WEBVTT

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- My name is Suleman, and
I'm a subject matter expert

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on labor trafficking
and male victimization.

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From the start of the TVPA,

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the Trafficking Victims Protection Act,

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much of the attention has been primarily

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on finding ways to combat sex trafficking.

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I think where we are now

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in this anti-trafficking movement

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is that we do have a strong understanding

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of what sex trafficking looks like.

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But not enough intention is being done

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to create separate awareness

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on what labor trafficking
is constituted as.

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When we're talking about labor
trafficking, we're talking

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about a work environment
where an individual feels

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that they are unable to leave
their trafficking situation,

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and that the goods that they produce,

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the services that they
provide to consumers,

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a corporation, a
conglomerate, or an individual

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is profiting off of that labor

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at the expense of that individual.

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A trafficker will see an
individual not for who they are,

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who their family is, where they come from,

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what their socioeconomic status is,

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they only see this individual as a number,

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a number that can produce
a certain amount of goods

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or a certain amount of revenue

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where that trafficker can profit off of.

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In order to accomplish this,

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a trafficker uses the American Dream

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as their vehicle to
portray the opportunity

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that that worker is going to receive.

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The trafficker will sell this idea

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to a worker and simply state
that without their help,

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there is no way this
individual is gonna be able to

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get financial security for themselves

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or financial security for their families.

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They're making themselves
out to be the only person

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that they can trust here
in the United States.

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They're the only person

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that they can trust in this community.

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That's where the isolation

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and the grooming has already started,

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before that individual
even signs the paper

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or signs some form
acknowledging their employment.

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What is not discussed is the type

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of work environment that
they actually are a part of.

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The environments that
exist among forced labor

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have so many different complexities.

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They range based off of
the types of industries

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that are affected.

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When we think about
construction sites, for example,

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forced labor may be as simple
as having an individual

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work more than they were
allotted to work that day,

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where they were underpaid or
they were not paid whatsoever

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based off of the false
promises their trafficker gave.

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The American reality that
many of these workers face

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is the reality that
they do not have access

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to personal protective equipment.

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They do not have access to overtime.

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They do not have access
to an equitable wage

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that is in compliance with
state and federal laws.

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The American reality versus
the American Dream is such

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that this individual is put in
a place where they can simply

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not get out of their environment.

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Whether an individual or
their family is from here

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in the United States or an
individual is coming from abroad,

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debt bondage is a tactic used

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by traffickers to place a
debt over an individual's head

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or even an individual's family's head.

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They're unable to move
past this current chapter

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of their lives without
paying off this debt.

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But little do they know, that
debt will never be cleared.

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The trafficker's sole
objective is to strip a victim

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of any identification that they may have,

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their gender identity,
their cultural identity,

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their family status,
their family traditions,

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solely to get the
individual where they are

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at their most vulnerable state.

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So when debt bondage is used,

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it is an intimidating tactic
used to subject somebody

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and put them in a place
where they can never escape.

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Fear is the biggest driver
in creating a barrier

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between that individual reporting
what's happening to them

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and continuing to work and be
in the same work environment

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that they were subjected to.

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Fear of law enforcement,
fear of deportation,

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fear of their legal status
being exploited or identified,

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fear of, most importantly
for male survivors,

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of not being believed,
and the fear of shame

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contribute to the fear
of not wanting to leave

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their trafficking situation.

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There's an inherent assumption

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that somebody that has been victimized

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through labor trafficking
will be able to self-identify

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and self-report to a
law enforcement entity

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or a service provider,

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and in the way that they
are expected to self-report

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and self-identify, must be using language

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that may be verbatim

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from the Trafficking
Victims Protection Act.

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And we know that for many
individuals that are victimized

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it may be difficult to
articulate the types

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of experiences that
they have been a part of

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that may directly relate to the TVPA.

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But being able to create
an environment where

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the burden is shifted back
on the service providers,

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the burden is shifted
back on law enforcement

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to create an environment of trust

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will make it more useful
for those that are at risk

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or that have already
been victimized, to then

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be able to share the type of victimization

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or the type of work environment

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that they have been a part of.

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Anyone can be a victim
of labor trafficking.

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When we take a step back

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and ask ourselves, how
this is a human issue?

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How are people subjected to forced labor?

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We can then revisit the question

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of who is actually being targeted?

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Where are they being targeted?

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And how they're being targeted?

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When there is more of an
emphasis by the media to portray

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those questions and
answer those questions,

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it gets us closer to understand
who the traffickers are.

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The media can be a great asset

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to this anti-trafficking movement

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if more attention is focused

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on making labor trafficking a human issue,

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where the solutions are
understanding how traffickers

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are finding ways to exploit
workers for a new opportunity.

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My first piece of advice that I would give

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to somebody who is in a work
situation that they deem

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or they view as hostile,
is to first ask them,

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is my employer putting me

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in a position where I feel threatened

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or putting me in a position
where if I speak out

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about my job outside of
work, or even during work,

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I may be subjected to retaliation?

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Or my supervisor is threatening
law enforcement against me?

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Am I able to ask for help within my job?

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Am I able to ask for help

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outside of my job without
being retaliated against?

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If the answer to both of
those questions is no,

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my piece of advice at that
time is to find someone

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that you're able to trust
outside of your work environment.