supply chain manager at a brand/retailer) 

through a customizable dashboard, report, or data 

feed. Thus. product developers aim to operationalize 

the Input of wort<.er voice and/or other souroes of 

data as factOls in supply chain decision making. 

A The cb&Uenge of proxy ..... uta few buaan trafficking. Human traUicking and slavery 

are widely recognized as hidden, underground crimes requiring proxy indicators to 

measure risk. For example. in the sustainable seafood sector, indicators of illegal fishing 

practices are often assumed to be reliable indjcators of illegal traffickmg activity as well, with the assumption that fishing op.trators wUiing to break some laws would 1M> likely to 

break others. The danger comes when positive data checks on those proxies are 

assumed to provide positive data checks on Uafficking and slavery, when in reality they 

should not. tor examplt, fishing vessels with relatively strong traceability syst~ms for 

their product and legal regi$tration and equipment have been found to use forced labour. 

The chalJengM of these misleading assumptions and proxies can all be addressed 

through applications that source information directly from workers. which can getterate 

large data streams of verifiable information directly concerning working conditions. 

Pol~-·..... 6\.MI 

. t · ~\ ~ 0 

Toob coUtemt primlty data. GtOPoll, Ulu11. and Labot Link all oolle« primaty data of <b.Uf:tf:nt forms.thlouQh difff:ltnt 

tcd\nolog1c:al 1ntt'lfll0e$.. 

TUn:UQv worke.1 voice inlo colutions. 

lunHI tnSIItiJle's ioellly N~ INm 

OflaboUtf~ltS IUt'OftMSUM 

ni!ltionalil)' eslorc-iqn miQrant 

workers in dc-;tlnationcounlrie$, 

allow ~gthan to vffi!)' and va.lid.atf 

inoomJI\Q dac. throuob ava.nety~ 

d11ta ;Oe.m;, 11nd work wit.h local 

btr.siNssts to understal'ld tnd 

ellmm81e tbe labour risks and 

nbustS idfnlifif'd. 
201 


712TECHB4.eps

DEFINITIONS 

Plimary O•t• Ofigmal ~tnlt MSully sour«<~ d•rectly from 

workets (generally throu~ an on the- groood presence to ~ir 

c.ommunrtiu and/01 through ttetv\ology enabled ehanMis hke 

SMS, IVR. Mobde APP. worbr soc.al mt'dta feeds) and directly 

rel~ant to labour: provided_. summary, aggregate, V!Walatd 

and/or as indMdual response form to the uset Sometwnes 

proxits are used. wtth varymg rekvance to lab~ issuts. 

Primary data should be co11tc!l!d 10 line wrth ethical standards 

and pnneiples. whtch include buikhng communtcahons 

channel$ whh wor1ters that enible devtlop«s to lnter~t With 

workets they are sourcing data from and. al minimum. ensure 

their inf()(f1)td consent tn the data collection and utage 

Stcon<Wy OM Summ.anes of •nforrn.a1ion gent(alty from 

open sou1ee m~tetlals weft M news lfi)Otts. pubhc reeOfds. 

teoat fittnos. and NGO and oovernmeru reports Also referred to 

;as ·se¢01"1d-h~nd mfOU"t\litron "' 

Tf'rtr.ny Data Synthesrzrn.g rnform~hon 911thered from ontrne 

.-.d dtgh-' $0Uice1 •ueh •• d~t~ ob~t1ned through ICtlc>Jno 

1ntemet Sltts (e.g. bJogs, soe1~l med1~ $.titS) The venf•e~tJon 

and vahdity of thtS data is ofttn challenging and ptobtematJC. 

Whiloe this data may be removed from the worker voice and 

subject to the publisher's interpretatiO«\ stx:h (b1g) data can 

also renal ooique behavte>ral msights 

Primal"f Data Vtriftc.atlon & VAlidation Verification of data 

sourced vanu by produc-t developer Those who uttliu mobile 

technobjy to source information from workers drreclly are 

able to use tht same channels to vtnfy the results for 

aocutacy They can also use othet means facilitated by their 

own on·th~round presenoe rn worker communltle$. thuMJgh 

trusted local pallners. or teehnologic;alty via incidence 

cheddng. ccntrnutd swveyrng 01 by companng worlt~ 

IUJV'e)'S with other pnmary or secondary d~ta $0UrCes. 

