Jennifer Jihye Chun 0:02

Hi, everyone, thank you for your patience. We are a hybrid event. So we also have participants joining us on Zoom. So I would love to get us started and welcome you. My name is Jennifer Chun, and it is my great pleasure to welcome you to today's events. Alex, have we started the recording as well? Oh yeah, the recording is on fantastic. Today's event and remembering our Monty, the Thai government workers fight against Slavery and Trafficking, was originally planned to commemorate the 25th anniversary of this historic and groundbreaking fight, led by the courage of 72 Thai workers, the Thai Community Development Center and a broad based coalition that came together in support both in Los Angeles and globally. So I just want to offer some brief words of thanks before we start the event. It's been an honor a tremendous honor for me to be able to work with PI CDC with Chauncey Martorell and Nina Johnson, and today's jointly organized symposium. I also want to thank Matt went out when I UCLA alum and Asian American Studies, international development studies who was part of the early planning. Really, we couldn't pull off events like this without the International Institute staff Alexandrou chi m and tonsa Whoo, Lord Berkeley and peck McCarney and of course, our brilliant student team from my course Asian American Studies and labor studies 119. You'll be hearing from in just a bit. So I also want to sort of briefly acknowledge a couple of people in the room before we start. So Abell valen suela, director of the International unknown, the Institute for Research on labor and employment is here. And also, many others I know are here with us in the audience. Before we get started, I and also of course, all the students from my class, I can think of no better person to provide oberen opening remarks about the absolute importance of the title Monty case. Then supervisor Hill this so lease who is a champion of all workers, supervisors, so these represents the San Gabriel Valley, Northeast LA and east side as Los Angeles County Supervisor for the first district. Prior to becoming supervisor Hilda Solis served as secretary of labor under President Obama the first Latina to ever serve in the presidential cabinet. So with that, we will hear from supervisors so Elise,

Unknown Speaker 2:41

hello, I'm Hilda, Sully's, Los Angeles County Supervisor for the first district. Thank you for inviting me to join you on this important symposium. First, I want to thank the UCLA Asian American Studies Department and the Thai CDC for their efforts to ensure that we remember the El Monte garment workers case, I was a state senator representing El Monte at the time, and I convened hearings on their plight and working conditions, their fate was one of the first major issues I took on in the Senate. And as the years passed, they stayed on my mind as I drive by the site. Occasionally, I've heard of their successes in obtaining citizenship, and raising their families here and starting their own businesses. To me, their story is a reminder of how far we can fall when we fail to hold up the basic standards of justice and fairness in our country. It is also a stark reminder that corporations need to be held accountable for worker exploitation, and that we need to reform our immigration system to be more humane and responsive to the needs of human trafficking survivors. I also want to honor the memories of champion commerce and Ruby law on Tobias to tie Omani garment workers who passed away a week apart last year, their bravery and courage in the face of unbelievable hardships should be a motivation to all to fight for justice. It's a somber moment to join today as we continue to raise awareness in order to get a repeat history. And that work is incumbent on all of us. Thank you again for inviting me to say a few words and take care. Thank you.

Jennifer Jihye Chun 4:23

And I want to turn it over to our students from the remember now mancha team to share just a few brief brief words

Unknown Speaker 4:37

All right. Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for coming to our remember El Monte symposium. My name is Jana Jones, Jetson and these are our lovely team members Madison Tango away and submit them all the work to Camille MA and Sheree way that is joining us online.

Unknown Speaker 4:57

All right. Activism has been a full The driver of change but oftentimes students don't learn about the incredible contributions that social movements community members and workers make to our everyday lives. Until this class I had never heard about the Thai El montay garment workers struggle, especially being as it is so close to UCLA campus. But now I'm aware that this fight is not only about workers and migrants in Los Angeles, but one that is applicable to the global community.

Unknown Speaker 5:28

So that's why it is crucial and important to be part of creating spaces like today that bring us together as students, workers, community organized organizers, and members of the public.

Unknown Speaker 5:42

Now is a great pleasure for me to introduce our speakers. Our first speaker will be Chauncey moto. She's the founder and executive director of the Thai Community Development Center. Jessie has engaged in social activism for the past 35 years, seeking to improve the lives of Thai immigrants as a tireless advocate for community development, affordable housing, grassroots and Parliament and labor, immigrant and human rights shall receive them many, many reward and honor for her incredible work, including most recently to Presidential Award for a truly extraordinary afford to combat tropic gate in person. She really is a hero. Joining us is Penida Sean Pennington is directing attorney human rights advocacy, and legal and Housing Council of high CDC. She has been working with Thai victim of human trafficking since 2007, overseeing the duress chosen and legal service. She has dedicated her career to labor rights, housing rights and worker rights and focusing. It is also our honor to hear from two former GM worker and survivor founder Ty mot struggle, connect coming up. And while they will share their courageous experience in this landmark case, exposing modern day slavery in the US, they will also share that journey about rebuilding their life, family and communities over the past 25 years. Their stories are truly inspiring and empowering. Lastly, we will hear from Kiva who is their CEO and the executive director of the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking. He has over 25 years of experience bleeding and you trafficking initiatives in the United States. And of course, she lives one of the longest running anti trafficking organization in the United States. Several 100 Are human trafficking survivors, and their family rip comprehensive carry to rebuild their life. That's why I'm come on speaker and defend Iran past.

