Signs of Labor Trafficking

Polaris Project

• Feel pressured by their employer to stay in a job or situation they want to leave
• Owe money to an employer or recruiter and/or not being paid what they were promised or are owed
• Do not have control of their passport or other identity documents
• Are living and working in isolated conditions, largely cut off from interaction with others or support systems
• Appear to be monitored by another person when talking or interacting with others
• Are living in dangerous, overcrowded or inhumane conditions provided by an employer
• Are being threatened by their boss with deportation or other harm
• Are working in dangerous conditions, without proper safety gear, training, adequate breaks and other protections

Department of State

While not an exhaustive list, these are some key red flags that could alert you to a potential trafficking situation that should be reported:

• Living with employer
• Poor living conditions
• Multiple people in cramped space
• Inability to speak to individual alone
• Answers appear to be scripted and rehearsed
• Employer is holding identity documents
• Signs of physical abuse
• Submissive or fearful
• Unpaid or paid very little

DA Workplace Justice Unit

https://www.sdcda.org/helping/workplacejustice/index

The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office is committed to creating a fair and equitable workplace through enforcing and protecting workers’ rights. This includes prosecuting criminal wage theft cases and stopping labor trafficking. The Workplace Justice Unit prosecutes unfair business practices, wage and hour violations, payroll tax evasion, wage theft and labor trafficking cases.