Human trafficking in Florida is the illegal trade of human beings for sexual exploitation or forced labor as it occurs in the state of
Florida. After
California and
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, Florida has the most human trafficking cases in the United States.
Florida has had cases of sex trafficking, domestic servitude, and
forced labor.
Florida has a large agricultural economy and a large immigrant population, which has made it a prime environment for forced labor,
particularly in the
tomato industry. Also Florida's tourism industry has also helped make the state a prime target for human traffickers. Concerted efforts have led to the freeing of thousands of slaves in recent years. The
National Human Trafficking Resource Center
Polaris is a nonprofit non-governmental organization that works to combat and prevent sex and labor trafficking in North America. The organization's 10-year strategy is built around the understanding that human trafficking does not happen in ...
reported receiving 1,518 calls and emails in 2015 about human trafficking in Florida.
Anti-trafficking laws and policies
The
United States Congress passed the
Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act
The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) is a federal statute passed into law in 2000 by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Clinton. The law was later reauthorized by presidents Bush, Obama, and Trump. In additi ...
in 2000, which not only criminalizes human trafficking but aims to support its victims.
In 2002, the Florida Department of Children and Families Office of Refugee Resettlement began a project to explore how Florida could implement this new law.
Statewide Council on Human Trafficking
The
Florida Legislature
The Florida Legislature is the legislature of the U.S. State of Florida. It is organized as a bicameral body composed of an upper chamber, the Senate, and a lower chamber, the House of Representatives. Article III, Section 1 of the Florida Cons ...
started the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking, which will spend two years developing policy recommendations for curbing human trafficking by prosecuting offenders and providing services to victims.
The council includes fifteen members, including
prosecutors
A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the Civil law (legal system), civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the ...
,
legislators, health experts, social services experts, and former
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
Pam Bondi
Pamela Jo Bondi (born November 17, 1965) is an American attorney, lobbyist, and politician. A Republican, she served as the 37th Florida attorney general from 2011 to 2019, the first woman elected to the office.
In 2020, Bondi was one of Presid ...
as Chair.
The council will work toward creating recommendations for certifying safe homes for victims of human trafficking and for prosecuting traffickers who participate in the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons through
coercion
Coercion () is compelling a party to act in an involuntary manner by the use of threats, including threats to use force against a party. It involves a set of forceful actions which violate the free will of an individual in order to induce a desi ...
.
Florida farmworkers
Federal Civil Rights officials have prosecuted five slavery operations involving over 1,000 workers in Florida's fields since 1997.
Facts and Figures on Florida Farmworkers
/ref> In November 2002, Ramiro Ramos, his brother Juan, and their cousin Jose Luis, sub-contractors of a farm in Immokalee, Florida, were charged ten—twelve years each for holding migrant workers in involuntary servitude.Coalition of Immokalee Workers
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) is a worker-based human rights organization based in Immokalee, Florida, which focuses on the fields of social responsibility, human trafficking, and gender-based violence at work. Built on a foundation o ...
, a local organization that focuses on human rights of the Mexican
Mexican may refer to:
Mexico and its culture
*Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America
** People
*** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants
*** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
and Central American immigrants in the region who are exploited for cheap or unpaid labor.
See also
* History of slavery in Florida
References
Florida
Crime in Florida
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