Product dtveloptrS re:tymg only on Hcondary or ter11afY data 

aouree& m<ry frnd 11 drffiCult to vttrfy the aee\lraey of the data 

they SOOfot. dwectly, however, many only u&e repofts hom 

sources they trust such as loc;al NGOs.. INGO$ or 

govnnment agtncles and tr1partrte mtit.lf!-5. However, often 

auumption& about proxy 111drcators of labour risk may not be 

tested 

D.ftta Aggrt'g&ll ~ Ptt-~entAIIQn Whether U\f 

d~v~oper utilizes a proeess to gather and disSM\inat~ data in 

Stll'M\IIIIY form for the purposes of statistical or oth~r analysis 

~~~· An.~tlytlet. Whethtt the develot>l!f examtnes and provide-s 

;11nJiy$1S of raw, l)fimt~~ry SOI.II'« data tot the PUI'POSf!S of 

~wing eonclu.$111)1\S speetfi'C to thole data sets 

Rl .-• .. n;h & An~ty~lll Whethet the develope~ engage• jn a 

transpaftnl (wh1le PfOteetrng pr·OS)cretary Md pnva.ey 

concerns) prOCHs to glean insights and meanrng from lht 

d~ta gathered and applies it to human trafricking 

prevalence in supply chains; and. if the individual sets of 

data art rtviewtd and analyztd to establish a finding. 

Sohrhon. on u .. Grouf'H:I Th1s eateg«y rndJeates the extent to 

which the developer is drreetty lll'lked to proorams and 

mect\t.ni1ms tNt create me~lvrJble imp.a,et fo. worl(esa on 

the ground In some methodOioQies employ~. on lhe or01.1nd 

.ctlvrty (suet\ as brand preuure on svpplttfl ~s a rtsull of 

disclosures) may be conftdmtial and thus not pWiicly 

disclosed 

hu been partnenng smee 2014 wrlh a 

range of US. UK, and Europun globaJ braru1s •nd 

tt-talltrt to use wo•ker voret teehnolOQy to 1dt.otlfy 

labour rtsks in South~eut Asian supply cbalru;, and 

6ddresslhem th•ougb ptevMtlvt and corrective aet1ont 

that ~ue unplemented by the suppJte" i.n J)3rtnersblp 

With lssara's on·the·gtound team of labour expens. tssara·s work~r vo1c~ t«:hnology stan~d as a 

multi-lingual hot1in~. and has now npanded to 

smartphone technology, taking advantaqe of the fact 

that the great maJority ofmtgrant workers m the reg1on 

hav~ smartphones., A key aspect of th~ mod~l includes 

havang an on· the-ground techntcal team tocross-chi!Ck 

and verify ineommg dat-. respond to worker needs. and 

support suppliers in the tmplementauon of 

Improvements to eliminate labour nsks from their 

labour recruitment and management pract.ces. Just m 

the f1rst y·ear oflssara's pllot.lmprovements were made 

r.n faetones 1mp.actmg 40,000 worktJS. nearly 5-,000 of 

them in forced labow lssar-a Institute is a not-for·proht 

so the hotline and m•;rant worker sman.pbone apps are 

pubbc goods developed fu1t and fo1emost toempowe:1 

and a$Sist mLQraot worke1s. with the ln!ottnatlon bt.lno 

an.alyz.ed to also lnform wppller&, r;~lobal buyers, anti· 

trafficlung actors, and othe1s engaqe:d in rtsponsible 

sourclno and decent work for m19tant workers Business 

~rtners l'lt present u'loClude brandS/retailers Mar1, Nestle. 

Red Lobster, Sainsbury'!. Tesco. Waitrose and Walmart, 

importers include Lyons Seafoods. Seafresh Croup. and 

World Wise Foods. 

1s a supply cham analyhcs company that 

leverages a data·dnven, technology 1pproaeh to advance 

ttln.si)Jreney tn glob&l supply chaill:t. It crowdsouJ<:-es 

data from workers about workplace conditions via thei1 

mob1le phones •nd oommunlta.tH thts mtelhoenee an rtal·tlmt 10 brands Labo•Volcet has operated In 15 

laoouao:u an 10 eountr•tt aer0$$4 contl:ne.nu:. rtath1n9 

o~te.r JOO,OOO workt.l$. In 2016. LaborVoh:esl•uncbe4 

Symphony. a mobile technology platform that envaqn 

workt'lt OUU:1de of fac-tones. mdeptndent of brand and 

e.mployermvolvement. to anonymously ratt> lht'll 

tmploytrs on vanous JOC:III compbanc~& metuea. By 

pubhstuov Symphony factory data every s1x months, 

LaborVoiee:s auns to t'nO:Ouragc a r-ace·to•tM•top among 

t'lllployen who, w1lh mereased tJansparency and. 

ai!CQUnt.abality, will am prove thtir workplace condihOns 

to 01ttrtct brand cuuomen and employees 

Simultaneously. Symphony helps worken lurn about 

the best employers in their ar~a,.en•blino lhero to vote 

wJth lhelr feet to ftnd the best ,obs throughout then 

wotktno live~ Since us launch in early 20l6.1he 

symphony phu!orm has ri\pldly KAied to mclude dJ~.a on 

160+ app.~rel factoues from 10.()1)0+ worhrt in 

Bangladesh ~nd T\trkey 
202 


712TECHB5.eps

TECHNOLOGY TO ADDRESS HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN SUPPLY CHAINS: 

SELECTED PROVIDER CAPABILITIES 

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 

• • • • • Oa.Ui Aaftl;ation •Presmtation • • • • • • • • • • • Dlt~~AM1)1icl • • • • • • • • R-=l>A 

AAII,Jo • • • • • 

• • • 

DESCRIPTIONS OF A SAMPLE OF PRODUCTS& TOOLS 

EcoVadis 

::=.s_-:.:-~ .. ~~~---- • CeoPoD (MobUeAcc:ord ID<.) ......................... .-.......... ..... ............................................ ............................... OM 

-l$$i:lre ln~titute 

.............................. Ylbt.-~.......--·------....---­ ,.......,.,.... ................. Jiillllf .... ....n.., ........ ....._ Kroll 

:a::-n:..-:.:=.-::.===.:=:---

Labor Unk (Good World Solutions) 

** 1118allliONI ...... ...... ww,t ~ .... ........... --......... trCPIIC*' ~-.. -'l* M ................ c-..... OOIIIfll • ...,. ....... ... _ 

Labor Voices =-==--:--.. -==.-:.=:.=.:---· 

U!xisDi!igenco 

... ~~ ...., . ..,.. .... ·-- ........................... ~---~.-... ... .................. """"__..... ... Made in a Free World Mllltfllllll .... ldllllft_ ....... __ ..._ •• ...,c:r.. .. .....~_... .. .,......,..--.:n~~..,... ...... 

--- RcpRJsk £SG,..,._., ... ...._...., .. --c_.N..._.,. ::=:r:n:.·.:-.:!:::.."':-a;:.,.~ 

Sustainability Incubator .................. .,.,.. ................... . r ................... _ ............. w.p., 
203 


712TECHB6.eps

RECOMMENDATIONS > Driving improvements for workers through data and technology 

Though due diligence of suppliers and production 

chains is not a new concept tile past five yeats has 

seen a rapid growth in lhe ptoliferation of technology 

tools that PfOvide in&ight into human trafficking and 

fOf'ced labour specificalty. SMS. rvR and mobile Apps 

can now be depk>yed retativety quickly and at a lowe-r 

price point. AI the same time, mobile phone 

penel!ation or migrant worker populations is in areas 

as high as >91n&, for example among Burmese migrant 

workers in Thailand. Coupled wi1h advances in 

capabilities to analyze large, multiple and dlsparate 

data sets, supply chain de<:ision makers are poised to 

benefit from the unprecedented ability to use 

techoology to drive transformations in producti()(l 

networks. 

That sajd. a due diligence product is only as good as 

the accuracy and breadth of d3ta that it is bvi:Jt on. II is 

critically important to understand the scale and 

shortcomings of any product offering to be able to 

cond~o~ct a comprehensive verification ptocess. Aside 

from technological challen.ges, all solutions are limited 

lo the 9ec>9raphic locations that they are deployed in. 

their ability to scale. myriad local govemance issues 

and resources to contribute to systemic changes. 

Regional geopolitical ch.a11enges can also hinder a 

produc:l developer to deploy a mobile b.a~d tool in 

certain areas. or a«ess partners who can verify 

primary source data without compromisin-g a W()(ker's 

or surveyor's. safety. 

While m~o~ch value is derived from secondary data 

sources. transparency in ~presentation of data typts 

and anatytieal methodologies is paramount If the data 

is not derived from trusted 01 verified sile level 

gathtring c:hat~ntls and with direct relevance to labour 

issues. then characterizing otherwise can result in a 

false positive which will only continue to mask the 

criminal conduct of an unscrupulous supplier, and 

negate the valid due diligence efforts of a supply chain 

manager. However, since there are many challenges 10 

primary source data collection- lransparenc:y in any 

data sourcing rMt.hodology utilized can enable a us<tr 

to dfploy other tools to add 10 and oomplfment the&e 

efforts. 

Is sara thus mollkts the followmg recommendations for 

various $takeholde-rs and supply chain decision 

makers.: 

lb'IUld.o 

The majority of these s.olutions are developed to assist 

brands. however. muhinational companies who face 

many such risks have not adopted sueh solutions at an 

enterprise level. This landscape analysis shows the 

variety and breadth of products on the market todayyet brands are $low to adopt them. Despite inerea$ing 

regulatory frameworks and rears of r~utationa l risks. 

conducting systematic due diligence for traffic.k;ing 

doe$ not appear to have become part of standard 

operating procedu1e for many brands and is ohen 

relegated to separate. limited corporate responsibility 

or ethical sourcing departments. 

Mlkt the mvestment It is recommended that 

brands fully incorporate diligeM:e for human 

t~fficking and forced labour into core sourcing 

funct~ons and invest In the optimal product/$ for 

your business nf!f'ds. Brand investment will spur 

further innovations. drive down cost-$. enable 

e.xpanded data colltclion and sharing. and fuel 

scaling. Most importantly brand investments 

and commitments can ensu~ th.at workers' 

rights are protected and violations prevenled. 

and that lon~;~ term responsible sourcing 

practices are advan.ced. 

Know what you ~ buy1n9 When subscribing to 

a due diligence product, investigate the source 

and aocuracy of information being ptovided and 

be cognizant of the tool's limit&tions. While 

anatyzing a product. the foUovAng question& 

(amon9 others) should be asked and reviewed: 

Ia What are the da!acctJecr•on and venficabcn 

proees.sts of pnmarydata colftctors? 

1!1 Dooes h~ data tapltl't reahlies on the ground 

through vtarller votces, 

lil Is S«<ncbry and lerbal'f cf.lta verified by lhe 

provider? What are the sources of this data and 

methods of venfteation' 

0 Can the inference1 and enllfyses be generalized 

loealy, ngionalty and/or st<tcw widt? 

1!1 How much of the data1s actionable? 

0 Wh~t itt tht protoe<l4s affeady esutblishtcl for 

rtmtdial action if tht data gathering is 

unc<l\'t!lng human traffocking and forc:od f.....,r? 

Wtlat are the gaps in those remedial actions? 

Ia Does the developer adhtft to a stnct ~Uta 

privacy policy lhal prottcts workers who 

partiopate. and ensures informed «~nse t? 
204 


712TECHB7.eps

r• o lumtat1ont It is Important to no1e 

th.it product deveklpers may not offer a 

comprt~nsrve se1 of seMcu (from d•lf9«1ce 

to worktr·tt\lt-J in.tttVentions and rtmec:katton). 

no< •nould 1hey be eiQ>OCied 1o do .. Brand• 

ate tneour~ IO in¥e$t in I mlAirltlkf'hoader 

approach to insritutt netdtd. sya-temtt rtfonna. 

Due dtl•oence provic:fers and prodvct dt"Vt"klpttt 

are tntt'gtll part$ of such partnerships tl\at dn~ 

long tetm soluticns. Funhermoce, the 

impltmtnUHKI{'I of any remt<11al Initiatives 

dtoloyed can also bt verifi~ by producl 

deveklpera th<tl h.&ve the ability to collect end 

\ltrily pnmary data. 

Br.tndl may atso be concern~ about publtc d•scloaurt 

of such enformation and tM legal and rtputalional nsk 

sud\ broadti dau:emNt~ ol data tft19hl pose 

CompontH .... - wilh due d~- PIOduel 

devtlopota and - 10 cfooclosure pr_.,uret IO 

ptOKINfly MIMCjiJe lSSUH Mid JddfHS S"UibOti.S 

before they become- risks. howtvtf, tud'l ptOI~I 

mutt be 9u1ded by tht stated belt intertttl of 

workera. 

lll""'ora 

lnvutora are currently the primary driwra of the 

nasc!fnt ma~tl for human trafftcking due- dlllgenee 

tools They ahoukf also continu. 10 ask cnual 

qunt1on1 of ptOducts that they are suppon1n9 and 

SUSlW\r'NJ 

ln<vntore also paay a unk!uf' rote m the~~ abilrty to WlcenhVIlt bfands 

foe enterprise-wide adoption of auch due 

d•hgence tools to uncover human traff•cking 

activity. For ~x.ample, by partnering whh btands 

to drive usage. investors can conuib\lte to a 

path for suttainability and can al)evlate some of 

tM iMJal costs as.soci.ated with product 

adoptlOI\ or use their convening I>OWtf to forge 

panMrShlps between c:om~Ne1 and product 

dev•lo~. Uillmaldy il it lhe f---' and 

operat.onal respon.ubilrty o1 bfitnds co tt~S&n 

that ttl« proc:tuc:uon networks are frH of 

h<lman lroffo<bng and lh<l• any eotl wmv by 

1nvea1ora should not c:ome at tnt expena.e or 

leJI resources: for woriter support lnitiahvtl 

upf' ... , m••ht· Ia• -holcfe, '""' •v• tnvetlora 

can incru1e their support of effective multt· 

llakeho d~ initiatives that brino brands, 

developers and social sector NGOs together to 

dep'oy a continuum or serviots to uncover and 

Kt upon abuses. 

When f'Yalua11"9 • 

~ to &wpport. ~tot'G c;ho4.Ad oloo poM 

the ume qut'thona to inveslme-nr.setkers 

fisted above tn our recommendations lo bfands. 

lnvestOtS should 

continue to 1uppo11 the enqen.uity and c:reatMty 

o/ PfOduel _...,... and pro..S. resourt>« IO 

apply 1>1•11 dewtoprn«nlt on lecl>nology 10 

$Uppty d\lin 611'9f'"Ct. tnvHtOt'$ who art often 

gu•decl by toet-' change rT.elncs are also in 

better posi'liona than brands to inwst in 

f'f"'''trging technologies that can be 

experimented wnh to reach undel'$etved 

communities of worktfa. 

Government, private and foundation donort: and 

inwstors have Largely drtwn procfue:t lnnovatiol\ 