Unknown Speaker 7:54

I want to thank Professor Chan, I want to thank Professor Venezuela. I want to acknowledge Paul Chang here from the US Department of Labor, who we've worked with since the amante case back in 1985. And all the students who were part of this class and the students who worked on this project specifically, so thank you so much for this wonderful collaboration. It is a collaboration that will really help to educate. Some of the students never even heard of this case, educate students about this case, because it is an important case and a landmark case that

Unknown Speaker 8:40

should should be discussed retirement eternity because of the impact it's had. So I'm gonna go ahead and get started by kind of bringing you back to August 2 1995. On that fateful day of August 2 1995, tyseley, si was part of a multi agency rate that liberated 72 Thai men and women from conditions of slavery. They were trafficked into the US and forced to work in a makeshift garment factory, located in a residential neighborhood in the city of El Monte, California. These workers toiled behind sewing machines 17 to 20 hours a day and were held against their will under 24/7 surveillance by armed guards behind barbed wire. Some workers were enslaved for as long as seven years, their passports were confiscated mail censored and every movement monitored. The living rooms and garages were converted into garment factories, lines with rows of sewing machines, while the workers slept upstairs on the floor in cramped quarters. They were forced to purchase food and supplies at exorbitant prices in garages that were converted into company stores. They became indentured servants forced to pay off a never ending debt before Are the passage to the US, as their purchases in the company store and housing costs were tacked on to their debt. These workers who left their homes with the simple hope of a better paying job, had no idea that they would be forced to work inside this residential complex for 17 or more hours every day. They worked and live inside this rat infested building, crammed into bedrooms with eight or 10 of their fellow slaves. their captors took every precaution to keep these workers under the control, confiscating passports hiring armed guards and physically threatening them and their families back home. That cut off almost all contact from the outside world censoring letters, supervising phone calls, boarding up windows, and insisting that they would be met with hostility from anybody on the outside. Immediately following the liberation tie Community Development Center rendered immediate relief, aid and resettlement assistance providing the workers shelter, food, clothing, medical care, legal and social services and jobs with the help of churches, health care providers and community based organizations. We also mobilize the coalition of civil immigrants and workers rights organizations to fight for their redress and restitution. The coalition effort serves as a lesson in the value of broad cooperation among community based organizations, civil rights groups, legal advocates and organized labor in the struggle for human rights tie CDC and the Korean immigrant workers Alliance train them in organizing skills, and they join Qs retailer accountability campaigns to fight for the elimination of sweatshop conditions in garment factories. We help them go from timid, voiceless and powerless victims to agents for social change. They became activists who participated in direct actions, demanding workers and immigrants rights. They testified before legislatures to reform the garment industry requiring third party monitoring and a code of conduct. They became plaintiffs in a civil lawsuit against the manufacturers and retailers that profited off their slave labor, resulting in a $4 million settlement. It is their transformation from victims, to change agents that make them modern day heroes, extremely fearful, timid and tearful, the workers did not understand what was to become of them, because of the constant abuse threats and intimidation that they received at the hands of their employers they could not imagine, for instance, that could be on the right side of justice where change. The workers, some of whom had been enslaved for up to seven years, had no idea that their plight would capture international attention, and to be deemed one of the worst incidents of modern day slavery. Recruited and traffic for garment work. They labored over sewing machines and darker Rogers making clothes for major brand name manufacturers and nationwide retailers destined for some of the largest department stores in America. Garments bearing the labels anchor anchor blue tomato Cleal from High Sierra, nothing but blue XO, chia and airtime defined that life behind barbed wire. Many of these labels are privately owned by well known retailers such as Melvin's Mervyn's Miller, South Coast and Montgomery Ward. Others were sold on the racks of Canadian partners stores. Nordstrom Sears and target. Having been with the Thai OMA two workers from the first day of their liberation as an active participant in their resettlement and in their fight for justice. It has been gratifying to witness all the legal victories they achieved. The most publicized victory was the $4 million settlements that the workers received from the retailers and manufacturers that were found linked to their slave labor. However, it is far more important to note that there are wider implications resulting from this case that go far beyond the legal issues. The fight for the rights of your mighty workers was fought on many fronts. By by a very vast and diverse number of activists and volunteers who fell swiftly into the shadows once their financial their first financial settlements began to materialize. The truth is that very little could have been accomplished without the time and effort contributed by labor unions such as Unite Union Nieto, industrial textile employees, labor rights activists at his Cuba, and immigrant rights activist such as Charla the Coalition for Humane immigrants, right and Los Angeles and Thai CDC. Before the workers could ever become plaintiffs on a major litigation against manufacturers and retailers. There was a critical need of restoring their dignity and self respect after suffering that trauma of enslavement. Not only were they unprepared to pursue justice, they had yet to learn how to function in the outside world. Throughout Tai CDCs involvement with this case, the workers and their welfare had to remain the central focus of our efforts. Our goal was to make them whole persons again and help them find a will and self determination to demand their rights. As an agency committed to social change, Ty CDC refuse to accept that the workers experience as slave laborers will mark them for life as victims by helping