Debt Bondage

Bonded labor, also known as debt bondage or debt slavery, is a form of labor in which a person is forced to work to pay off a debt. This practice is illegal in many countries, including the United States, as it is considered a form of modern-day slavery. Bonded labor often occurs in developing countries, where it is used as a means of securing cheap labor. In some cases, people may be tricked or coerced into accepting a loan, only to find out later that the terms of the loan are impossible to fulfill and that they are effectively trapped in a cycle of debt. This practice can have devastating effects on individuals and their families, as they are often forced to work long hours under dangerous or exploitative conditions in order to pay off their debt.

U.S. Is "Middleman" In Billion-Dollar Child Trafficking Op: Whistleblower – The Maine Wire
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U.S. Is "Middleman" In Billion-Dollar Child Trafficking Op: Whistleblower – The Maine Wire

The United States federal government has become the “middleman” in a multi-billion dollar human trafficking operation targeting unaccompanied minors at the southern border, a whistleblower told Congress’s House Judiciary Committee Wednesday. Tara Lee Rodas volunteered to help with Operation Artemis, a plan by the Biden Administration to get control of the humanitarian disaster on the…

Understanding and Pursuing Labor Trafficking Cases Collaboratively – MDPI
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Understanding and Pursuing Labor Trafficking Cases Collaboratively – MDPI

1. Introduction The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) was introduced in 2000, defining sex and labor trafficking and creating criminal statutes to facilitate investigations, prosecutions, and provide victim services in the United States [1]. Despite the TVPA, most local law enforcement agencies required years to begin investigating street level prostitution and residential brothels as potential…

How U.S. policy drives child migrants into dangerous jobs
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How U.S. policy drives child migrants into dangerous jobs

Recent stories of migrant children working long hours and under dangerous conditions in the United States have shed light on how pervasive migrant child labor has become in this country. In December, Reuters published the third part of a year-long investigation about migrant children as young as 12 working in Alabama chicken plants and in…

URI professor discusses worsening child labor in the United States
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URI professor discusses worsening child labor in the United States

KINGSTON, R.I. – March 13, 2023 -In recent weeks, the issue of child labor in the United States – particularly among migrant children – has come under new scrutiny. In mid-February, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a release detailing a $1.5 million penalty paid by Packers Sanitation Services Inc., one of the largest food…

Fight against wage theft reignites in Minnesota as complaints rise – Star Tribune
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Fight against wage theft reignites in Minnesota as complaints rise – Star Tribune

Roberto Jacobo is an immigrant who estimates he lost $90,000 in income over 15 years as a home remodeler because his employers did not pay him his owed overtime or prevailing wage on jobs. For years he stayed quiet, afraid his employers would retaliate because he is an immigrant. Then he decided enough is enough…

Fight against wage theft reignites in Minnesota as complaints rise
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Fight against wage theft reignites in Minnesota as complaints rise

Roberto Jacobo is an immigrant who estimates he lost $90,000 in income over 15 years as a home remodeler because his employers did not pay him his owed overtime or prevailing wage on jobs. For years he stayed quiet, afraid his employers would retaliate because he is an immigrant. Then he decided enough is enough…

Addressing Human Trafficking in India – BORGEN Magazine
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Addressing Human Trafficking in India – BORGEN Magazine

NEW DELHI, India — India is a source, transit and destination country of human trafficking. The U.S. Department of State cites a study estimating a minimum of 8 million human trafficking victims in India. Human trafficking has become the easiest and most profitable trade for traffickers who lure, kidnap and abduct disadvantaged people for exploitation….

Unfair competition under the USMCA: The case of migrant workers on US farms – Brookings
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Unfair competition under the USMCA: The case of migrant workers on US farms – Brookings

The protection of labor rights is central to sustainable and inclusive supply chains under the USMCA— wherever the work takes place. The USMCA offers new mechanisms to address the unfair competition created by the suppression of workers’ rights, so long as the abuses occur in Mexico. Yet there are serious violations of labor standards in…

House bill aims to strengthen state's labor trafficking laws – Minnesota Lawyer
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House bill aims to strengthen state's labor trafficking laws – Minnesota Lawyer

The only successful labor trafficking conviction in Minnesota was against subcontractor Ricardo Batres — but a new bill that garnered unanimous approval in the state’s House of Representatives looks to tighten and clarify laws and punishment for the practice. HF 42 will make it easier to prosecute labor trafficking crimes and sets clear sentencing guidelines….