development. and incenuvized the market for such due 

dihgence ~vtions Whitt' con11nu'ng to invest in 

teehnology dfttlopmenaa and tMOvations. we 

encourage llrlftSIOt'l to rtmalft grol.W'Ided in the end 

goal of <11sunng 1ho1 lhe lools do ondeed ompae1 

worlc.er$·lrve$ on the ground 

111M;,; lht tothnolofy ,...,,.. , .. , it irulflht ..,.,ionresulting imptot'fmf/'lll lot WOI*"' It 1M production level art 

Product Developen 

Product dev~optrJ often face the dual c:hallenge of 

continued innovation and reveoue gentration 

Spending on prodUCI• by blonds (cuslomers) Is 

fimiled. espeaally on ,...1..., 10 lhe thee< - of 

workers mpacttd by t..lman traff1Ck11g. chkf and 

f.-.1 labour Many rdy upon .,.,..1ors. dono<s and 

partnerships 10 IUSI .. n lhotlt effortS and SUMVe 1n a 

nascent mattc.et. Otvefoptfl have done an admirable 

JOb of hatneuin9 technology with social impact a.nd 

pt'Oduein.g operattOnal sokJtions that ean and do have 

•n impact. 

Auth m..c Brands ly upon the information 

rt-eelvf'd 10 make supplier decisJons thai impact 

wotktts livu and hvelthoods. full disclosure of 

data $0UfWS and data types (pnrnilry, 

_,., end IMoory) os wea as lhe 

,.,.lhodology ol colleciJOn (whie pro1oe1ong 

_.,., -.... praclocn) WJq furlhe< 

ass•st custom~ to ac:curatt'fy assess tMir 

rim and d•l)loy lools and eomprd\<11oi~ 

solutions. 

Tr.msp ut Be lransparent about information 

gathering resources end limitations. as well as 

the methodology employed to \ltrify data 

sou~s and proxies Incorporate privacy 

pol~es and respon.Jible data practices tl\at 

protecc vulnerable popYlatlons. 
205 


712TECHB8.eps

Rtallstie Product developers have technology 

expertise. OOt not necessarily the subject matter 

experlise to impact change on the ground. While 

technology developers should continue to focus 

oo their core competeocies. they should not 

mab representations that their data. anaJyties. 

or dashboards are indeed a ·sotution:" They are 

in fact important tools that indicate risk and 

• tu. ~optrsnkeyllMnofct;.tal'ngagngWit 

pnvaqr COI"'~eU\:1 and proiiiiCI•v~ly menagtn 

jXItPnl al nsb .1nd harms "' ., cofle<llft9 ln 

yZJngd.at.Jon 'o'ulntmblt! ~bard' 

A u•sp011$lble dal.i approach $M$1bve to dal.l lh.tt _., 

ulhmo~t•lv compnwd C)f ptnon~ mfcwrr~t1t1on on rto~l peopl 

mln'f of who1~ may bf ttlnmble ~MS$H. tnmtors. 

devt'fopeu our suonqly eocouraQf'd to develop and 

trdw!oleq)' that 11 t1 ti')(!r person t data r~pons1bly 

Including CCifl(fmti owr pnv.1cy, pnsonally tdt !1 1.abl 

1nf0trnatlon 10form~ eot'l:ml and (cybff\ stctmty as --~ 

pohcy qut'sbons tuch as: who ha5 access to the data, and w 

J$•1 WrPd Wlth'1 I till' dat::1 Ghar~ 1n 199f0CF tP' W I tht dolt 

be sofftamiJy anonym11~ llow lS. datil Wrtd dwKtly w.t 

woc1cf'fs toempowerthemandmform the rownchotct:s? 

ENDGAME 

This paptr is intended as a guide to deve-lopers, 

investors and brands to PfOVide key considerations as 

we collectively drive lhe market towards universal 

adoption of technology•based human trafficking due 

diligence products that inform lon.g·term solutions. 

The paper is not intended as a critique or evaluation 

of existing tools. but as an objective analysis of 

strengths, capabilities and value propositions o f such 

types of products towards an industry-level analysis. 

We a im to advance ahe discussion around the etitical 

role of technology in lhis fie ld and re-prioritize the 

goal of providing business inte!Ugence that amplifies 

the voices and respects the lived experiences of 

workers.1 

Workers themselves are (or should be) the primary 

trusted source of information about the wotkin.g and 

uncover ptoblems that need to be solvtd. 

Developers should also work with brands 

(customers) and investors 1o ensure that they 

are part of a continuum of supply chain visibility 

measures tllat are tied to programs that 

implement changes on the ground. 

Before asking 'II'Orbrs 10 parut~patt the argansahon toilet. t1ng 

the dota ahould elwo~ 

f:~u~~~,!t~ :~ac=~::r.ei'd:t!~:J~~ m nE9iiiiM consequenet$ for worker 

Re~ W'CW'b-11 !Jmt: data WOJkeR ;we bring aU:ed to 

source !hould bl:!o dau that caMel be ra 11,. -..ced through SKondary Of tert1ary SOIX'cts,. so as Ml to bll'den worlctts wtltrt thfs r:stl t C\ett.Uary 

WOOters havt pro'nded mlormed voluntary constnt .. th 

~ec=~ ~~h~ :::r;!f~~ ~~~~~:oo on 

::rn:s:! = =~~~::: :~'!:t~r ~r:;~e:~ l!.llptcl 

&l No hamt rs done to worktrl, and pmonal satety and s.ecuntyrspnorit.:d 

0 lntrrprtteu and tirld 1 m.t ha...-e btFn adtqualf'ly st!Kitd and prepMtd 

living conditions they fact. Technolo9y is now playing 

a powerful and effective role in collecting their 

perspectives and providing it in aggregate to suppty 

chain decision makers. The wot'king hypothesis has 

been that once supply chain managers: can easily 

access such information, they and their company will 

act upon il. However, the technology and the 

information it a llows easy access to is just a toot and 

not a subslitute for the politic-al will necessary to act 

upon credible information about human traffic king 

activity. 

The technology tools and their capabilities presented 

in this paper help us 3Ccomplish this end goal. The 

tools themselves, however a1e not replacemenrs for 

the sile·level execution of strategies required to 

improve conditions for and with wor1cers. 

ISSARA MEANS FREEDOM I www ISSaramslltute erg 

···~. -s:w~lm.bCutto,...n:lepen<koll US r>Ot·for·pofl1corPOf~JOrtbiwd~r~Thaloi!'4.J,1YJI"Nf .-ldll'lelhtrtfdSlllnLICkll"'g 

! :: ISlUH ~ trafflcluf'l9 and forctd la:boo.w through d.N. tKttnology. pr,~11nKVUj). and II'II'!O'fi".ICI'! Pl'OC)Ie-mdud~t~g WOlKe~' 

t~iAt: \lo.ct itld tMdbic~-•• 11 thtOM1~ of tssara·s dati and 1\tt- hQIII'IC~Mii.. and 11 .sslfl Labs wttorlducla..ndt'¥19fol 

IH}"Ol\lr( (fit.j ch. ltlai~'!JCi. and~ ~'t~fNnt t+latfd tO t\.lft\al\ tl&ftiC:kfriQ WIIJiob.lf ~ c:l\liiiS-lflt ptOpko tllf 

poltcietlht~ct.llldllo..,.totllmll~ttll 

/IF. 

1 
206 


712FOCUS1.eps

FOCUS ON LABOUR ISSUES IN THE FISHING INDUSTRY 

FROM TRAFFICKING TO 

POST-RESCUE 

INSIGHTS FROM BURMESE FISHERS ON 

COERCION AND DECEPTION IN (ANTI) 

TRAFFICKING PROCESSES 

SERIES PAPER 3 

ISSARAINSTITUTE JULY 2017 

Prepared by Olivia Tran and Or. Melissa Marschke in collaboration with the lssara Institute 
207 


712FOCUS3.eps

OV ERVIEW 

This paper focuses on the experiences or Bt.umeso men who. having boon trafficked Into Thailand's 

offshore fishing Industry. are in the process of reintegrating Into Burmese society. Discussions with 15 

of these men highlight how they were coerced or deceived throughout all phases. of their experience. 

from recruitment to po~t-rescue. WhUe the men corroborated accounts of docfJption and abuse on 

Thai Rshlng Vlt$$els that have bftn wide-ly reported by the media and non-governmental organizations 

NCOS~ ln·dopth lntetviews reveal other forms or deception and coorcion by antl·uafflc5dng actors. 

This raise-s ser-Ious qut"stions tor asslstanu providers about tM protoc::tion end rolntogratlon of 

trafficked persons and highlights why it Is tmporntive that the International community. Including 

businesses. NGOs. and governments. pay more attention to rointct9rotion e fforts and supporting these 

men to rebu11d their liv~s. ocomm~ da tions to support these men Include: rothlnklnQ appropriato and more empowering ass.istance: providing financial compensation; and strengthening engagement 

or the private sector in reintegration activities.. 

METHODOLOGY 

In-depth 1nter"Vi~ws were conductod by the authors1n November 2016 with 15 Burmese men formerty 

trafficked o nto Thai fishing vessels who now live in Yangon and Myclk. Myanmar. F:urther informal port 

survoys woro also conduc-cod across Cambodia. Thailand. and Myanmar to holp situato this analysis. 

The lssara lnstitut• conducted follow·up lnterviows with nino of the fishers in J uno 2017. some 

respondents were lnitJalty uaffickQd o nto Thai c.ommerclal r11hing ve.ssols in Kantang, ThaJiand: others 

were trafficked onto Thai vessels fishing in Indonesian waters. eventually stranded in Benjlna, 

Indonesia. The focus or the interviews was to understand their lives post-rescue and to think about 

how to better support thew men as they re-integrate Into Burmese society. 

INTRODUCTION: STORIES OF DECEPTION IN TRAFFICKING AND DECEPTION IN 

ANTI-TRAFFICKING 

This research brief focuses on the stories of 1 s Burmese men who became victims o f human 

trafficking on Thai commercial fishing vessels. It 

e xamines how they were recruited, the 

conditions they faced at sea and at port. how the 

men were rescued, and what hap pened in terms 

of assista nce provisio n and their daily livelihoods 

o nce they returned to Myanmar, The men's 

expo-rlene" with exploitation varied greatly, For 

etxampht. somo men facod violent abuso, \vhile 

others were llicked into fisheries but 

e xperienced decent working conditions and 

treatmen t. 

Noteworthy were tho fonns o f deception and 

coercion that th e men e xperienced, not onty 

from their traffickers (a mix of brokers and boat 

owners). but also from the authorities and other 

actors taskod with holplng them. Whllo m<>ny 

organizations have gOOd Intentions. and some 

support has likely been helpful. the feedback 

from these men highlig hts how an anH• 

trafficking as.sJstance rramewot1c can harm and 

disempower tM trafficked persons that It Js 

designed to help. spec1fic.ally through repeated 

deceptio n a nd coercion thro ug ho ut the 

assistance process. 

The respondents were rescued in 201 5 from Thai 

fishing vessels either in Kantang. Thailand or 

Benjina. Indonesia. at a time when labour a buMs 

a t s.oa end tisheriet reform were reeQiving 

Increased attentio n by the Royal Thal 

Covernment and seafood importing natons. 

English•lang uage media covered the brutal cases 

of ·sea slavery' in these two locations. which 

prompted rescue efforts and spotlighted labour 

exploitation In Thailand's seafood Industry. Once 

the men were rescued and repatriated, however, 

little follow up by the media, national 

governments.. the United Nations. or NCOS was 

conduc-ted. ovon as tho mon contlnuod to 

struggle emotionally, psychologically. and 

financially with th e after•shocks of their 

trafficking experience. 
208 


712FOCUS4.eps

The verb "to deceive~ hN two definitions:: 1} to be false to. and 2) to faU to 

fulfill. In the context of trafficking. both of these forms of deception may be employed to control 

fishers. This paper describes Instances of both forM$ of deception experienced during the 

t,.ffteklng stege end after ~ng r.sc-ued 

C04'f'cion i$ an indicator of human traffickl1"19 end forced labour as dofin«< 

under International law. yot there Is no '-9ally acceptod definition of cORrelon wfthln tMso 

contexts. This pape-r defines coerciOn as= 1 ) to restrain or dominate over Individual wlll. 2, to 

compel to an act or choice. and 3) to enforce Of bring about by fofce Of threat. 

DECEPTION AND COERCION IN THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS 

All or the men experienced some form of 

deception at the recruitment phaJe. Oesperate 

for work opportunities. men (or In two cases. 

boys) trusted vllla90 acquaintancos or other 

migrants who connctetod them to a brokar.' 

some brokers were directly connected with bOat 

owners In Thailand's Rshlng il'\dustry. whllo 

others were connected to a serhu or brokers In 

Thailand who could find jobs. As such. workers 

passed through various hands, incurring debt 

along the way. Some respondents claimed they 

had no idea that they would cross an 

International border or that their documents 

wore fake: others thought thoy wore going to bo 

WOI'Idng at a land·ba.sed job. In all but one ease. 

worker$ did not have proper documents to work 

In Thailand (and then Indonesia). 

t t tt 

tttt 

ttt 

Some respondents recalled having their pictures 

taken for fake documents, on which their 

Burmese names were replaced with Thai names. 

For those who knew they would be working In 

fishing. m<1n wore promlsod a tr'ial parlod of a 

few months t·o encourage them to board the 

veUQI: once they were at sea. they were unable 

to leave. 

ono respondent recountecl hOw he met h1s 

broker at a t·ea.shop: 

'The broker told me 'you wW have tO work at 

farms or factories but you. won't get paid for the 

first three months brcause \\"e will need to covu 

your tr.uuportation charges, but. later you will 

set paid.· When wt got to the port. fhat is wben 

"'"e knew we would have to work on fishing 

boars. Then \0.-<e wen se.nt off to Indonesia. .. 

Another fisher rescued from Benjlna described 

how he was trafficked, noting that in his home 

village. one of his neighbours had married the 

broker. 

"The brt~ker told us we would work on fisbing 

boat1. but we wtlre told that if we wanted fO leave 

afteramonth. aftera year. we could. But ~ 

we ~re tbe~. we c:ould I.\Of ... 

The men's experlencei demonstrate how various 

layers of deceit were used to convince or trick 

the men into working aboard fishing v&s.sels. It is 

likely that some of these vessels weu! 

unregistered or 'ghost' vessels.l 