them build an autonomous and independent life. With an active role in their legal their own legal and human rights struggle. ICDC facilitated the process that led to the restoration of their freewill and agency. In spite of their diminished status as social pariahs in their own community, they found the courage to stop thinking of themselves as quote unquote servants in the quote unquote Masters House, our intervention and the resiliency of their human spirit allowed them to move on with their lives, reuniting them with families, creating new ones and celebrating life. The survivors also declared that their years of imprisonment would not be the end of their story. These workers realize that they had a greater responsibility, and soon would become activists themselves with the guidance of high CDC and other organizations and their own consciousness. These workers declared that modern day slavery existed and must be fought against. They join labor protest, rallies for workers rights and other political actions, crossing ethnic and cultural lines. Hence, the most remarkable and inspiring aspect of this case has been witnessing the transformation of the workers from helpless and boisterous individuals to a powerful force for change. As the Thai workers nobly pointed out themselves, their case was never simply about money. Because one can never put a price on freedom. It was and still is the focal point of another ongoing struggle that is being enacted every day around the world. It is the struggle to bring accountability and justice to an economic system that has grown dependent on the ruthless exploitation of a defenseless and disenfranchised labor force to churn out ever increasing profits of unprecedented proportions. The Almighty case was pivotal as the first major case to receive national attention where the old divisions of race, class language and ethnicity were wiped away to form a single United movement, focus on the combined issues of human rights and social and economic justice for all workers. Truly, it was the first labor struggle of global proportions our city has seen, proving that is CAFO that we draw the boundaries in its favor, so good the people. The case also served as a catalyst for the founding of the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking. We will hear from today, as it woke the world up to this global phenomenon of human trafficking and modern day slavery. The workers from this case were also the first to receive a special visa called the s visa, devised by the federal government at the assistance of INS Special Agent Bill Bonner, granting them permanent US residency in human trafficking case, cases the fear of retaliation back home is very real, to send them home with also send the wrong message to this country. Courageous workers are trafficking victims who have come forward to report their abuses, even at the risk of their own and family's life should not be automatically deported. Hence, their case would eventually lead to state and federal legislation, such as the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, that was enacted into federal law in 2000. To protect similar victims of trafficking. Survivors liberated from slavery are now able to remain in the US participate in the prosecution of their own characters, and fight in a campaign for the rifle wages. This was a great victory. Despite having seen a lot of progress in this field, thanks in part to the battles which tie CDC and our allies have had to fight on behalf of the trafficking victims who became our clients. Most of the world is still waking up to the reality that we have been forced to recognize through experience, trafficking and slavery are now emerging as the world's greatest and fastest growing threats human rights throughout the world. Sadly, the Almighty case was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to human trafficking. Ties to DC has been confronted by new and even more unsettling trafficking, and slavery cases since then, forced prostitution, involuntary servitude, debt peonage, even the renting of children for use in the trafficking of women. All of this has been part of the intense history of thicc up until today, making a large number for national victims, the type community is disproportionately affected by this heinous crime. The majority of our cases are labor trafficking cases involving foreign national type ties traffic regarding work, domestic work, welding, restaurant work and farm work. We have now come to the aid of over 2000 type victims and their families. Ties to be see became the pioneer in the anti trafficking movement, and was just as you heard be so the highest honor for President Biden for extraordinary efforts in combating trafficking in persons. But not every trafficking case has victims who feel empowered, or witnesses willing to testify or material evidence, not every trafficking case is met by a legal team willing and able to champion their cause in court. Not every trafficking case captures the attention of the media. Our work, therefore has not ended, it has only just begun. Therefore, the plight of the enslaved amante workers is the story that you should remember, because it is the story of survivors who through their courage, strength and perseverance, brought real change to the US. I hope their story will inspire other tracking survivors to know that the strength that allowed them to survive their plight can give them the strength to bring about real change social justice organizations to also forge a stronger, more powerful union that will broadcast throughout the world, their determination to put an end to the human devastation caused by trafficking and slavery. It is the work we do on behalf of trafficking victims that often constitutes the true social change work, because it is by fighting trafficking and slavery, that we challenge all the underlying cultural values, which govern the relations between genders and social classes. It is ultimately this work which challenges existing power structure and caste system, which make trafficking possible and play so many individuals that risk of losing their most basic human rights as an economic development agency, Titus C also honors the legacy of the Amonte survivors by ensuring that the future of future victims of Slavery and Trafficking will not endure a second category of poverty and dependence upon the liberation. So with that, I want to now introduce these modern day heroes, the change agents that I just talked about, and so I guess now we could turn our time over to meet connet. And

Jennifer Jihye Chun 22:16

well, thank you so much. Transy. Connect and allow Are you zoom? Yes. I put

Unknown Speaker 22:28

your staff attorney okay. The one who's registered, Petra Thompson, you see the name Petra. He's over there at our office with them.

