1. Human Trafficking and Slavery: Tools For An Effective Response
Presented by
Kay Buck, Executive Director
Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST)
© Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST), All Rights Reserved.

2. What is CAST? Founded in 1998 in Los Angeles
Mission: to assist persons trafficked for the purpose of forced labor and slavery-like practices and to work toward ending all instances of such human rights violations
Dedicated exclusively to services and advocacy for trafficked and enslaved persons in the U.S.
Utilize collaborative approach with government agencies and community organizations to respond to cases of trafficking

3. CAST’s Activities
Intensive case management and comprehensive legal assistance services for trafficked persons
Opened first U.S. shelter for trafficked persons
Part of Leadership Team of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Human Trafficking Taskforce
Local, national and international policy advocacy
Training and technical assistance for NGOs and GOs
Public education, outreach and community organizing

4. Human Trafficking Some rough estimates of the scope of the problem
In the U.S ,000 women, children and men trafficked annually
Two million people trafficked worldwide annually
Twenty seven million people in slavery around the world
Nine billion dollar business

5. Compared to Drugs or Arms, Human Trafficking:
Is more profitable
Produces continuous profits
Involves little or no risk

6. Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act
A comprehensive law
Prevention
Prosecution
Protection

7. Human Trafficking
“Whoever knowingly recruits, harbors, transports, provides, or obtains by any means, any person for labor or services in peonage, slavery, involuntary servitude or forced labor. . .”
US Criminal Law OR
Anyone who is being manipulated or forced to work against his/her will or provide services for the benefit of someone else (involuntary servitude)

8. Three Elements of Trafficking
Recruiting OR
Harboring
Moving
Obtaining
a person, 1
PROCESS by
Force OR
Fraud
Coercion 2
MEANS
For the purposes of
Involuntary Servitude OR
Debt Bondage
Slavery
Sex Trade 3
END
For Mod 2
A woman came to see Aurelia’s mother in her Mexican village to offer Aurelia a job as a cook in America. She promised that Aurelia would make $200 per month and could go to school. The woman brought Aurelia into the U.S. by car and took her to a bar in Texas. Aurelia was told she would be working in the bar and had to pay off a $7,500 debt to the owners by working as a prostitute. When Aurelia refused to do the work and asked to go back home, the owners beat her and threatened to harm her mother if she did not do the work.

9. Trafficking Vs. Smuggling
Unauthorized border crossing
No coercion
Facilitated illegal entry of person from one country to another
Smuggled persons seen as criminals by the law
Trafficking
Crime or violation against a person
Contains element of coercion (cannot consent to enslavement)
Subsequent exploitation and/or forced labor
Trafficked persons seen as victims by the law

10. Modern-Day Slavery: A Prison Without Walls
Shackles and chains have been replaced by:
Threats of deportation
Withholding documents
Threats to family members in home country
Isolation
Verbal abuse
Psychological coercion is often coupled with threatened or actual physical violence and sexual assault
Human Trafficking is commonly referred to as modern-day slavery..
The face of modern-day slavery is a different one than the old form of chattel slavery, characterized by physical chains and forced removal that dominated the transatlantic slave trade .
Rather it is a prison with no walls, in which the tactics used are more underhanded and involve psychological coercion in the form of
We now see threats of deportation, often victims do not know they are in the country illegally so they are told that after and that in the process the authorities will hold them in jail, and abuse them.
Often, victims have their passports and papers confiscated as a control mechanism
Traffickers often control victim’s communication with family members, not allowing phone calls or mail to be received
Verbal abuse is often used as a way to deplete their self-esteem
Physical violence and sexual assault are also common elements in these types of situations.

11. Some Examples Trafficking and Slavery
Domestic service
Prostitution
Marriage
Factories
Begging
Agriculture
Criminal activity
Restaurant work
Construction
Hotel/motel housekeeping
Other informal labor sectors

12. Other Examples in the U.S.
African church choir
Pacific Islander pig farmers
South American cattle herders
Asian school teachers

13. U.S. Citizens Can Be Victimized
Michael Allen Lee recruited homeless men from the streets of Orlando or other cities to work in Florida's citrus fields with promises of good wages. However, instead of the US$35 to $50 a day that workers in the citrus industry could normally expect, Lee's workers were rarely paid more than $10 a day despite working from dawn to dusk.
Lee would deduct the cost of food, a place to sleep and other "expenses", such as charges for the sacks they used to collect the fruit, from their wages. One worker had $110 deducted from his weekly wage for food and rent alone. This despite the fact that the official charge for the bunk or mattress where they slept was $30 a week and that they only received between $5 and $10 a day for food. Those who complained or tried to escape were threatened with violence.
One worker, George E. Williams, did escape and went to the police. Williams had previously been beaten unconscious by Lee, dragged to a pick up truck and taken to another location where he was beaten again. Lee then made Williams wipe his own blood off the walls.
Seven months after Williams' escape he and more than a dozen other workers filed a lawsuit, with the assistance of Florida Rural Legal Services, against Lee and the company that hired him, Beville II Inc.

