AG to host webinar for local officials on issue of labor trafficking

As part of its efforts to raise awareness about the issue of labor trafficking, the Attorney General’s Office will be hosting a webinar for municipal officials on July 25 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Labor trafficking happens when someone uses threats of harm (including financial harm), restraint, abuse of the legal process, or extortion to force someone to perform work for an employer. Forced services is a crime, and Massachusetts law is more protective than federal law.

Labor trafficking can be difficult to identify, however, and it is believed to be vastly underreported.

The Attorney General’s Office is asking local officials to help identify labor trafficking and bring survivors out of the shadows. The webinar will help them identify the signs of labor trafficking and combat the problem.

To register for the webinar, visit https://labor_trafficking_overview.eventbrite.com.

Local officials are also asked to ensure that their vendors are not part of a labor trafficking supply chain by asking them to certify their compliance with all state and federal laws and regulations related to sex trafficking and forced labor.

For more information about labor trafficking and what government, businesses, and consumers can do to recognize the warning signs, reduce demand, and use their buying power to thwart trafficking, visit www.mass.gov/ago/lt or contact labortrafficking@state.ma.us.

• View 1-page fact sheet to identify signs of labor trafficking (280K PDF)