Jennifer Jihye Chun 22:39

Oh, okay. So I think I'm going to promote to panelist, Petra, I have just promoted you to panelist and I will give the floor to you. Thank you so much. And also open it fantastic. Anita, why don't you come up and you Khalida Johnson We'll start with questions with our workers yes

Unknown Speaker 23:15

oh, there's because hello hello Okay, so pecha I don't, you might want to just make sure they sit forward a little bit

Unknown Speaker 23:54

I'm just trying to get them to move up so that they don't disappear in the background. So I printed out my son at night when he comes home you know, I could teach Hi, cool. Now do I like couldn t Elmont thing huh? So I

Unknown Speaker 24:16

can't speak out loud below so I think to lecture at Callaway Nukem the singing a Antica couldn't look up on the building, okay. I wasn't

Unknown Speaker 24:28

Hi everyone I need I'm going to be translating for myself. So I just want to let you know that I'm just kind of greeting them and settling in letting them know. You know, we've been talking about Belmonte through Chauncey but I do know Yaks when Chelsea Kobach Makina ka La Jolla sound on on T Cuddy on my team and queueing when we come loose again I thought

Unknown Speaker 24:57

still Erica should be time Ah ha she wants to get it oh no, no. Oh are you gonna make her look at me die because

Unknown Speaker 25:14

I felt very relieved when I was liberated because there was no freedom whatsoever while I was inside the factory so I was very glad that that you know I that I was liberated and you know get out there

Unknown Speaker 25:35

that couldn't you you can lie on my pin anti

Unknown Speaker 25:40

Mar Champika

Unknown Speaker 25:44

right I was in there for almost three years I think was a few days until I was in there for like complete three years

Unknown Speaker 25:51

no pumpkin

Unknown Speaker 26:02

Wow How are you?

Unknown Speaker 26:08

I I was in there for two months.

Unknown Speaker 26:13

Now I like like couldn t come come home yeah, ma coming on T T. O

Unknown Speaker 26:23

company chimica oh god you do BB and highly recommend Kojak so yeah. To me

Unknown Speaker 26:34

when I was in Thailand I was poor I want to have opportunity to earn income so I want I want to come to the US

Unknown Speaker 26:51

are you doing uh yeah my house I was poor in Thailand so I want to come to the US to earn income

Unknown Speaker 27:10

right well I'm watching America lucid

Unknown Speaker 27:17

blah blah. Money have not been IDI hold off from the pastor thought

Unknown Speaker 27:27

I was disappointed.

Unknown Speaker 27:29

Question was when I'm taking them back a little bit and asking them you know what, why why did they decide to come to the United States to work so that was the previous question. This question I'm asking is when you back here How did you feel? So we're kind of kind of taking the back a little bit before the liberation

Unknown Speaker 27:50

candidates could produce that I was disappointed when I was when I came here I was promised that I could come and go as I want and appear but once I arrive in here in the US there to my passport away

Unknown Speaker 28:10

wow hmm Well, I'm attunes lucid Well, me like me. Did you realize anything was wrong when you had arrived?

Unknown Speaker 28:20

My Udemy web content they

Unknown Speaker 28:27

copied right. I was disappointed I was just kept in the house 24/7 I could see the sun I could see the sky I mean I would just in there 24/7 There was no freedom whatsoever

Unknown Speaker 28:44

not to take when you can I create a new point of view into me right did someone else in there ever escape wait while you were there ma'am I do have my mind

Unknown Speaker 29:00

by recording

Unknown Speaker 29:02

yes a few a lot of people ask a

Unknown Speaker 29:08

lot of time hey MOOsic way I have can I pay you more money off right I

Unknown Speaker 29:17

know we got five months and open Miko know what you're telling him what

Unknown Speaker 29:24

I wanted to say too but I just couldn't I still have I still have dead and so I I felt that I have to finish off paying my debt before you know I'm free.

Unknown Speaker 29:39

That's when well

Unknown Speaker 29:44

maybe when he did me

Unknown Speaker 29:52

I want you to survive. So you know, I wasn't thinking of escaping back then because I I just have Right.

Unknown Speaker 30:01

Hello Quint. Don't Don't you Chinee when country may

Unknown Speaker 30:05

yes and I still have to pay the debt

Unknown Speaker 30:14

the highs are listed in a listen sometimes I'll take him later in

Unknown Speaker 30:19

the larger Protune when when she song sang HA HA HA HA wanted he couldn't chancy oh my god opportunity tonight. Bye bye to a thought Danny Cooney culture I want to talk to my lap Safwa like raccoon, Mother, I mean, come keep hitting her like mantra.