Oebt bondage. which occurs when a person is forced ot tricked into work to pay a debt over 

which they have no control,s is considered a form 

of coercion and was usod by somo brokGt$ to 

force migrants to WOI'k on boats. As one 

Kantang participant described; 
209 


712FOCUS5.eps

"'1 wc:nt to a m-tau.rant owoc:d by a lady .•. she 

opened a big retUI.u.r&nt. Sbt was a broktr. He:r 

waitresses made us pay more (for food) than it 

actually costs and we couldn't pay. So sb~ 

made us sttly at btr place and pay for it by 

workin.g on the boats again. .. 

For the Kantan.g respondents. their brokers were 

particularly brutaL In one cas.. a broker and her 

husband used violence and the threat of 

murder to fOfce the men onto ships and scare 

them from escaping. A respondent de:sc:rlbed 

ono 5uch horrific incidont: 

"ibe woman fbr0ked took moneydireecly 

from th e owner of tbe fishing boats and when I 

asked fo:r ~~money, the woman·s bus.band showed me a gun and said. ·0o you want the 

mooeyora bullet?!' Just as. I was about to run 

away, two guys ran away ahead ofm~ and were 

tb.ot dead. If they b.adn 't kUied them. they 

W1>uld have cu.l!ed 1hom. andlus• 1ortured thm~., beating them behind the bou.se to make 

a good example as l had~ them do before." 

LABOUR CONDITIONS AT SEA AND AT PORT 

Labour abuse on the fishing vessels oc-curred In 

various forms. Verbal and physical abuse were 

common, partkularty if men were seen as 

working too slowty or as m isbehaving. All men 

roport·o<f long working hours- somcalnws up to 

20 hours at a tim• - with f(NJ rost periods. 

certainly loss than the current Thai legal 

requirement of 10 hours per 24 hours or 77 hours 

in a seven-day period.~ A Benjina respondent 

d iKu»ed the us.e or phys.ical violence to enforce 

long working hours without breakS! 

""We bad tb.ree meals a day but we got to eat only 

if~ were doM working. lf we ate be1ore 

finishing our work. the captain would beat us. 

He would beat not only me bur also the otMr 

workers everyday. There "~ere 22 Burrnt:S(> and 

only rwo Thai workers on board. but they had guns so "-"t could not do anythi.ng. ~ 

SOme mon also sufforod pg:rmarKtnl physical 

workplace Injuries. Two men from Kantang were 

left disfigured: one s.evered hl.s finger with a net 

and continued working without medical 

treat.m&nL while another lost an ey• and Injured 

tho othor eye In a shoot•out with the Indonesian 

Navy when the captain ordered them to fish 

illegally in foreign waters. The legacy of this 

abuse continues:: doctors have told him that he 

wm ovt'lntually txtcomo bUnd in his romaining 

oyo. 

C.;~~ptaiN ;~ls:o omployqd othor t;tc.ti~;s: liko debt to 

Another man recalled his own broker, known 

for murdoring migrants: 

.. He \\'M a drug addict. -nd would kill anyont 

for3,000- OOOBaht(USD$91-121).~ 

RECRUITMENT: POINTS OF DECEPTION 

5!J OOC•ptiOr. on inclust,Y and loeatfotl of 

wortc. 

fi'.l Oecepdon related to length of 

employment or ability to "ave or change employen. 

El o.cepdon on looellty of work and 

m~ratSon documents. 

RECRUITMENT: POIHTSOfCOERCION 

eJ Violence. threats, and being h@ld against 

tholrwill 

li!l U$0 of ~bt bond-1190 to forc.o migrants to 

work on bolts. 

keep the mgn In forced labour conditions. Ono 

participant described how his captain charged 

interest rate.s of SO percent. which workers could 

never pay off In practice. captains and brokers 

also coordlrnU'od the explohatlon of workers. As 

one r•spondent from Kantang rocalled: 

.. l work~d there for tbree or four y~ars ·- I didn't 

unders-tand a word thty ~n: saying to each 

other because tb~y wer~ speaking in Thai They 

told us that"'~ w~re indebt~d to them so instead 

ofasalruy. they kept takingourmoney•saying 

h wu mooeyw~ oWf<l them. .. 

Both on and off shore. all respondents 

e•perlenced working conditions In contradlctJon 

to Thai law. including long working hours. 

withholding of payment no sick leave. and 

reports of cramped and unsanitary working 

conditions.• Many spoke of limited water, and 

onty eitlng a meal of rice and fish. At least two 

m~n were hirM under the age of 18 (one as 

young as 10 years old).7 

Not an or tho mon rocognlzod tho S(W(tr!ty of tho 

abuse. For exltmple. hitting and yelling were 

common and some workers considered this 

'deserved' if a workor was faty or disobedient. 

Many Benjlna respondents hoped to get paid 

after five years of work. even though five years 

without pay Is: an outr3geous:ly unreasonabiQ 

contract agre-emont 
210 


712FOCUS6.eps

Ono respond4nt commented that he liked tho 

advent-uri! of being out at sea. although hi! was angry that he had been tricked into believing he 

would. at some point, be paid. !:Yen the few 

men who liked 'fishing life· boc:au$e they had 

'good' captalns did not like that they were not 

paid for th~ir work. 

As one Benjina r&:Spondent dMC:ribed: 

8

0urcaptaius ~re D.ice a.nd if we Sla)-'ed pu1. 

stayed with each otber and foUowed the rules. 

tboy oo.td not do anythlug [harm U$)," 

For thoso mon that ondod up In lndonosla. they 

had little choice: once they were on tishlng boau:. t~ bOats were d iverted to fiS-h into lndoooslan 

waters. local pollee were not seen as an option 

In terms of helping them. In Kantang and 

Benjina. the pollee were k_nown to reselleKaped 

fishers t>M:k to their traffickers. from whom they 

were likely to faee s.:rvere punishm<tnt. Including 

death. Coorc.-lon at this phaso Is partic.-ul3rty 

problomatic. as It treppod tho mon for Y'tars In 

situations of exploitation and abuse. 

some workers contemplated oseaping while 

they were at port. however their mobility was limited since they lacked the appropriate 

paperwork to enable them to move beyond the 

boat or pier. In Kantang, a particularly violent 

kx.ale. workors woro fearful to move around a nd 

often stayed in the docked boats.; one man was 

reportedly cagod whon his vossel docked eshoro. 

fn Benjlna. Indonesia. escape was Impossible 

~n the Island's Isolation from the mainland. 

Captains allegedly possessed satellite phon&:S, 

but fishers would have had 10 purchase their 

own phones ond SIM cards and hike a fffW houl'$ 

to tho top of a mountain. which was tho only 

location where th@Y could receive service. Whili! 

a few men did call home, many did noL The men described an Island of ~no rules.· where If a 

ThJ,i captain disfavored a crew member. which 

thoy claimed happened most olton with 

Burme-se crew. 

'Lhe (lodonC$ianl police would capt-ure tb0$e 

people and beal the-m. Sometime$. they did it 

too much and they would just die." 

AT SEA AND AT PORT: POINTSOFOECEPTION 

&J Deception rogarc:Ung peyment of wages. 

ra Doceptlon of location <>f work and 

I~ of eommunle•don ti')Oy could have with thell families. 

ATSEAANOATPORT: POINTSOFCUERCION 

&1 Debt bondage. sometimes 

coordinated and exacerbated by both 

the broket and thlt eaptaln. 

Ia Resold to traffickers by cotrupt ponce 

0 Vlotence, threats. and Intimidation. 

m Restricted movement or confinement on $hote. 

DECEPTION AND COERCION IN THE RESCUE PROCESS 

Tho mon from Kantang doscribocf hanO'Ning 

tales of rescue and &scape. After y&ars of a bus., 

they came across the lssara migrant worker 

hotline. One participant described trying to 

convince others to run away with him but they 

did not for fear of gottlng caught. or simply 

bocouso they could not got awoy et tho time of 

&Scape. For the eenjlna men. the ~ng term 

journalistic Investigation by an Associated Press 

team unleashed a mass rescue operation with 

various International and local NCOs and 

governments coordinating the removal of over 

1.000 men from Indonesia back to four differ&nt 

origin countries. • 

While the majority of th~ fishers interviewed 

were huppy to finally leave B<tnjfna. many wore 

reluctant bocaus.e they were waiting for their 

salarie-s. which were due in just a ft.rN months, 

after five years of work. Men also recounted how 

some Burmese fis-hers had hidden in the jungle 

to escape deportation because they did nol 

want to l9avo the families they had formod with 

lndoM>sian women on the island. after being 

stranded for ~rs. The ucta nc<~> of some ftShers to leave Benjina, in addition to accounts 

of authorities coercing them with t-hreats of 

arrest if they did not leave wUh the rescue 

operation. tBI.sos the Issue of forced iU.Sistanco. 

and what more could have betOn donf to 

assuage the legitimate eoncerns of migrant 

workers without risking re-victimization and 

reinforcing trauma. 

A senjina rQSpondent describ&d his hesitation: 

.. Calling us back here (Myanmu] is what tnad.e 

it di.ffic:ult. Form~. it was easy beca~ t speak 

Thai and I was okay with the boss, so the longer 

1 was there [ThallaDd], tbe more (money} I 

would have made. Here. it \lo'Ould to be okay if 

thegovemment compensated us like they said 

they would. Now I haw ostn~ggle alo1 and 

T b~two-~n t ~Y tnt'\ mneh rirnfl> with n nthil"'C" 
211 


712FOCUS7.eps

Once rescued. the men were p laced in 

governmRnt·run camp!> or trafficking shelters. 

For some of the Benjina workers. they stayed in 

camps run by the Indonesian government for 

up to two month$ before flying to Myanmar. 

Tho c•mp conditions SQQmQd fino. with 8onjln.n 

r<l$pondonts doscrlblng them as '90¢'d: oxc<1pt 

for one who notod that the flimsy shelters did 

not protect them from the elements. 

Meanwhile, the respondents rescued from 

Kantang were plcu::ed in a Thai government-run 

shelter while an investigation and court prOCQ$S 

unfurled. The men in this shelter stayed there 

for approximately seven to eight months and 

experienced restrictions on freedom of 

movomont. communication and access to 

heatthe:ar.. discrimination by government 

authorith s. and sub·par liVing conditions. as 

outlined in the table below. One respondent 

described efforts by police to get the men re· 

trafficked onto boaU. and how he was 

ultimately deported informally back to 

Myanmar and, as a result, considered ineligible 

for any of the as.slstance offered by the 

govornmcnt to other human trafficking 

survivors. 

DECEPTION IS NOT ALWAYS OBVIOUS. 

Two respondents described a 'NOrk situation 

difforcn~ than those of thcrir colloagues: the-se 

two m~n knew that they would be working in 

lndon.osia in off~hCH"o fishing and wont wtlllng 

to do so. They also described fair working 

conditions. and did not oxporionco physical or 

verbal abu$0 What they wero unawa•e of. 

howeVC!r, Is that their salary would ba 

withheld The-se- men truly b~lloved that they 

would have beon p<~ld after five year~. ov~n 

though being unpaid for such a length of time 

i~ a form of forcod labour, AJI of the 

respondents felt like they had been deceived 

by their r~?Scuers - the govemm•nt officials 

who had p~omisod their wages withil"\ six 

months of return to Myanmar. Nona of the 

men interviewed • ovor a yo.1r lat'tr - had 

received their 0\ved sal arias. 

COMPARISON OF POST -RESCUE CAMP /SHELTER CONDITIONS 

BENJINA(Ir«JONESIAN GOVERNMENT AO HOC CAMP) KANTANG (THAI GOVERNMENT SHELTER) 

PROS 

• No pbooe mtnd1ons 

No leellf'l9 ol cbai!YII\iillon 

CONS 

R1msyshetws 

CONS 

Fetl1ng of mtcunty and ciscrKntnatlon 

• Not tnough food to tat 

inadequall! be.alth cart. or ilUI!fltiOfl to hfalth netds 

Risk of mformad &porta bon 

llo""""'Jincidonll~k<blir<lln!Yit<doncfcollecln..,... 

~mall amounts-of tllCIIoeY taken by offlct'rs 

• Phontrntrietions 

• Stven to etght months 'A ill ~til1etum1ng homt 
212 


712FOCUS8.eps

POINTS OF DECEPTION ANO COERCION OF POINTS OF DECEPTION ANO COERCION OF 

KANTANG RESPONDENTS DURING RESCUE BENJINA RESPONDENTS DURING RESCUE ...,.,..,_ .,...,.,_ !!I Told by aulhorltles that they would !!I TOld by authoorlt~ that they would be 

receive theft owed salaries. paid six months after retumJng to Myanmar. 

!!I Told by authorltle$ that jobt: •re plentiful 

In Myanmar. 

CCIUCQI CCIUCQI 

Iii SOMO v"lctims dOPQf1~ lllOgtlly baCk to m Threats of arrest If they did not &eaYe 

~·",....( •g•l"$\ lt'l91r will. hlduf•-i ... 

DECEPTION AND COERCION POST -RETURN TO MYANMAR 

Upon return to Myanmar. the men faced a 

difficult reintegration proceu. Rtl'unltlng wfth 

family wa.s a joyous moment for many, but th.at 

too was not without challenges. From long lost 

wives and child ron. to returning to no family. or 

not being able to locate their families, not a ll 

men returned to a supportive network. 

Assl$ting the families of survivors is an 

ovor1ookod aspoct of rolnt·egratlon consldoring 

that family support plays a crucial role In eithet 

undermining or facilitating the successfUl 

rclntcgrDtlon of the trnfflcking survivor. Family 

memOOrs. po:~rticularly wives and children 

struggling to survive after the traffickJng of their 

husbandftather, may also be considered 

·secondary victims of trafficking." Moreover. 

MMtral men roturrwd to ailing relatlvos. 

Orphaned rospondonts In this research 

recounted es.pec:l.ally poignant .st.rugglos In 

adjusting and survMng In Myanmar, and were 

much more dqpendent on NCOs for livelihood 

and (!motional support. There was no 

formalized reintegration program dedicated to 

male trafficking survivors without family. but the 

men called one locally-based NCO for informal 

