Farm workers trafficked in Florida.

Florida’s new laws against human trafficking which require law enforcement personnel to be trained in recognising the difference between human trafficking and illegal immigration have been a great step forward, but many reports suggest that  victims are still afraid to come forward for fear of imprisonment and deportation. Reports show also that while people are increasingly aware that women might be trafficked into sexual exploitation, they still might dismiss those trafficked into forced agricultural labour as simply being part of the illegal immigration issue.
Lucas Benitez, of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers said “Trafficking isn’t just about immigrants. It’s about the most vulnerable,”
Often workers have to pay around US$1500 to be taken into the US, and then are sold  to a work crew for around US$800 to US$1000. The crew leader is clear that the worker has been bought and is in their debt. They are in a situation of slavery. Confusion exists in the minds of some victims because they have entered the country illegally, and so they feel they have no recourse to the law. This is not the case, and it is important that the message gets across that victims of human trafficking will not be treated as criminals.
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