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US DOJ to Continue Sponsoring Human Trafficking Research in Wake of Recent Study

© barbndcThese workers came from India to work; paid thousands of dollars to an unscrupulous labor recruiter for visas they were told would allow them to live and work permanently in the US. However, the visas turned out to be temporary.
These workers came from India to work; paid thousands of dollars to an unscrupulous labor recruiter for visas they were told would allow them to live and work permanently in the US. However, the visas turned out to be temporary. - Sputnik International
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The US Department of Justice (DOJ) will continue sponsoring research on human labor trafficking in an attempt to end this "hidden crime," Program Manager for Human Trafficking Maureen McGough said.

WASHINGTON, October 23 (RIA Novosti) - The US Department of Justice (DOJ) will continue sponsoring research on human labor trafficking in an attempt to end this "hidden crime," Program Manager for Human Trafficking Maureen McGough said.

"It's a very complicated issue, and even though we've been researching it for 10 years, there are many, many basic questions that we don't yet know the answer to, because it is a hidden crime," McGough told RIA Novosti Wednesday.

The joint Urban Institute and Northeastern University study funded by the DOJ revealed Tuesday that victims of human labor trafficking are often brought into the United States lawfully, paying thousands to fraudulent recruitment agencies that promise job opportunities in the US.

The study, which is the first to examine the organization, operation and victimization process of labor trafficking, documented the experience of 122 men and women, who were trafficked to the United States.

Many of these victims, the study found, even come face to face with embassy and consulate authorities during their visa application process, without the authorities knowing that they are being trafficked.

"Labor trafficking in the US is a phenomenon that is not well understood or well known, and we think that the results of this report definitely go a long way to help us understand particularly the victimization experience of victims in the US," McGough added.

Those, who were trafficked to the US, were foreigners primarily from Mexico, the Philippines and India many of whom were educated and held a temporary work visa upon entering the country. Victims often decided to work in the US for the prospects of a better life, and in many instances the study found that recruiters would promise competitive pay though usually lied about the nature of the work.

The study unfolded that human labor trafficking cases are typically not prioritized by law enforcement bodies because victims rarely come in contact with the authorities. It is also hard for investigators to link solid evidence to these types of cases usually because of the victim's legal visa status.

"Victims were often hidden in plain sight, labor, trafficked in jobs that involved interaction with the public. Victims were forced to work long hours, denied pay, or given less pay than promised," the study read. "Traffickers also manipulated workers to remain in forced labor by exploiting their immigration status."

In order to prevent human labor trafficking in the US, researchers say that above all immigration reform is needed for guest worker programs so that authorities can better monitor and protect trafficked workers from employer abuse.

According to the International Labor Organization's (ILO) statistics, about 21 million people are victims of forced labor worldwide. It is an industry that generates about $150 billion in illegal profits to the private economy annually, the organization noted.

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