Labor Trafficking

Any form of forced labor or services is labor trafficking. Labor trafficking occurs throughout the United States, including Washtenaw County. Employers may force workers to do labor though a variety of means, such as debt bondage.

Labor trafficking occurs where people are forced to work due to immigration status, debt, threats, or violence. Signs of labor trafficking may include pressure from employers to stay in a job, threats from a boss, lack of control over passports or identity documents, living and working in isolated conditions, and/or owing money and having earnings applied directly to that debt:

Labor

General legal help 

Our partners at the Human Trafficking Clinic at the University of Michigan provide many forms of legal assistance to both sex and labor trafficking survivors, including:

  • Immigration
  • Family issues
  • Help clearing an old criminal record
  • Access to public benefits
  • Supporting survivors as witnesses

To contact the Human Trafficking Clinic, please call 734-615-3600, Monday-Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

To learn more about labor trafficking, please view our flyer here.

Law enforcement

To report labor trafficking, please contact your local law enforcement agency directly or call 9-1-1.

Questions

If you have questions about labor trafficking or what may qualify, you may contact the Economic Crimes Unit directly.