Labor Trafficking

If you’ve ever enjoyed a good time at a traveling summer carnival or fair, dined on exquisite Maryland crab legs, or perhaps appreciated the aesthetic beauty of suburban landscapes, there is a high chance you have interacted with - or been the beneficiary of - a migrant worker on an H-2B visa.

June is Pride Month in the United States - a time to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and recognize those who fought for equal rights for gender and sexual minorities. It is important to remember that legal rights only go so far, but for many people, particularly children, and young people, the social consequences of identifying as LGBTQ+, are still devastating. 

In partnership with investigative journalist Ian Urbina, we are highlighting a unique form of modern slavery that exists on the high seas. Ian has been reporting for five years on lawlessness at sea in many facets, much of which has revolved around sea slavery.

The son of the president of Guinea and his wife were recently sentenced to seven years in prison for labor trafficking. The facts of the case are profoundly disturbing, but they are not in any way surprising.

For many survivors of commercial exploitation and trafficking, social media has been an integral part of their recovery process as well as a way to network and grow professionally.

Human trafficking is a $150 billion global industry that robs approximately 25 million people around the world of their freedom. It isn’t simply a human rights abuse – it’s a business. 

The myth about sex trafficking increasing exponentially in the city hosting the Super Bowl has become as common this time of year as chips, wings … and, (like it or not), the New England Patriots.