auistanc:e because they had no one else to turn 

to. Whllo thi$ is an oxamplo of a positive 

experience with an NCO. It highlights a major 

gap in assistance, including the lack of a 

systematic and sustafnable network of support 

services. 

soon after arrival to Myanmar. the men faced 

the return of economic pressures. Thl.s pressure 

was magnified since the men had worked for 

years with nothing to .show for it.. One Be-njina 

respondent couk:t not to~y the debt he owed 

to community membors who had financod his 

m igration to Thailand: thl.s debt had sinGe 

grown. and he now had to borrow additional 

funds to pay for food and rent. Another former 

R<thM. nnw working in R<th nrne~!tino in M)IAik 

noted that ho had big dreams oorore he left 

home. but now had re turned with nothing:. Men 

descrlbod fooling sharno a nd embarnnsmont 

that it had not worked out as they had hoped. 

All the men described having a difficult time 

providing for their families or affording shelter 

and food, and most were extremely poor by 

Myanmat standards. The c.ases of returned 

Burmoso flshors domonstrato that for tho most 

part. assfstanee el\ds once the: person Is resc-ued 

and they often end up In a worse financial/ 

employment situation than when they loft 

Myanmar. 

The men lntervi~ soff·identified as poor. and 

the majority were in an unstable employment 

situation. A common thetne across the 

interviews was the dalty struggle these men 

encountered to buy food, to pey r·ent. and to 

find moro than casual work. ono third of tho 

men had picked up some form of construction 

work. often cawal. which gonorally doos not pay 

well. For example. men were being paid 1.000 

Myanmar Kyat (USO $0.96)10 per hour tr there 

was work available. which is well below Myanmar's required m inimum wage introduced 

in 201 S of 3.600 Kyat (USO $3.48).

11 Another 

respondont In Myolk r9por1Qcf oarnlng 50.000 

Kyat {USO $48) per month for construction 

work. often working a few days a we&k. This 

wage amounts to about USO $1 per day. 

The a.ssistaneo provided to the participants was 

mostty material In nature. and generally bOund 

by donor constraints. For example. the largest 

form of auistance was S00,000-600,000 Kyat 

{USO $484- 581 ). which could not be 

d lstributod In cash but In Items only {Le. 

trisMws. tlco and oil. tools.. torbik o~ Not only 

d id thts diminish the agency of the survivors to 

use the cash as they .saw best but there were 

al$0 major flaws In how it was distributed. 
213 


712FOCUS9.eps

The men 'We-re strongly encouraged to p ick items 

that they could use to invest in a business. but 

were not given any short•term or long•term 

business or livelihood counselfng. The men were 

not ~t on their feet when they had to pick an 

hom. and most me n wore at a loss regarding 

what to ask for. They accepted tho common 

suggestions of the a:SSistanu offic~rs and 

received a tri.shaw or rice to start a business. Two 

participants were more creative with what they 

asked for: one reques:ted five month$' worth of 

rent and another asked that a water well be built in his village. The latter said that it was the best 

use of the assistance because he recognized that 

using It for a business would llkoly not bcJ 

successful. Tho former said that tho funds 

provided for rent were fin&. but that If he had 

combined the assistance amount with that of his son's, who also worked with him In Benjina. they 

could have built a house in their village. 

e liminating tho noed to pay rent. With tho 

benefit of hindsight all of the men noted that 

they would have spent the funds differently If 

they had been able to receive c.ash Instead. such 

as Invest In a now businctss. reinvest In a former 

bu.sJnHs. buy a house. and repay debts. 

All of the men would have preferred to receive 

cash assistance." The men did receive some 

small cash assistance to help the-m in their initial 

readjustment period. They found this helpful In 

torms of Initial omcugoncy funds.. but said that 

more money would have been needed if they 

were going to start B business. as other 

organizations had urg ed them to do. A criticism 

consistently omorged across tho interviews: mon 

were promised greater assistance than what was 

provided. Fishers felt that false promises had 

been made, which only increased their sense or 

d isempowerment and frustration. For examplo. 

local ilnd International NCOS askod a lot of 

qu"tions. and some rospondonts found the 

manner In which they were quntioned to be 

inappropriate and intrusive. One Kantang 

respondPnt explained: 

"The queni.onS they {tbe ass.-istance offioen) 

asked mew~. 'Wbatdoyouwanttodo?Wbat 

a.reyou going !odo? An you going to h erd pig$T 

We {the retu.med workenl don't even ba .. ·e a 

place to stay: wbe.re ~ "'-e going to herd pigs?" 

Meanwhile. othor organlz.atlons followed up 

lnltlalty and tMn dropped off. As one B&njina 

respondent reeelled: 

"'For the first month they just calrod us and told 

us'ifyou needany help,just tell us'. They did 

that for the fi.rSt t'WO months: tM-o af1er that, 

nothing," 

As anothor Benjlna respondent notoo. 

"lti$justwords." 

Respondent! did not ap~ar to havo specific 

expectations about assistanc-e they should have 

received, however. once services were offered 

and not provided, they felt misled and 

abandoned by a»lstance providet5. 

POINTS OF DECEPTION DURING REINTIGRA TION 

At this st~. whllo thO tr:trfidllng su~ woro not necMSllrily or lntantlonany docttlv~. they 

were made to belleo.oe that they would be 

receiving ~itioNI assistanc;e that f;,iled to be 

fulfilled. and can be conskferod a form of 

dKeption.. 

li1 Ad hoc meetings wkh organizations. with 

no follow up (l.et. creating false promises}. 

e No updates or furthe:r action on their case. desplte provktlng statements to govemment officials and police. 

rhw ncr shop of orw ~nt tr•ftl f~t•ltfd 11ftN • Arw montfa du"' to tnsumc.r.nt support •rtd t,.,"'"lil He s twJW 

ul'lfmptored IJfld ~ng to ~m to Tfti!I.Md u.rtty TN mi)Cit'ldfnt on tht IIQhr tNdt hrs IrOn eMf With ~""9 rNrfNIJ 

d!DfW~W by 410 '"reomii'UOftolfJ HC;O Pholo <:;.,..giT Myo Thl'-
214 


712FOCUS10.eps

VIEWS ON THE MEDIA AND GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES 

The fishers Interviewed for this study w<tre largely 

unaware that thttir story- so·ealled '"seafood 

slavery"- had received extensive coverage in the 

international (and mainly English) media. Few 

articles, including those of the famous 

As.sociated Press lnvestfgations that won the 

Pulltzor Prize for Public sorvlco In 2016. had 

~n u-anslated into Bufme~ , even though 

the Burmese media ... in English and Burmese •• 

did pick up on tho Senjlna story. tho men we 

inter\l'lewed were unaware of this coverage. This 

speaks to the reach of the media. and highlights 

how stories in and of themselves do not 

necessarity translate Into empowerment or 

giving v~ce to survivors. Perhaps. In the context 

of Myanmar. tho mocHa raportod as best thoy 

could g1ven restrictions on frHdom of the press. 

and censorship.u 

Whllo In Thailand. Indonesia. 01 back In 

Myanmar. the men also experienced 

discrimination at the hands of authorities, and 

there were plenty of examples that the men 

could cho about unfair. unjust oxporiencos GVGn 

while having the special status of being a trafficked person. The men felt especially 

unheard and di.sempowered when some Thai 

police officers did not believe their testimoniO$. 

When thoy returned to Myanmer. officers thorG 

d id not oven bothor writing down th<tir witness 

statemonts. This also pn~sents a pl'oblem for the 

delivery of justice and compensation for the 

survivors. and reflects the limitations of the justice systems in Thailand and Myanmar. On.e 

respondent noted that there was not much they 

could do on thelr own, since he felt that, if they 

were to organize and protest. this would be met 

with arrest.. Multlplo respondents from both 

K&ntang and Bonjlna underlined tho lmpol'tance 

of spreading 'the truth' and making the public: 

aware of the injustice they had endured. 

Participants also felt that greater public awareness would help spe-ed up the trial of their 

traffickers and therefore expedite the payment 

of their lost wages and other compensation. 

DISCUSSION: CONTINUED DECEPTION AND COERCION 

Llos and abuso mark th& trafficking oxperlances 

of the fishers. which in some cases lasted 

decades. once the men wero rescued. ti-lls was 

often considered tho end of the story for the 

public: and tho authorities.. However. deception 

and coercion continued in other forms, this time 

from figures of authority and organizations that 

the men were supposed to trust. Authorities 

promi.sed then job prospects in Myanmar had 

Improved and that thoy would rocoivo th~lr 

salari&S wfthln slx months. only to receive very 

little or nothing of what was promised to them. 

The men were repeatedly given false hopes or 

assistance. payment or lost wages and other 

form.s of compensation. 

International and local NCOs have approached 

the human trafficking survivors offering 

•ssl.stance. They have til ken the men's tlm<t to 

Interview thom on their condition and noods. 

whicl"l often Involves tt\-Qm traveling long 

d istances and taking time off of work; however. 

In many Instances tho men havo not hoard back 

from tMm. For oxamplo, one eonjlna 

reipondent left Yangon to work in another 

province In Myanmar while awaiting news of 

compensation. Wl"lile he was away. an 

organization hended out &$$1.$tanoe tn the form 

of Items worth 600.000 Kyat cuso SS81 ~ once 

tho man heard about this. M ru&hed back to 

Yangon to receive his compensation. but was 

told he had missed the deadline. He had left his 

job and paid for the long journey back to 

Yangon only to receive nothing. Whilo donor 

as.sistance Is often attached to conditions and 

there were likely a host of logistical reasons why 

the man could not be given assistance. hi$ 

experience Is another example of how service 

providers. in their gOC>dwill. can also Instill fals~ 

hopes in men Who have already been misled 

and traumatized. 

In Myanmar. tho men were frustra ted at still not 

having bGen paid as proml.sod. yot thoro was 

nothing they could do. Wha:t mak.s tho 

situation wOrSG Is that th• mE~n were unaware of 

the Intense media coverage on slave labour at 

soa or tho m illions of dollars committed to 

addressing the Issue - and y&t thMe men still 

have not reocehred e:ompen.sation or justke. 
215 


712FOCUS11.eps

STATUS UPDATE: WHERE ARE THEY NOW? 

In June 2017. lssara spoke with nine respondents 

interviewed for this studY {she. Senjlna and three 

Kantang respondents} to get an update on their 

livos sfnee having returned to Myanmar. This 

update h ighligh ts the Jtruggl•s faced by people 

after trafrackjng experiences and the resilience or these persons in their plight to build successful 

and meaning'ful liYe$. 

A common theme among respondents was the 

ne-ed to toke on informol work, One Kontong 

'*"'pondent found that the construction industry 

had changed significantly during his years away. 

but with the help or friends. he found work as a 

carpenter In his village. Another Kantang 

rtipondent first worked In a car repair shop and 

then as an Informal fishing worker. Another 

Kantang respondent took a job wotking as a 

ticket collector on public buses. which he found 

with the help of his uncle. 

Many of tho respondents attempted to start their 

own b\Jslne$$H when they first arrived home. 

one Benjlna respondent opened a shop selling 

rico. but when the businMS prov<td unviable after 

three months. he took a job as a construetk>n 

wor'ker and began doing odd jobs. He is now 

mostty unemployed. Another 8enjina 

respondent opened a betel nut shop and at first 

expanded to selling coffee. but when the 

busine5$ failed, he began working as a trishaw 

driver and as a dalty wage labourer doing odd 

Jobs. 

For somo roS"pondents. their trafficking 

•xperience took a toll on their physical and mental health. severely Impeding their ability to 

continue living their lives as they might have 

hoped. One Bcnjlna respondent had lost his 

vision during an accident on th<t fishing boat. 

Df!:splte enrolling in a massage course for the 

blind. h is traumatic experience proved too much: 

he struggled to gttt along whh follow students 

and roturned to his village W'hero ho is now 

homeless. Illness in the family presents 

additional challenges. One 8enjina respondent is 

currently working as a handy man and selling 

lottery tickets.. but Is limited In pursuing other 

options as ho taking c.ono of his sick fa thor. 

Despite hardships, many respondents perse\'ered 

and employed a range o r agency strategies In 

pursuit or Rnanclal s.ecurity. such 35 living with 

family and frionds to savo money. taking on 

multiple jobs. regult.lrly changing jobs, and 

migrating internally and internationally. One 

Benjina respondent worked for his family 

buslnen at first. installing and repairing air 

conditioners. but as the Income was Insufficient he supplemented this work renting out his own 