14. Who Are Trafficked and Enslaved Persons?
Women, children and men
Varying ages
Varying levels of education
Voluntary migrants
Seeking to improve their situation

15. Why People Decide to Migrate
Economic
Social
Personal
Civil unrest
Political persecution
Escape from gender-
based discrimination
Adventure/opportunity
Photo by J. Maillard, International Labour Organization

16. Why Migrants Are Vulnerable to Human Traffickers
Immigration laws/policies
Demand for migrant work, but lack of safe, legal ways to migrate
Ethnic, religious, national discrimination
Dependence on third parties for information about migration

17. Who Are The Human Traffickers and Slaveholders?
Organized crime
Neighbors, friends, family members, village chiefs, returnees
Agricultural operations
Owners of small or medium-sized businesses
Families (including diplomats)

18. How People Are Recruited
Acquaintances or family
Newspaper ads
Fake employment agencies
Front businesses
Word of mouth
Abduction
Photo by J. Maillard, International Labour Organization

19. A Human Rights Approach To Human Trafficking and Slavery
Focuses on situation, needs and rights of trafficked and enslaved persons
Respects individual autonomy and rights
Is empowering and non-judgmental
Connects rights of the individual to prosecution of traffickers and slaveholders

20. NGO and Government Cooperation
U.S. Attorney’s office
Federal VW coordinator
Federal public defender
DHS agents & VW coordinator
FBI agents, VW coordinator & LEGATs
Pre-trial Services office
Embassy/Consulate
State Labor Agencies
Diplomatic Security Service
Office for Victims of Crime
Local law enforcement
Local district attorney
Main Department of Justice
Civil Rights Division, Criminal Section
Department of Labor
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Internal Revenue Service
Office of Refugee Resettlement

21. NGOs and Government: What NGOs Can Bring To The Table
Referrals of cases from the community
Care for victim’s human service needs
Coordination between agencies and victims during criminal or civil proceedings
Work to ensure trafficked person understands legal processes
Provide cultural info and language assistance
Social and emotional support to help victim be an effective witness or plaintiff

22. Identifying Trafficked Persons

23. Identifying Trafficked Persons
Ways that trafficked persons are discovered
Guidelines for identifying whether or not a person is “trafficked”

24. Finding Trafficked & Enslaved Persons
Direct outreach
CAST Sex Trafficking Outreach Program (STOP)
NYC Task Force outreach tools
Legal Aid Foundation of LA comic strip
Coalition of Immokalee Workers community organizing
Education campaigns for general public
ORR “Campaign to Rescue and Restore Victims of Trafficking”
United Nations Public Service Announcements
Training
Local/federal law enforcement
Community organizations
Government Agencies

25. Which Law Enforcement Agencies Might Discover A Trafficked Person?
DHS investigations, anti-smuggling unit, work site enforcement unit, asylum office, detention center, border patrol
FBI civil rights or organized crime units
Department of Labor
Local police and district attorney
DOJ complaint line
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Victim Witness Coordinator
Public Defender

26. Countries of Origin Victims can be American citizens
Whatever you look for, you will find
Be aware of victim stereotypes
Race, class, gender
Language, culture and world views present significant challenges to everyone working to identify and assist victims
Consider these factors when strategizing outreach to potential victims

27. Victim Encounters with Law Enforcement That Were Trafficking
Domestic Violence
Burglary
Illegal Immigration
Wage dispute
Attempted Suicide
Prostitution
Kidnapping
Informant on other criminal matter

28. Who Else Might Discover a Trafficked Person?
Community organizations
Good Samaritans
Consulates or embassies
Other trafficked persons
Witnesses
Clinics
Private attorneys
Customers/clients of the trafficked person
Mental health service providers
DV advocates

29. Call CAST for Help!

30. Providing Social Services to Survivors of Trafficking

31. What Range Of Services Will Need To Be Provided?
Trafficked and enslaved persons have suffered from serious physical, psychological and possibly sexual abuse.
An extensive network of culturally and linguistically appropriate service providers is required to meet their urgent and acute needs.
Interpretation
Housing, food & clothing
Medical care (emerg. & long term) & health education
Mental health care
Legal & immigration services
ESL training
Independent living skills
Safety planning
Job placement & employment education
Human rights education

32. Repatriation and Reintegration Assistance
Steps:
Obtain identification and travel documentation
Link with NGO in country of repatriation to help assess family situation, safety, available services, accompany client through immigration, etc.
Arrange for safe travel and re-entry
Cost of plane ticket (who will pay?)
Shipping of client personal belongings (who will pay?)
Follow-up with client as appropriate
Organizations that may be able to help
International Organization for Migration
Freedom Network Contacts
State Dept./USAID Grantees

33. Challenges of Assisting Trafficked and Enslaved Persons
Lack of resources/infrastructure
Special needs population
Diverse cultures/languages
Multiple survivors
Complex legal needs
Lack of awareness and cooperation among government and non-government agencies
New laws still being implemented
Long term clients
Lack of experience at all levels
Staff secondary trauma
Refer to client assessment matrix.
Refer to poem: psychological coercion
CAST’s clients have come from Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Korea, Mexico, Russia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Ukraine.
Photo by J. Maillard, International Labour Organization

34. Rewards of Working With Trafficked and Enslaved Persons
New field of victim services
Highly motivated clients
Assisting an “un-served” population
New laws to assist and protect survivors
Survivors’ justice
This is human rights work dedicated to protecting the most basic right to bodily integrity and freedom
“I feel that I have been reincarnated… I have gained my freedom.”
CAST client
Refer to client assessment matrix.
Refer to poem: psychological coercion
CAST’s clients have come from Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Korea, Mexico, Russia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Ukraine.
Photo Feruzzi/Los Angeles Times
El Monte Slave Shop Workers, 1999