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WATCH: Hidden in plain sight: labor trafficking in upstate New York

CREDIT NATIONAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING RESOURCE CENTER

 

To the untrained eye, it might be hard to detect labor trafficking. Who are common victims and what does this act of illegal slave labor actually look like? There are victims of labor trafficking working in places we either visit or drive by on a regular basis: restaurants, factories, construction sites, farms, hotels and even homes.

WXXI News' Need to Know program has covered human trafficking in the past, but on this edition of the program, we’re focusing in on labor exploitation in the upstate region. 

Joining this conversation - Lewis Papenfuse, Executive Director of Worker Justice Center of New York and Renan Salgado, Human Trafficking Specialist with the organization.  Worker Justice Center of NY has been at the forefront in the fight against human trafficking in agriculture for more than 30 years. The mission of the organization is to pursue justice for those denied human rights with a focus on agricultural and other low-wage workers, through legal representation, community empowerment and advocacy for institutional change.

Hélène Biandudi Hofer is host of WXXI TV's Need to Know Rochester, an award-winning, half-hour weekly news and public affairs program. She is also the education reporter for the WXXI News team. Hélène joined the station in September 2010 as the host of All Things Considered.
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