trish{lw. Another Benjlna respondent. who$0 

rico shop buslnes.s failed. hopes to ro·mlgrate to 

Thailand with help from t.s.sara to find a reliablo 

recruit~nt agency and employor. Another 

Benjina respondent employed an agency 

strategy he knew wen- migration: 

... was un.lble to find wodr. when I recumed 

boJM. I lint misnted to Yangoo and worked io 

construction sites and as a bAndy man in a bric:k 

making factory. After working for len months 

witbOUl OVertime pay.( qWlandbepoW<>d<ing 

at a car wash. Unable to save enough money. J 

returned to my home village and 1ook another 

job. but eventually moved back to YangoD witb 

my wile to take factory jobs." 

Some rMpondents devoloped broader 

aspirations in the post·trafficking space. 

Including a desire to provido otherS with 

informatton to prevent situations or human 

trafficking. One Kantang respondent has been 

collecting information a boot labour conditions in 

the fishing Industry in southern Myanmar, afld 

wonts to re·migrato to Thailand in hopes of 

finding better employment a.s well as to provide 

information to migrants. Another Kantang 

respondent has been sharing safe migration 

information in c·entral Myanmar and plans to re- migrato to Thailand: 

"'Acljusrin,gin Myanmar has been a big 

challenge. M a penon who lost contact wicb 

family and has no hotm.life is wry tough. 

However. I have not sivtn up 3Jld keep 3 srrons 

ho~ and~ to retw:n to Thailand l~aUy and dosomet.b.ing to help many other people." 
216 


712FOCUS12.eps

STATUS UPDATE: KANTANG SURVIVORS 

"I thank the govenunent officiAls and orpniz.atioM for 

rucu.i.ng us. but 1 am still angry at the fact that we were 

rescued by the government and idenrifted as wiroes."Ses but 

we did not baveacbaue. to provide our statement to tbe court. Than we were ckported back to Myanmar through 

illegal checkpoints together with other undocumented 

ml!,-zan.._ Bw>.use o[ not beU>g repatriated tJuouab 

official chan.n.els.l and four of my friends in the same 

grOUp "-'Cte not identified as vi.ct:i.ms or tralfitki.ng by lhc 

Myouuu.u .suLLo:>dtie~. <UK! JUJ UOI n:1..eive bSi.sUWo..e ta..~ 

ou.r friends. For insta.nce. I bad difficulty epplying for my 

NRC !Myanmar Nationality R<'j!istrationCarol and. still. I do not have one. 1 was asked fordiHerent supporting 

docu.~Mnt$. wb.Ue one of my Crleo<b wbotame bad< and 

bad no document$ receh·ed his NRC within a month after returning. If I were o.fficially banded back to the Myanmar 

gove.rn.me:nt through tbe form31 channel. I would not have 

this problem now. Momw·r,l have no hope to claim my 

Ullpaid wages while other friends who W1!re identified as 

victims have hOpe that they will get their compell$3tiOo. 

We do not know why we were not identified as victims of 

trafficking. Wb&1 c:an we do now? Any c:banee that I un 

provide my statement to au official now?" 

"!ntegroling and ocijusling myself in Myonmor nov• heeD 

bi,g cball~es because, as a former net supe.rvlsor. tam not 

liked nor trusted by others who were ftSCued from the 

s.ame employer. And as apenoo who hasl0$t contact with 

my family and who has no home, life is very tough. 

H~·e'"r. t do not give up. I am keeping strong hope Md desire to return to Thailand legally. and to do something to 

help many other people by"'•orking ""ith Issara" 

.. I want to s~ my story with 4!Veryone so that~ple like 

mewi.llnotbeeheated. It is good that I received support 

from different organizations after \ft returned to 

Mya.nm3.l'. but l stW hope th3f we ell wUI receive outWll&e$ 

and cOmf)f!ns.ation so that we can start a gOod life back 

home ... 

10 
217 


712FOCUS13.eps

STATUS UPDATE: BENJINA SURVIVORS 

"We wt:A told DOC. to worry about our lott '4pl 

Mc:IUH tbe cowrrameat 'WOUld tDNft dLad we would 

set" S.forel<avma S..;JDa a.d AmboA.,... bad to 

stp muy papus which pw us llopt •.bar...,. woWd 

l'fC our morwybedc. But sriU we bave aoc ~•v.d. our 

money excqc support moocy from orpwutLOns lake 

luara and 10M llotunational Orga.niutioa for 

Ml(rarlon]. Someofmyf:rieads wortdoa aotbeume 

vttMlsroup, who Wt>re not rue~ rehlrMd by 

th.tlmJflllw!sasthll!irho.11t return.M tATh•l:huwt.•nd 

tboyc•me bad home with 20·30 million Kyat (USD 

$19.361 ·29.~2). Asa trishawdrivu,l pt8.2134 

10.330 l<yot !USD S8·10) por day. so I am llnaulin& to 

turvlv. and Nod my f\o.'O ch.ildren to ac.bool * 

"ldyothtrlrioads wltomado thtar WOJ!Iocl. f.rom 

nwlalldby tht....lws &om the..__ pwp 

nco Mel th<ar ncu a.d.,. """""'thtarowu 

busin.tllsanow. But for me. I still do a.oc haw a 

p,.r job aod. am still io debe. M my father aJIWt 

woiL Tbo Myanmar O.parttru!nto!Sot:w Wtllare 

and Anti·Tral:fick.i.ng Police assisted me and my 

friendltoset NRCca.tds. ho" .. verthttownship 

lmml.a:ra.tlon office bas given us a hlll'd time slnce t 

did nOI have all the required s:upponina: documenta. 

Finlll.y,lglve upsioee I did ntH hive the money to~ 

th..-. oplJI and opio. a.d I also IO&t my da..Jy uoco.,. ewry tUDe I wtnt there.'" 

1111 wrycbffieult tO fuld. ajoi> ud to n&D a small 

bus....., ool am coosidorUic Cf'U'C !loci. to 1'baol.and 

wub IOIDit of my fru.:cd:s- altbqb I do DOt want to 

JO a.d work lhtre opio. Do wo havo any bopo to stt tht u.ope.id wages tJw ~were promlM'd btfo~ w. lehBenjlnar 

'Wt we~ told that "'-ewouldgelou:runpa.idwagu 

from the fiahmg boat own~r or the c.ptain one month 

aftn ou..r reruro from lndoDtSia. but noth&nl 

bopptood. Tho Myamnar Embassy awl told 111 that 

w. would pt our unpaid ..,.s Whi.D twO montb.L 

We bad 10 611out cljff.,.JJt forms ""til""' baads JOI ti.Ncl Aftu-. c.ame back. we were- i.Dt~ ap.m 

&Ddll&lD ud had to fill out dilitftat &ocu.:Mnts 

ap1D 1 I•W information 00. lb• YHMl owzwr, 

numbtr of ~an ou th<e ~ IDCI all tbt informatiOn 

thlt I bad. &fore I left lk-njina. t ewn mtt wttb tht 

vttMl owu~r who promised me that be would IJlVe me 

the money. My friend wbo went on thtltlmejourney 

but ended up on a different vuwl owned by dM: same 

penoa u.me back from Thail.and with moMy ... For us 

who rttu.roed with the assistaact of ttl. covernmt:nc. 

w. bavt Wl.tlM for mon than rwo yean and att~lOillJll 

bope. The help that~ have reuiwd rrom di.Ue:rent 

Ofi&DlL\boDS has beeu very helpful )'t1 we all W&Dt 

our Wlpald-. so tlw ""'b.., will bt bettor off.· 

II 
218 


712FOCUS14.eps

Forms of deception and coercion experienced by fishers In 

this study 

12 

"-nt.ang '"f'JO"d'"'"tJ rwumt• ,, V•~" 

M'td tHd tn.lt.'J AIYtwl ~ whl(h 

lt'tdudft rn..~r stonrt 11\d VOKn. 

Woril1119 wvrh tM ,.~._ to upru,. 

tlw-tt pt'flPf'(tnoW •tld cQII«f tfWir Jnp!Jts 

fotJhlt~tiOtlollh"~ 

PhotoCtec:hl Myo"Thooha 
219 


712FOCUS15.eps

RECOMMENDATIONS 

The following are recomm endations for 

assistarn;e providflrs on how to support the 

dignity and llvt.tllhoods of trafficked fishers. 

1 Plac.orne-nt In sh•l~ ahould only 

.,. volutttJuy, and only Into 

sMiteno with adequate staffing 

and resourc-••· 

Very ~ trafficked persons want to be placed in 

shelters.. Trafficked persons should not be p laced 

in shelters invotuntatily. for Indefinite periods o f 

time. or for unoxplained purposel. In cases 

where ttafficked persons need to reside In 

shelters. their freedom of m ovem ent and 

c;omm unication should be maintained to the 

greatost extent poss.lblo. partlcul.at'ly given that 

restrictions on froodom of movement may h.ove 

boon a main component of their trafficking 

oxporlonco. covornmont and NCO sholtors 

should only bQ operational if they are ablo to 

offor thefr residents adequata food and health 

caro sorvices. Tho structuro of buildings should 

bet sound and ablo to withstiind local weather 

cond itions. Shefters should be staffed with 

qualified and companionate counselo rs and 

other individ uals. partlcularty those who do not 

posses.s discrimina tory o r hateful attitudes 

towards the population they are Ulsked with 

serving. Police or o ther authorities should not be 

a llowed to enter the premises without 

authori~a ion and good reason, such as to 

preve-nt the types of .abuw faced by the Kantang 

respondents in shelter. 

2 Trafficked person• should have a 

voic<~ r.tardlng th•lr situation and 

•bu:se In international mecU• C.OVHJag •• 

As was found through this research. trafflck«< 

persons may be completely unaw:He of 

Internatio nal media coverage of their specific 

cases o r abuse. and at the same tim e they may 

feel completely unheard and di$0m powered, 

Service providers can play a role In connecting 

trafficked persons to intematfonal media in 

simple cost ~ffective ways, for example, by 

cond ucting media awareness workshops. 

translating key journalistic pleces into local 

languages. o r by encouraging loc.al media to 

13 

feature sum maries or Internationa l articles. 

Those interest ed in using the media as an 

empowerment tool could facilitate interviews for 

trafficked persons with Internatio nal journalists or 

host aedvil.ies 10 make their voices heard. On the 

media sldo. jovrnallsts wh0$0 sto rlos are heavily 

rQJiant on or focused on tho abuso and suffQring 

or ott'lor1 should allow those victims some voice 

in shaping the story .. for example. sharing their 

views o n what o utcomes shOuld be gained ftom 

telling their personal sto ries to audiences of 

thousands or millions. 

Recognize the legitimate Nasons 3 why trafficked penons may not 

want to retum horne. 

In the context o r human trafficking and labour 

exploitation that lasts years or decades, m igrant 

workers may have developed any number of 

coping me<:.hanisms In order to live in the 

destination country. Despite enduring abuse and 

explolt3tion. thoy may havo intogratod with local 

communities. learned local languages. and 

formed supportive relationships: some have even 

marrlod poople foeally. Traffickod persons may 

have no on• to return to and no support syst•m in their home countries. They may not w ant to 

return home d ue to difficult family issues. which 

might be even more challenging to deal with 

aftor having been trafficked. some BenJino 

respondents <rven hid In the jungle to avoid 

r•patriation. w hich shows tM extent to which some m ig rants wanted to remain in Indonesia. 

Service providers, including government and 

NCO bodi•s. should work with traffkked persons to identify what they want to do next. and where 

they can go to gain access to a strong emotional 

support system. Forcing a trafficked person to 

leavo a dtnlinatk>n country under threats of 

arrest po$M a high risk of re victlmization and 

reinforcing trauma Service pt"OViders should 

consider all available o ptions to consJder a 

trafficked person·s desire to remain in the 

d4tstina tio n country. and. If needed. provid• 

avenues with legal support ror recruitment into 

new, decent jobs. 
220 


712FOCUS16.eps

4 Provldo adoquata psyeho....,lal 

usi.stDnce for trafficked pe.rsorw 

and their famillu. 

Thoro Is a genoral lack of psychosocial assistance 

for trafficked persons and their families. as wa.s 

reRected In this study. Reunification with fam ily 

after long periods apart can be very d ifficult 

emotionally both for tho trafflckod porson and 

for t:he family memMfS. Trafficked persons may 

learn that their fam ily members are sick or have 

d ied or may struggle with being reunited after 

failing to provide for them financ:ially, One 

respondent was unable to find his fam ily at all 

after 11 y~tars in forced labour. 

Meanwhile. family members may have thought 

their trafficked relative was dead or have m oved 

on with their lives slgnificantty. They may, 

themselves. faco trauma from seeing their family 

member suddonty eft'or a k)ng perSod of tlmo. fn 

particular If they have boon suyggllng to wrvive 

financially. S<trvice providors can provide 

lm ponant counsollng sorvlces to trafficked 

persons and their romilles. with spe-cialized 

programs for family mombers. for trafficked 

PCJrsons w ho have bean orphanod or WhOS4! 

spouses h.Dvo p:assed away while they woro gone. 

In particular. service providers could develop a 

formal reintegration program dedicated 

especially for male trafficking survivors without 

family; in most places. they o nly rely on Informal 

a5$i$tance. w ith specialized trafficking programs 

focu.sing mainly o n women and children. 

5 Transition to tnore empowerfft9 

and individualixed vietlm 

aa.-l.stance. 

Assistanco pcovldcd to uafficked porsons should 

be empo\Wt'lng and driven by the affectod 

person. For example. all of the respondents for 

this study would have- prefGrred cash to a iiCJviato 

economic pressures to provide for their ramllios 

whe n they return home, so unconditional cash 

tr-ansfers would have been more empowering 

and more apptopriate than in·kind assistance. 

Cash transfers serve as an empowerment tool, as 

the survivors a re a ble to use the cash as they see 

fit and spend It on tholr most urgent needs a nd 

priorities.. Where ln kl d material assistance Is 

provided. it should take the form of rGsources to 

Invest in a business o r other livelihoods and should be driven by clients" preferences, 

supported by marke t-based livelihood 

14 

COUM(lling. Service providers should take all 

precautions not to promise g reater assistance 