Unknown Speaker 30:49

Right now when you go to my noggin teams in common cone phones.

Unknown Speaker 30:57

We were sleeping because, you know, we all working until very late and then we were woken up by like,

Unknown Speaker 31:04

sorry, I forgot to translate my question again to the day of the raid and liberation on August 2 1995. Because at that time, you know, Chauncey arrived with Department of Labor and other federal law enforcement. And you know, I'm asking to take us back to that moment and you know, I understand you were surprised what what happens

Unknown Speaker 31:35

so, so I was surprised we were all sleeping back then because we were we were all working until very late and then we were woken up by you know, this loud boy from microphone.

Unknown Speaker 31:52

Dima, people do what's going on I reclaim my power meter mode MANOVA time cooking mode Reforma then they go power to the power at the top

Unknown Speaker 32:07

so we were like we were so surprised we're afraid and then you know, because the point so now and then you know, we saw police and we all feel very afraid and we all like try to hide like some of us hide seeing some of us even high in suitcase that you know we brought our clothes to the US we hid in a suitcase some of us

Unknown Speaker 32:36

check none come to my keep water off my die Hmm Why did you think that it was safe to come out?

Unknown Speaker 32:45

Oh my gosh, MC Jitsi believe me call my show I've always had Hi. Wow mature and I'm Adam Brewer.

Unknown Speaker 32:54

Chauncey was there and we'd heard the you know someone's speaking in ties toe telling us that you know, hey, we're here to help you know don't don't be afraid we're here to help.

Unknown Speaker 33:07

Like God took care of my child to none of my set. Like Quincy POJO Tina and mommy wiki teacher choice llaman when high lucid weighing Iowa weighed on you can I make the penny No no that's my phone call no no. So after you realize you can come out of there and not have to work anymore. How did that make you feel? Intensity

Unknown Speaker 33:36

the gigantic transition Minh Mariah called me all

Unknown Speaker 33:44

I felt like really glad that you don't can't see someone's like come here to Chauncey came here to help us it's I was so glad so healthy I couldn't find words to describe

Unknown Speaker 34:01

Kenya well yeah, my life my car just asked if they should think you too can connect and ask well if she has anything to add

Unknown Speaker 34:16

long term when he joined high fat like they that's that's that's like you know, that limits you with maybe getting a low

Unknown Speaker 34:30

Okay, so Nigel Kaufman of Hong Kong Taiwan may not so article title. So after you had left the compound, you were able to receive various services. How did that change your life from one campaign to with BFI in the past

Unknown Speaker 34:50

time What a shame what Nana knees are coming from so Robin, I gotta die, man. All right, Omar rahmanir rahim. Hi CDC Pema Shula

Unknown Speaker 35:07

so I feel very happy I typed chat Santos FC you know like help us find thing that we need and you know I felt like really glad for that and I also feel very felt very glad that I can really go to anywhere I want and you know it's it's really good

Unknown Speaker 35:34

like a call my company my son calm I'm gonna be canceled

Unknown Speaker 35:42

so we're asking them you know what, what does this case mean for in the Thai community

Unknown Speaker 35:51

so coordinates and coordinate they love this society

Unknown Speaker 35:54

sometimes I call him Collini

Unknown Speaker 35:58

because my case my show cakes and contacts and conflict by Keith Walker Dini

Unknown Speaker 36:05

right yeah he told me like contract but don't need a lawyer

Unknown Speaker 36:21

so you know many people have different opinions have different opinions. It depends on each person there are people that you know sympathize with God so pretty for us but then you know, there are people that heard about this kid without money and they said you know, oh yeah, you're rich from the case that we're teaching

Unknown Speaker 36:43

bending it to teaching well

Unknown Speaker 36:49

but yeah, I asked what's the reality you know?

Unknown Speaker 36:55

I don't think they understand

Unknown Speaker 36:59

my that cannot t they can touch a look at a kid where lambdoid that teaching to a spinning a

Unknown Speaker 37:10

my mama's boy

Unknown Speaker 37:14

do you want to translate the question

Unknown Speaker 37:15

or so? You know, because you had received certain life financial settlements because of this case and there are some some segments of society think that you've been compensated and you're already rich because earlier she said some people think that we're well off now and Chauncey is asking well they believe that but what's the reality

Unknown Speaker 37:38

oh my god many years ago you were never locked into my routine he would have not say no to anything but you know by

Unknown Speaker 37:59

Yeah, well in reality you know, I we all had to work you know, we're not rich from this case you know, the compensation was not in reality was not you know, that much we still had to work to live our lie and even though you know some people talk to us like oh yeah, so from this case you become rich but in reality you know, we have to you know, have to work to support us so to pay off the debt so you know, it's not it's not that we wish from this case

Unknown Speaker 38:33

but you Barney coming on but paid on my car what now nowadays but what are you working and

Unknown Speaker 38:46

never yep ah

Unknown Speaker 38:51

so at first I was doing garment for but then you know I was but now I'm doing massage work

Unknown Speaker 39:03

that's doing well and what about well

Unknown Speaker 39:12

so when at first I became my housekeeper but now I'm also a massage therapist

Unknown Speaker 39:24

can lead me off my young Chinese right can you translate? Yes. So I went back and asked a little bit about when they had left the situation and came out. Do they still have to pay back any debts?

