WORKER EXPLOITATION CONFERENCE ADDRESSES FORCED LABOR

FROM:   U.S. LABOR DEPARTMENT
Worker Exploitation Conference Seeks Solutions

Dialogues on federal, state and local strategies to prevent and mitigate forced labor and exploitative labor practices were convened by the Labor Department, the International Labour Organization, Humanity United and the Burkle Center at the University of California, Los Angeles. The first of two conferences was held in Washington, D.C., on April 22. It featured conversations with Laura Fortman, deputy administrator of the Wage and Hour Division; and Mark Mittelhauser, Eric Biel and Marcia Eugenio of the Bureau of International Labor Affairs. Discussions examined strategies for prevention, protection and remedy, as well as existing and potential partnerships to address forced labor and labor exploitation. The ILO estimates that nearly 21 million people are trapped in forced labor or conditions akin to modern-day slavery, which generates $150 billion in illegal profits annually.