Human Rights First Testifies Before the New York City Council on Human Trafficking

Today the New York City Council’s Committee on Immigration held an oversight hearing on labor trafficking in the domestic worker industry. I testified on behalf of Human Rights First about the need for regulations that would prevent workers from being victimized.

Labor trafficking is the most prevalent form of modern slavery, but is often overlooked because its victims, especially domestic workers, are harder to identify and cases can be harder to prosecute. Increased scrutiny of recruiting agencies and visa processing would help nip this practice in the bud. Additionally, a public awareness campaign would expand reporting and help communities detect trafficked domestic workers, who rarely come in contact with law enforcement or city agencies.

To prevent one rescued worker from being replaced by the next victim, modern slavery must be tackled with a multilateral effort across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. Slavery is a business, with exploiters earning over $150 billion annually. Check out the full testimony and Human Rights First’s campaign to disrupt the business of modern slavery.