Unknown Speaker 39:47

Or nega Manjunatha

Unknown Speaker 39:49

right now I paid off all my debt.

Unknown Speaker 39:53

The company will not die locking and fit me in coaching my brother. Right now. Hola, hola, ma Chuck El montay Young time I love your makeup Chidori Oh, my question is where are you still in debt due to your trafficking to America

Unknown Speaker 40:22

so Michael we meet

Unknown Speaker 40:26

when, when I when I was released from the factory, I didn't have to pay any more debt.

Unknown Speaker 40:34

Just because just a side note in some of our other debt bondage cases despite escaping their situation. Many of our survivors have to instead pay their debts to banking institutions or other places where they had taken out exorbitant loans to pay for the recruitment fee. That paid out okay, yeah. If I allow me look at the new IP playbook when you see young Chinese Hong Kong and Japan akala T. Teacher Tai Chi, who

Unknown Speaker 41:08

this case is slightly different than that. Their recruiter and trafficker actually paid for their passage, advanced it and then they had to work off the debt but then once their traffickers were apprehended, then there was no more debt. That come time it comes happening go Kuwa cute what could the name equal my life? Hey, Sam calm when Sam Hey, Sam Kondik Sam calm the Clintonite.

Unknown Speaker 41:36

The next question is what do you think this case means for society? Is it is it better or what do you think doesn't make the society better? What

Unknown Speaker 41:49

do the Dotty VA Robert was actually hooked on number two don't get me the more heavy work to to grow anymore yeah. These I'm gonna continue Matilda.

Unknown Speaker 42:03

So I think things have to come better because because afterward you know whenever there will be foreign workers coming to work in foreign land and you know they have to be more careful whether or not you know this is real or this is like a natural scam sometimes so I think it's it's better for the people that come after us

Jennifer Jihye Chun 42:36

Would it be okay if represented from our student team asked a couple of questions before case.

Unknown Speaker 42:44

Hi, first thank you so much for sharing. Just a quick question.

Unknown Speaker 42:49

How could not have been me me not me and he called me come Tom pump the party. Okay, gotcha.

Unknown Speaker 42:55

What is one thing you wrote every student or community member here takes away from your experience?

Unknown Speaker 43:02

Me seeming mighty. Yeah. Hi nopalea chameleon move. Chuck Cuddy Cancun Playa Del Monte

Unknown Speaker 43:17

Luckily, he will keep it up my god yeah, hi. Cobra two corncob Lucaya idea lower cost me to grow my I my own yakka yellow the frontiers of time malaria giant I'm

Unknown Speaker 43:52

sorry, I don't think this understandable question.

Unknown Speaker 43:57

So let me rephrase it and tie a little bit sometimes the translation isn't direct my thoughts on me not me and my platoon one nuclear teacher we are no we don't have the Armand de la Hanwha who couldn t click up in your archenemy comm net Nam Love Me single it in some kind of Jeopardy at jackpot call

Unknown Speaker 44:25

put your head cozier No, you have to hide that not success and kind of live in your life Jeopardy in jeopardy any

Unknown Speaker 44:35

time

Unknown Speaker 44:44

soon, so, it's a wrap on now. Tear coming I got a movie called decidedly radical Normally, I don't know, but don't complain. Because so from now

Unknown Speaker 45:15

on you said, you're going to translate that sorry. So I want all of you to know that we are that, you know, you have to be careful. And you know, if you in a situation that like us that you know, you were a scam or you're, you know, have become a victim, then you know, you have to fight, you have to fight for your right, your freedom, you know, and to stay strong. You know, and, yeah, so, you know, if you find yourself in the situation that you become a victim, stay strong, and fight for your for your right and your freedom.

Unknown Speaker 46:02

Great, thank you so much for sharing your inspiring stories and insights. We now turn to Kay buck from the coalition against Slavery and Trafficking.