than what will bo ultimate-ly provided. as this ean 

lead to additional fHiings of disempoWGrment 

and frustration. Trarf.cked persons would benofit 

significantty from much greater efforts from 

providers to engage them in open discussio ns 

about w hat services are available and how they 

could be utlllted to give them bac:k control or 

their llVti. 

AssJst-anc:G providers could also be more crMtlvo 

In supporting effectlvo post-trafficking options, For exomple. not oil men wonted to ret\lrn home 

from BGnjina: some would ha~ prGh!rred 

negotiating better terms for fisheries work, or 

receiving assistance In obtaining legal papers so 

they could work elsewhere. Innovative victim 

a.ssistance programs that are nexlble and "smarr 

onough to support individualized rolntogratlon 

a.ssist anee would 00 most em powering to 

victim s. 

6 ::::~:=s~nanclal compensation 

R&eGivlng their owed salarlGS was o r the utmost 

Importance to tho men. C!V(tn more so than 

sooing their traffickers punished undGr tho law. 

The simple message here is that civil remedies to 

acknowledge and pay back lost wages to 

trafficked persons within a reasonable tlmeframe 

should be prioritized. Rfltitution of lost w~es 

would be a significant help In atlow;ng the men 

to move on with their lives. 

7 Wort< with the prlvato soetor to 

•mploy thes• skilled work•rs. 

Fo rmer fist\Qrs have extensive knowledge abOut 

fishing. skills that can translate Into suec:ossful fishing and fish farming jobs elsowhoro. The 

private sector could play an important role in 

connecting men that have be<!n trafficked with 

other fishing·related jobs. which also supports 

fishing businesses in countries like Thailand since 

tho-re is a severe labour sho rtage in tho fishing 

sector. C43tting soa50ned fishers into s.afe jobs o n 

fishing ~ts could be a ~g win-win ror both 

exploited workers and responsible businesSfi. 
221 


712FOCUS17.eps

8 R.c:ognf:re migration as a 

livelihood amotegy: sometimes it is the only viable option. 

Many men continue to svvgglo to find decent 

cmploymcnt and are unablo to save the monoy 

required to rebuild their lives. When first 

interviewed, not long after they had returned to 

Myanmar. the men were reluctant to return to 

Thailand for work. However. as the status uDdate 

in thi.s paper highlights, over h alf a year later, 

some of the men are once again considering 

migration as the challengfl of everyday life in 

Myanmar provod Insurmountable to ac:hiovlng their life goals. Migration to Thailand may offer 

more hope than remaining for wofi( in Myanmar. 

Formal migration channels should be made 

more accessible, simple. and affordable for 

migrants workers. 

15 
222 


712FOCUS18.eps

ENDNOTES 1. ThOse mon wtro drown to tM oconoml( livtfihood opportunities th01t Thailo1 ncf offered. Two respondents 

v.rerotraffiCktda$Children (10 and 14 YNI'$Okl~ WhUo s.-v.ralof tho mon h6d fiShocl in My01nn-..r. inand 

,oround t hO Th•i bO«<tt. only o~ lnt~IIIWOO had been in'o'()tvod ln offs.horo fishing WOrk.. For ~n 0110Mtw 

on tho worker·broket utladonJhlp.'"' M:trs~ l. P. (2016. SOptombor}. Slavory Free A.:ruitmont Systems: A 

landscape Anolysis Of Fee·FrM RO<:ruitmcnt 5y$t ems. Retrieved Jun• 22. 2017, from the IS$11ra Institute 

~bshe: ttpJ/nwc:U~ wlx.cornlugd/Sb~Ot 47b2cS880148494e88101734abl21d4S pdf. 

2. Hodat, K.. Kelly, C., & LawrMC.e, F. f2014,.June 10). Revea lod Asi.anslave labotlt produclngprawru fOf 

supermark.et.s In US. UK. The Guardian. Retrlevt'd June 22. 2017. from https:/Jwww.theguardian.com/gktbal 

-devt'lopme-nt/20llo{Jun/10/Wpermar et·prawns·thalland·produeed·slave- la~r. 

3. Anti'-SiaYOty lntttnatlonal, Dobt bond~ Wh;.t Is dobt bonc:tago? Aqtri...-..cf Juno 22. 2017, from tlttPS:// WYoMJ.Intis cwory.org/slaVOfY·today~bt-bondag•/. 

4. Tho exeNlng• rt~to for n..s to usow~s 33 to 1 onJanu•ry 1, 2015. •s tho respondont$wqro r9$CU.S 

throughOut 201 S. Rottieved lu,. 22.2017: http://www~t eom/eur tncytabiHnf om:USO&d~uo=Z01 5·01· 

0 1. 

s. SM Tht>ll4:1nd Ministetl:al ReguJation eoneet-nlng LabOur Protection in s.a F'rShery WOtk (20141 B.E. 2557. 

6, See the Ministerial Regulations on Labour Protection In sea Fishery Work (2014} and the Labour Protection 

Aet B.E. 2551 (2008~ 

7. PrkH- to Ooc:tmbor 2014, WQfkOr$under the ago of 18coukf bt found working Segally on ti•hlng bo.1ts dv• to a proviJion in Thfil.end'S maln pi~ or labour lttgi.SI.ation that prohibits the emp oymet~t of a C:hi\d 

undor 15 yo.t.rs of ago, but ellows thosO undet 18 toongb§)4 in eett.ain types of work {loO Tho l,abour 

ProtocUon Act B.E. 2551 (2008~ SOctlons 44·52~ Howovo:r. sinct O«tmbor 2014, Th~ll l.wJ spoclnc-ally 

prohibitS the r.eruitmtnt or emp&oymtnt of •II WOtkttS under 18 yc!'ars of age on fishing bOat$ tHo the 

Mlnistori.ol Rog1.1l~l5on on Labour Protoetion In sea F"tShory Wock (2014). Clause 4~ 

8. Assodau~d Press. An AP lrwestlgadon He-lps. Free S&a...es In 21st Century. RetrSew!d June 22, 2017, from 

https:/Jv.N.,w.Jjp.Qtg/explort/Soafood·ftom·slavts/, 

9. Suttees. R. {2013)_ After Trafficking: Exper1fH'IeeS and C'VII&noge>S In the (Re)lncegrat;on of TraHk:ked Persons 

In the Greater Me kong Sub·reg.ion. Bangkok: UNIAP/Nexus lnstttute. Retrieved 1\Jne 22.2017, from U""ACT 

W9bs.lt.,. tp:}/vn·.act org/pubtloc-.otlon}.rlow/traffiddng·oxpo iOflcos·d'lallongos·rointegration·l l.tffi~tkod· 

porsons-grotJt01··mokonsrsub-rogion/. 

10. ThO e~teh#ngo rt.tte for MMK toUSDwas 1,013 to 1 on Jo11nuary 1. 2015, as the tetpond~u we~oreseued 

throughout 201 S. Rocri...-od Juno 22. 2017. from httJ> fwww.xo eom/eurronc:ytabiOs/Hrom=USD&d~to=201S 

·01·01. 

11. Tr:adlng Economies. Myanmar Minimum Weges 2015·2017, Ro-trloved Juno 22. 2017, from http$:}/ 

radl~onomlcs.eom/myanmar/mfnlmum·w<!lges. 

12. Fot additional r-eading on the benefits of cash tra.nsrers to traflk:ked persons. Usborg. A. & lssara Institute 

(2017. May 31 J. Towards Demand-df'lven. em,powering asslstanoe for traftkked personS! Making the ease (Of Fre-edom of Choke over protectfon at the experu.e of empowerment. Retrieved June 22. 2017, from 

ls.sara lnt tituto w.bslto: http:s;//doa whc:$~tl(; eoi'Tl/ugd/5bf.5.6o f6df'2997d6734ed1 13So74167a.dfl 82a,pdf. 

13. The Pulitur Prlzt$. 2016 Pulitltr Pr1to Winners. Rttritv«< J 1.1 n.ct 22. 2017. from htt p-}/www.pulitz.or.org/ 

pri:O·w1nnorJoby-)'9ar/20 16. 

14. reedom Mouse. Freodom fn the! WOtld 20 ~ Myanmo11r. Reu1evtd Juno 22. 2017. from https-1/ 

eodomho~.t~& g/repof'\/fTeedom-WOt"id/201 5/myanmar. 

ISSARA MEANS FREEDOM I www 1ssaramst1tute org 

.~···,, -a Nt11111• 1:1 1M' ,.-r~'!M US 1'!0(-fOr ptolrt COt(l()fl•tot~ bot~ 1n f nd. t.ty11lfl'l d trot ~tfld su·' ~ !QE tadlltllg d$.lf'l ol!taff.ci..!!'ICJ and lorefod bl10ur th OUI)h cbt' lfCMoloqy P,.t/lft:i"-', and itW'Ieh'&!JOn P~ ·11'1Ciudtt!Q ftr. •,, .~· wOrkH voq 1rd ~it-lltal IN etntttot ,...,,., IU1111'4~ntti1'9"'1Ct'NOtk,ltld M lsYrt Llbt MtondUlOtallldft 1 Us~~ rOnof ~ rhNra. arWybc1. and I«~ dtvt~t t«ii!ft<l to 11.1'1*1 l,urlfiC~ rn f/d>lA tupply dlai'lt-thot 

Pf'Oill•. ~poiiCta,lht 1'1\Pkt. lnd how 10 libtrln1tt 11 
223 

RESPONSE TO WRITTEN QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY HON. BILL NELSON TO

TOMAS J. LARES

Building Partnerships. Florida had the third-highest number of reported cases to 

the national trafficking hotline in 2016. To strengthen the response to human trafficking, it takes a team approach across many disciplines. 

Question 1. How do partnerships like the Greater Orlando Human Trafficking 

Task Force, Inc. help address the rise in trafficking? 

Answer. A collaborative approach is critical to fully address the issue from prevention to identification to restorative care. No single agency can adequately do everything necessary to eliminate human trafficking. For example, the Greater Orlando 

Human Trafficking Task Force is comprised of many organizations both governmental and non-governmental each tackling a piece of the continuum of care 

partnering together to make sure nothing or no one slips through the cracks. 

We have non-governmental agencies that help increase awareness of the issue. 

Awareness leads to the prevention of the crime by young people becoming less vulnerable to the lures of traffickers. As educated community members call the National Human Trafficking Hotline, Law Enforcement and care providers receive 

credible tips that aid investigations that recover victims and arrest traffickers. Once 

this occurs, the victims are connected with experienced case managers, therapists, 

and residential programs to receive the care they need. Many agencies are involved 

in making sure each victim heals and moves from merely surviving to thriving. 

Meanwhile, Law Enforcement works with Prosecutors to ensure the traffickers receive justice. As we work together seamlessly, each victim receives the care he or 

she needs to stay safe and we effectively prevent the crime from ever taking place. 

Florida Abolitionist, Inc. is a cofounder of the Greater Orlando Human Trafficking 

Task Force, Inc. who facilitates the quarterly Central Florida Human Trafficking 

Task Force Leadership Conference Calls, Annual Central Florida Joint Anti-Human 

Trafficking Forum at Valencia College Public Safety Institute and hosts the Annual 

Human Trafficking Awareness Day in January. 

Question 2. What additional actions can be taken to prevent trafficking from happening in the first place? 

Answer. While there are many actions that need to be taken to prevent trafficking 

from happening in the first place, three come to mind as the most important. First 

of all, addressing the root cause of economics. Sex trafficking is a problem because 

there is a demand for purchasing sex. This is a demand that traffickers are happy 

to supply with victims. However, many times when law enforcement intervenes, the 

victims are arrested and the purchasers walk free. By significantly increasing the 

penalties for the commercial sex customer, buying sex will come at a greater risk 

and we will see the demand decrease. Labor Trafficking is fuel by the demand for 

cheaper products thus this fuels the supply chain to use compromising sources including domestic and foreign based slave labor. 

The second way to decrease demand is to address the public health crisis of pornography. While many in our culture believe it is harmless, men and women are 

becoming addicted. Neuroscientists have proven that it is as addictive as illegal 

drugs releasing the same chemicals in the brain. Many commercial sex customers 

want to live out fantasies they see in pornography, so they pay for it with victims 

of human trafficking. As the pornography industry gets more and more violent and 

child pornography increases, the demand for violent fetishes/fantasies and sex with 

children increases. This demand fuels the fire of human trafficking. By stricter regulations on Internet providers and pornography producers, we can greatly curb the 

demand for human trafficking. 

Third, we need to mandate human trafficking education to children between the 

ages of 11–17 in the public school system. In the same way ‘‘Just Say No’’ has decreased drug use in America significantly, this education would help young, vulnerable children learn how traffickers manipulate their victims and would prevent 

many from falling prey to these false promises. Such education would also empower 

youth to watch out for their friends and help keep them from growing up to exploit 

others. The Greater Orlando Human Trafficking Task Force, Inc. has created a poster campaign in Central Florida to ‘‘Speak Out’’ at the middle and high school grade 

levels. Florida Abolitionist, Inc. has established a 30-minute assembly addressing 

online safety, recruiting tactics of the traffickers and the value of having self-worth 

and a healthy self-esteem. This assembly is called, ‘‘Set Free’’. *See poster attachments. 

224 

Question 3. How can the Federal Government help states and regions to meet 

their needs? 

Answer. The Federal Government can help address all of the three actions I recommended above with Federal legislation or by strongly encouraging them at the 

state level for sex, labor and domestic servitude including domestic and foreign-born 

victims, minors and adult victims and the LGBTQ+ communities who are vulnerable. In addition, for many, if not most, agencies involved in the fight against 

human trafficking, funds are very limited. Non-governmental agencies operate on 

shoestring budgets to raise awareness and care for victims. The majority of care providers/stakeholders in Florida are from faith based communities. In addition, funds 

limit law enforcement agencies. In most cases there are very few investigators of 

trafficking cases at the local, state, and Federal level. Increased funding across the 

board would greatly improve efforts to curb this horrible crime. It would provide the 

tools necessary to prevent and identify human trafficking while providing all the 

necessary assistance to victims to experience full healing. Orlando and Miami Florida have some of the highest calls in the Nation reporting trafficking, potential trafficking and/or related issues according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. 

