The Organization, Operation and Victimization of Labor Trafficking in the United States

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract

Despite growing awareness of labor trafficking in the United States, little is known about victims of the crime or how labor traffickers and their facilitators operate. This panel will present the results of a National Institute of Justice-funded project to study forced and exploitative labor and how labor traffickers victimize workers conducted by the Urban Institute and Northeastern University, in partnership with the Freedom Network. The research involves an in-depth case study approach to analyze the stages and components of labor trafficking.

The project aims to answer the following research questions:
1. What is the nature of labor trafficking victimization in the U.S.?
2. How are labor trafficking syndicates operating in the U.S. organized?
3. How do law enforcement agencies investigate alleged labor trafficking cases?

Sub Unit

• Area II. Types of Offending and Victimization / 19. Sex Work/Prostitution and Human Trafficking

Individual Presentations

• Identifying Victims of Labor Trafficking in the United States - Amy Farrell, Northeastern University; Rebecca Pfeffer, University of Houston - Downtown

• Labor Trafficking Victimization Experience - Meredith Dank, Urban Institute; Justin Breaux, Urban Institute

• Labor Trafficking Survivor Outcomes, Interactions with Service Provider and the Civil and Criminal Justice Systems - Colleen Owens, Urban Institute; Isela Banuelos, Urban Institute

Chair

• John Picarelli, U.S. Department of Justice

Discussant

• Sheldon Zhang, San Diego State University