Unknown Speaker 46:17

Hello, everyone. It's great to be here. Thank you for inviting me. And I'm really I'm what I'm going to focus on in terms of my comments today is the advocacy and how this particular case this human trafficking case, was the catalyst for the United States to pay attention to this growing problem and human rights violation, human trafficking. And so as Chauncey pointed out, in the beginning, everyone that the Trafficking Victims Protection Act was passed initially in the year 2000. And a lot of the information, almost all of the information actually, that was in that bill that passed was based on this particular case. And again, I want to reiterate the courage of the workers coming forward, and telling what happened to them telling their experiences, and for community based organizations like Thai CDC and their partners have the courage to really push this issue and advocate for what was right, for worker increased worker protections in this country. There were also some government agencies like the Department of Justice, and many that Chauncey already mentioned. So I won't go into that. I believe the US Attorney's Office as well, who was part of the founding of Cass were involved in pushing this advocacy agenda so that the United States finally dealt with his growing issue of human trafficking and became part of the global community to address it. And tasked as an organization its Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking. We were founded because of the El Monte case. And Chauncey and many other partners were the founders of caste. And it's a good thing they did, because since then, we have served survivors from over 80 countries around the world who are trafficked from abroad from their country of origin to the United States. And we are serving also a lot of domestic victims or survivors who are US citizens or legal permanent residents. So what we know is that it's a growing issue, and we are identifying more and more cases, which means more and more survivors need wraparound services, as Chauncey mentioned earlier, and there needs to be better protections for the workers as well as prosecution and also in equally important prevention measures here in the United States and around the world that are funded through the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. So I want to talk a little bit about the, I think the the brilliance that our founders had, again, hats off to Chauncey and Dr. Catherine McMahon and other community leaders at that time, all they did was plucked me from Sacramento because of my policy background. But they really had this vision to impact systemic change to build a movement against human trafficking. And that is where we are today. We still have a long way to go. But we've come a long way because of the business model that we're that we're employing. And what it is, is that practice informs public policy. What that means is that the workers really are the heroes and the storytellers and the experts who are telling us as policy agents and and practitioners Here's what needs to happen to have better worker protections, what is needed for good prevention policy, what is needed to serve survivors of trafficking adequately so that they can truly rebuild their lives. And today, what we have here in Los Angeles, and all across the country is this model where survivors are working alongside practitioners to impact public policy. I want to have my colleague Callen put in the chat. Because I'm sure many of you are interested in getting involved, we can put a link where you can see some of the policies that have passed, I don't have time in 10 minutes to tell you about all of them. But I will tell you that we have gone through several reauthorizations. What that means is changes or amendments to the Drug Trafficking Victims Protection Act. We are currently in a reauthorization phase right now, what that means is that we have the opportunity to work with survivors, to work with our community partners, to make these amendments to laws so that the protection for workers are even stronger, so that the appropriations that the federal government is creating are greater because the the problem is greater. So to give you an example, when we started about 25 years ago, as an organization, it was a busy year when we would have 30 or 40 human trafficking cases at CAST. Now we're serving about 2000 survivors and their family members each year. So just to give you an example of the scale that we're seeing have more and more cases being identified. And I want to I will highlight one bill that is a California state bill, that survivors were instrumental in helping us pass because it came directly from their experiences. And it was that they wanted a resource, like a 24 hour hotline, that would be posted in places where trafficking was prevalent. And so we worked with survivors, who came from lots of different types of human trafficking, and figured out the top 15 areas or places where trafficking is most prevalent. And we got a law passed where those industries now are required to have a poster that the California Attorney General administers the compliance to this. But these businesses now put the 24 hour hotline up. And as soon as that project started, as soon as the hotlines were required to be put up, we saw an increase in hotline calls not just from good Samaritans, and people who notice want to call in tips about a human trafficking case, they were coming directly from survivors who needed help escaping. And that's one of the things that cast does alongside our partners like Thai CDC. And I think together chancy, we probably have hundreds of partners in Los Angeles alone, who are helping survivors escape from their from the traffickers and giving them comprehensive care, like legal services like case management, and counseling and housing, vocational training and job placement. What is needed are resources so that survivors truly have the comprehensive support that they need to get back on their feet again. And now fast forward to today. So many years later, we have these examples of not just effective policymaking, but also of survivors who are working alongside us as social change agents and experts in human trafficking. So I want to I know I think I have five more minutes if I'm if I'm counting correctly. And again, please go to our website and learn more about all of the policies that have been passed. I also actually want to mention this one, too. Survivors told us that for federal policy, they were often they often felt like they were left out that they would be asked to you know, tell their stories, but they weren't really engaged in a way like the way community based organizer organizations engage survivors to understand not just their stories and their experiences, but what would really help to prevent human trafficking or what would really help to help them. If, if, if they were just escaping now. And what survivors told us is that They really wanted to be advisors to the White House. And so several years ago, we got a law passed a federal law at this time, where 13 survivors are now advisors to the White House. And so that's really important because now survivors are are advising White House officials and the agencies, not just on domestic policy, but also on foreign policy as well. So it's those types of things when we are working directly with survivors that we can really make authentic changes that are going to be practical, and they are going to be authentic, to help survivors where they need it the most. Currently, we have a an active bill that we're sponsoring, in partnership with survivors once again in Sacramento. So it's a state bill, if anyone would like to follow us on social media, we could sure use help making those calls to legislators and, and making sure that this bill passes, but it's called California masked. And what it will do is create a Human Rights Alliance that is statewide where survivors, public health officials, human rights activists, the community, community leaders are informing best practices or promising practices related to human trafficking. What this will do is create a minimum standard of care for how survivors are treated so that they are not criminalized. For example, this is a big problem in in human trafficking cases, it's really the only crime victim population that's criminalized for crimes that they're forced to commit by their traffickers. And we have to stop this. This is unfair, it's unjust, if you and we should be looking at it at this through an equity framework, that by by looking at human trafficking, as a human rights violation, and looking at it through a public health framework, we should not be criminalizing survivors, for all of these different crimes that they're being forced to commit by traffickers. What we should do instead is help them escape in the ways that they know best, because they are experts in their own safety and well being. And we should have the resources available financial assistance, like crime victim compensation, which is another law that survivors helped us pass a couple of years ago, so that now they can apply for compensation from the state of California, in order to start small businesses or seek counseling or, you know, do whatever they want with this compensation that is really due to them. So that's what's really needed for us to really, really listen deeply to survivors, and and work with them as partners, in order to provide practical ways for them to heal from the trauma, we should have trauma informed care at every organization, every hospital, every place where survivors of trafficking might go for help and get them set up so that they can live lives free from from human trafficking, but also so that they can reunite with their families so that they can really live out the dreams that they have. And what we've found a cast is when we you wrap around this comprehensive care with survivors, what happens is that you have partners in this movement, too, and human trafficking for good. So with that, I will, I think open up for questions. Is that right, Jennifer?