*See Attachment. 

225 


712SPEAK1.eps

~.&..a:ll HUMAN TRAFFICKING IS USING ANOTHER 

PERSON UNFAIRLY FOR SEX OR LABOR TO ANOTHER'S BENEFIT. 

You may already know someone who is involved in human tnflcking. There are laws m protect your linfe sibling or 

next·door neighbor from being among them_ Kids age 13 or younger may notwOfk. Between lho ages ot t4 and 1~ 

they must be within ey~ight of a superviSor. And anyone, at any age, must be patd a mmtmum of $8.05 per hour. 

~ 800.4Z3 .TIPS 

www.spe•kouthotl•ne.org 

Human Trafficking is Modern-Day Slavery- Speakout! 

CALL THE SPEAKOUT TIP LINE. 800.423.84n 

You will be kept anonymous and could be eligible for a cash reward. 
226 


712SPEAK2.eps

• HUMAN TRAFFICKING IS USING ANOTHER 

PERSON UNFAIRLY FOR SEX OR LABOR TO ANOTHER'S BENEFIT. 

You may already know someone who is invotwed in human trafficking. If a classmate. peer or friend has been 

recently branded or tattooed, has unexplained bruises, black eyes. cuts or marks, or if you suspact they are in a 

controRing relationship, they may be a v1chm ol human trafficking. 

~ 800.423 .TIPS www.spe•koutl'lotl.ne.otg 

Human Trafficking is Modern-Day Slavery- Speakout! 

CALL THE SPEAK UT TIP L ~ E. 800.423.'l<~n 

You will be kept anonymous and could be eligible for a cash reward. 
227 


712SPEAK3.eps

~."A.IIJ" HUMAN TRAFFICKING IS USING ANOTHER 

PERSON UNFAIRLY FOR SEX OR LABOR TO ANOTHER'S BENEFIT. 

You may already know someone who is involved in human traficking.lf you have a friend who is frequently absent. 

disengaged, often changing their circle of friends or who runs away. they may be a victim of human uafficking, 

Modem-day slavery is a serious iS$ue thataHects thousands olteens each year without you even knowing. 

~ 800.4Z3 .TIPS 

www.spe•kouthotl•ne.org 

Human Trafficking is Modern-Day Slavery- Speakout! 

CALL Tl- E SPEAII UT TIP L ~ E. 800.423.!l<~n 

You will be kept anonymous and could be eligible for a cash reward. 
228 


712SPEAK4.eps

LU..l..I.:.L.a...a HUMAN TRAFFICKIMG IS USING ANOTHER 

PERSON UNFAIRLY FOR SEX OR LABOR TO ANOTHER'S BENEFIT. 

Yal-llriMylulow- wllols .... _ io.._lldalag. HyouhavoelriendwholslroqUintlyabsert, 

dislnpged, often changing lhllr clrclt ollriends cw who runs IWI\'.Ihly may !Hoe .,ctill or human nllickilg 

ModenHiay $I8VIIy Is • serious iAue !lilt alleclllhousllld$ oiiiW 11G11 yeer wilhoul you evonllnowing. 

~ 800.4Z3 .TIPS 

www.spe•kouthotl•ne.org 

Human Trafficking is Modern-Day Slavery- Speakout! 

CALL THE SPEAKOUTTIP LINE: 800.423.8477 

You will be kept anonymous and could be eligible for a cash reward. 
229 


712RANK1.eps

RANKING OF THE 100 MOST POPULOUS U.S. CITIES 

12/7/2007 - 12/31/2016 

OVERVIEW OF THE DATA 

The following information is based on incoming communicoUon to the National Human Trafficking Hotline via phone, 

email, and online tip report from December 7, 2007-December 31, 2016 about human trafficking cases and issues 

r~loted to human trofficking in the United States and U.S. ter6tories. The stotistics below ore represet~totive of coils 

and cases reported to the Notional Hotline and should not be token as a comprehensive report on the scale or scope 

of humol) Yo/ficklng with/f) ~ch dty. 

RANKING BY NUMBER OF CALLS 

The following statistics ore based solely on substantive calls obo(Jt hvmon trafficking and issues related to humcm 

trojjicking mode to the Notional Humon Ttojjicki,g Hotline between December 7, 2007 ond Decembet 31, 2016. 

Substantive calls do not include hong-ups, missed calls, wrong numbers, ond calls in which the colle~s reason for 

calling is unknown. Any communlcotlon with the hotline regarding topics unre/oted to humon ttoffidt.lng Is not 

included in this report. 

' . ' .. ' ' .. .. 

RANK lOCATION TOTAL 

#OFCAu.s 

#OF CAllS 

RANK lOcATION fl{l\100,000 

PlOfU1 

1 Houston, Texas 3,634 1 Washington, District of Columbia 401 

2 New York, New York 3.074 2 Atlanta, Georgia 317 

3 los Angeles, california 2.803 3 Orlando, Florida 285 

4 Washington, District of Columbia 2.730 4 Miami, Florida 271 

s Chicago, Illinois 2,098 s las Vegas, Nevada 237 

6 Las Vegas. Nevada 1.498 6 Sacramento, California 222 

7 Atlanta, Georgia 1,497 7 St. l ouis, Missouri 198 

8 Columbus, Ohio 1.466 8 Baton Rouge, louisiana 176 

9 Dallas, Texas 1,380 9' Columbus, Ohio 170 

10 S.an Diego, <:alrfornia 1.333 9' Richmond, Virginia 170 

11 Miami, Florida 1.228 11 Houston, Texas !58 

12 San Francisco, california 1,102 12 Tampa, Florida 155 

13 Sacramento, california 1.100 13 Cleveland, Ohio 135 

14 Austin, Texas 969 142 Toledo, Ohio 131 

15 San Antonio, Texas 866 142 Baltimore, Maryland 131 

16 Philadelphia, Pennsytvania 853 16 San Francisco, California 127 

17 Seattle, Washington 838 17 Seattle, Washington 119 

18 Phoenix, Arizona 823 18 Portland, Oregon 115 

19 Baltimore, Maryland 803 192 Pittsburgh, Pennsytvanla 112 

20 Orlando, Florida 790 192 fresno, California 112 

21 Portland, Oregon 734 212 San Bernardino, California 111 

22 Detroit, Michigan 666 212 Cincinnati, Ohio 111 

23 Charlotte, North Carolina 655 23 New Orleans, louisiana 110 
230 


712RANK2.eps

RANKING OF THE 100 MOST POPULOUS U.S. CITIES 

12/7/2007 - 12/31/2016 

24 Oakland, California 

25 Dallas, Texas 

26 Austin, Texas 

27 Lubbock, Texas 

28 Detroit, Michigan 

29 Riverside, California 

30 Boston, Massachusetts 

31 San Oiego, California 

32 Newark, New Jersey 

33 Stockton, California 

34 Raleigh, North carolina 

35 Minneapolis, Minnesota 

36 Santa Ana, California 

371 St. Petersburg. Florida 

37' Kansas City, Missoud 

39 Denver, Colon•do 

40 Tulsa, Oklahoma 

41' Charlotte, North Carolina 

41' Olieago, Illinois 

43 louisville, Kentucky 

44' St. Paul, Minnesota 

442 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 

46 Nashville, Tennessee 

47 los Angeles, California 

48 Lexingtor\., Kentucky 

49' Bakersfield, California 

49' San Jose, California 

51 Wichita, Kansas 

52' Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 

52' Aurora, Colo !'ado 

54' San Antonio, Texas 

54' Anaheim, California 

56 Omaha, Nebraska 

57 Durham, North carolina 

58' Colorado Springs, Colorado 

58' Honolulu, Hawaii 

60 Philadelphia. Pennsylvania 

61 Albuquerque. New Mexico 

62' Phoenix, Ari:ona 

62' Reno, Nevada 

107 

lOS 

102 

101 

99 

98 

96 

95 

92 

91 

90 

87 

85 

83 

83 

81 

80 

78 

78 

76 

73 

73 

71 

70 

68 

64 

64 

61 

59 

59 

58 

58 

57 

56 

55 

55 

54 

52 

51 

51 
231 


712RANK3.eps

RANKING OF THE 100 M OST POPULOUS U.S. CITIES 

12/7/2007 - 12/31/2016 

64 Tucson, Arizona 

65 Buffalo, New York 

66 Boise City, Idaho 

67' Indianapolis, Indiana 

67' Greensboro, North Cirolina 

69 Jersey City, New Jersey 

70 Fort Worth, Texas 

71 Virginia Beach, Virginia 

72' Long Beach, California 

72' Corpus Christi, Texas 

74 laredo, Texas 

752 Arlington, Texas 

75' Irvine, California 

77' Norfolk, Virginia 

77' Anchorage, Alaska 

77' Memphis, Tennessee 

SO' Jacksonville, Florida 

so' Madison, Wisconsin 

SO' New York, New Yotk 

83 El Paso, Texas 

84 lincoln, Nebraska 

85 Winston-Salem, North carolina 

86 Garland, Texas 

87' Fremont, california 

87' Plano, Texas 

89' Glendale, Arizona 

89' Irving, Texas 

91 Mesa, Arizona 

92 Fort Wayne, Indiana 

93 Scottsdale, Afizona 

94 Chesapeake, Virginia 

95 Henderson, Nevada 

96 Gilbert, Arizona 

97' Hialeah. Florida 

97' Chula Vista, California 

97' Chandler, Arizona 

100 North las Vegas, Nevada 

wert conducttd tht July 1. 2016 P()()U'Iat'on tstimotts from lht u.s. Ctt'ISW 8urtou. 

50 

49 

48 

47 

47 

45 

44 

42 

41 

41 

40 

39 

39 

38 

38 

38 

36 

36 

36 

35 

34 

29 

26 

25 

25 

24 

24 

21 

19 

15 

13 

12 

8 

7 

7 

7 

3 

TMst estimotts ott ovolloblt ot hups://ftK:tfindtr ctnsus.g()'V/focts/toblt~rvictS/jsj/poges/ptOductvitw.xlltml?stc~bkmk. 

1/n Cost'S of o tit in tithtr toto# coifs or coils per copito, ron kings wert duplicated. 
232 


712RANK4.eps

RANKING OF THE 100 MOST POPULOUS U.S. CITIES 

12/7/2007 - 12/31/2016 

RANKING BY NUMBER OF CASES 

The following statistics include cases created by the Notional Human Trafficking Hotline. A case is a unique report, 

slruotlon, or request for resoutef!S that originated as a signal to the Notional Human Trojflcklng Hotline. Each cose 

has at least one signal (col/, online tip report, or emoif) ossodated with it. Coses may hove mufliple sigffols ond/or 

multiple signalers based on the details of the case. Eoch cose included in this report was evaluated for evidence of 

potential human trafficking and was determined to have elrher high()( mod(!(ote indica tots of human trafficking . 

. . . . . RANK LOCATION TOTAl 

#OF CAsES 

#OF CAsES 

RANK lOCATlOH P£R100,000 

Pto•u' 

1 Houston, Texas 1.021 1 Washington, District of Columbia 87 

2 los Angeles, California 884 2 Atlanta, Georgia 84 

3 New York, New York 759 3 Orlando, Florida 83 

4 Washington, Oistritt of Columbia 59& 4 Miami, Florida 80 

5 Chicago, Illinois 507 5 Las Vegas, Nevada 79 

6 Las Vegas, Nevada 499 6 Sacramento, California 59 

7 Atlanta, Georgia 399 7' Houston, Texas 44 

8 Dallas-, Texas 370 7' Tampa, Florida 44 

9 Mi-ami, Florida 3&4 9' Columbus, Ohio 41 

10 Columbus1 Ohio 35& 9' Baton Rouge, louisiana 41 

11 San Oiego, California 335 11 Oakland, California 40 

12 San Francisco, California 302 12' Baltimore, Maryland 39 

13 Sacramento, California 294 12' New Orleans, louisiana 39 

14 Baltimore, Maryland 240 14' St. Louis, Missouri 3S 

15 Orlando, Florida 230 14' San Francisco, California 35 

1& Phoenix, Arizona 229 1& Detroit, Michigan 33 

17 Detroit, Michigan 223 17 Cincinnati, Ohio 31 

18 Philadelphia, Pennsytvania 202 18' Toledo, Ohio 30 

19 Portland, Oregon 188 18' Fresno, California 30 

20 San Jose, California 184 18' San Bernardino, California 30 

21 Austin, Texas 183 21' Portland, Oregon 29 

22 Seattle, Washington 181 21' Cleveland, Ohio 29 

23 San Antonio, Texas 174 23 Dallas, Texas 28 

24 Oaldandf Cahfornia 170 24 Richmond, Virginia 27 

25 Tampa, Florida 1&5 25 Seattle, Washington 2& 

26 Fresno, California 155 26 San Diego, California 24 

27 Boston, Massachusetts 154 27' Kansas City, Missouri 23 

28 New Orleans, louisiana 151 27' Newark, New Jersey 23 

29 Charlotte, North Carolina 141 27' Boston, Mas.sachusetts 23 

30 Denver, Colorado 133 30' los Angeles, California 22 
233 


712RANK5.eps

RANKING OF THE 100 M OST POPULOUS U.S. CITIES 

12/7/2007 - 12/31/2016 

30' Riverside, california 

32' Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 

32' Minneapolis, Minnesota 

32' Reno, Nevada 

35' Honolulu, Hawaii 

35' Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 

35' Stockton, California 

35' Bakersfield, California 

35' Santa Ana, California 

40' Austin, Texas 

40' Denver, Colorado 

40' Milwaukee, Wisconsin 

40' Olicago, Illinois 

44' Anaheim, California 

44' San Jose, california 

44' Tolsa, Oklahoma 

47 Charlotte, North Ulrolina 

48" Colorado Springs, Colorado 

48" louisville, Kentucky 

50' Raleigh, North C.rolina 

50' Greet~sboro, North Carolina 

SO' Wichita, Kansas 

53' Lexington, Kentucky 

53' Memphis, Tenne-ssee 

53' Indianapolis, Indiana 

53' Phoenix. Arizona 

53' S-t. Petersburg, Florida 

53' Albuquerque, New Mexico 

53' Durham, North Carolina 

60' Buffalo, New York 

60' Omaha, Nebraska 

60' St. Paul, Minnesota 

60' Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 

60' Je~ey Oty. New Jersey 

60' Norfolk, Virginia 

60' Nashville, Tennessee 

67' long Beach, california 

67' San Antonio, Texas 

69" Virginia Beach, Virginia 

69" Corpus Christi, Texas 

22 

21 

21 

21 

20 

20 

20 

20 

20 

19 

19 

19 

19 

18 

18 

18 

17 

16 

16 

15 

15 

15 

14 

14 

14 

14 

14 

14 

14 

13 

13 

13 

13 

13 

13 

13 

12 

12 

11 

11 
234 


712RANK6.eps

RANKING OF THE 100 MOST POPULOUS U.S. CITIES 

12/7/2007 - 12/31/2016 

69' Irvine, californi.-

69' Fort Worth, Texas 

73' Jacksonville, Florida 

73' Madison, Wisoonsin 

75' TuC$on, Arizona 

75' Laredo, Texas 

75' New York, New York 

78' Garland, Texas 

78' Arlington, Texas 

78' Glendale, Arizona 

78' Lubbod<. eX<~s 

82' Uncoln, Nebraska 

82' Aurora, Colorado 

82' El Paso, Texas 

85' Fremont, cautomia 

85' Fort Wayne, Indiana 

85' Mesa, Arizona 

85' Anchorage. Alaska 

85' Boise City, Idaho 

85' Scottsdale. Arizona 

85' Chesapeake, Virginia 

85' IMng, Texas 

85' Winston-Salem, North Carolina 

94' Chula Vista, california 

94' Chandler, Arizona 

94' Plano, Texas 

94' Hialeah, Florida 

94' Gilbert, Arizona 

99' Henderson, Nevada 

11 

11 

10 

10 

9 

9 

9 

8 

8 

8 

8 

7 

7 

7 

6 

6 

6 

6 

6 

6 

6 

6 

6 

3 

3 

3 

3 

3 

Redacteds 

'-"ii;;;,;;~;;;;-:;;;;;;;~;7;;;;;;":;~;;;;;;;;;!,i;;;;;:;';;;;.;', 1, 2016 PopulotKXI est1mote-s from the U.S. Census Bureau. 

99' North Las Vegas, Nevada Redacted" 

These estimates ore ovoHoble ot https://foctfinder.c.ensus.gw/foces/tobleservices/jsj/poges/productview.xhtmf?src=bkmk. 4 /n cases of o tie in eitl~r rotot cases 01' coses per capiro, ronkings were dupficoted. 5To protect the identity of the people we seflle, the Notional Human Trafficking Hotline does not disclose exact statistics 

related ro cities ttfetenc«< ftwtf than rhtet times. 
235 

Æ 


712RANK7.eps