Jennifer Jihye Chun 59:00

Yes, thank you so much. So I will just so we have now a good 12 minutes for our question and answer period. While we give a chance for our audience on the floor to think of some questions, please raise your hands. We will start with our first one of the questions from the q&a. There. There have been some questions asked about some specifics. And we will move a bit through those later. But perhaps one of the questions from Sandra Hernandez, what are some of the industries that trafficking is prevalent? Also, are there Thai us collaborations that attempt to provide economic opportunity so that these individuals do not feel that they need to leave their country? So that's the first question and then I'll ask two from the q&a and ask her First speakers to respond. The second is so to chancy anti CDC. How did you find out about the specific sweatshop to do the raid? And can you talk a bit more about sort of the events leading up to really liberating the workers?

Unknown Speaker 1:00:17

Okay. So, yes, it's ICC was founded a year before. We were basically notified that there was this this case involving over six dozen Thai nationals held against your will. So we've been around a year we were founded in 1994. And, and we've already been doing work around immigrant rights, workers rights, human rights and community development, affordable housing, small business development and what have you. And so at the time ties you see I was sharing an office with keyword the Koreatown immigrant workers Alliance. And TK Kim, one of the deputy labor commissioner, State of California Labor Commission, was at our office. And he basically asked us, do you know of any Thai organization that I could talk to about a case that we're investigating? And then Danny Park from Cuba? To take him and point it to me, says, well, there's Chauncey, who's the executive director of TT ICBC. Sitting right there. And so then ticket Kim walks over to my desk and said, Chauncey, we have this case, and it's involving success internationals. We're investigating this case, and we wanted to see if ICC could participate in this impending raid that that is going to occur. And, and we would like to ICC to then basically take the workers into its care and provide all the necessary services and what have you. And I said, Wow, that's a whole lot of workers. Okay, no, we definitely want to make make sure that the workers are safe, that they know that there is an organization that could come to their aid, that they will not have to to worry about being denied any kind of justice or anything like that. And so, so yeah, so then TK Kim asked ICC to participate. And we were asked to show up at four in the morning at the yum yum donut shop at Santa Anita Boulevard in El Monte to basically meet with all of the authorities that were planning to take down and that included the federal marshals, the Labor Commission, the state Labor Commission, the FBI, the Department of Labor, US Department labor, the California occupational safety hazard administration, the California Employment Development Department, and then there was thicc. Now they also contracted a Thai interpretive interpretation services to provide interpretation but that's different. We're a community organization that provides services and advocacy so we're not you know, people often confuse us as like the interpreters are providing interpretation services that's not what we are they really hired and and contracted those services so so yeah, so then we were told to to essentially wait there at that young donut shop until the federal marshal and the also El Monte police de Lobo months police go in to apprehend the the traffickers and the recruiters who actually lived in the compound it's a seven member Thai Chinese family that also know the compound that with the worker so they had to go in and secure the site make sure it's safe, apprehend the weapons and, and the the traffickers and then we were able to follow after them and then once we came in, essentially then started knocking on the doors and workers started coming out completely afraid and scared and and then they were

Unknown Speaker 1:04:44

asked to sit sit along the driveway until we could until the authorities could figure out who's who's the workers and who are the you know, traffickers, etc. So, yeah, and then thicc then just began its work right there and then As far as assuring the workers that they're safe, that they have nothing to fear that we will be able to help them pursue justice assert their rights, and we'll make sure that they'll be in our care and and that they will get the services that they need the immediate shelter and what have you. And yeah, and that's essentially how it went down.

Unknown Speaker 1:05:30

And Kay, yes, yeah, absolutely. So I'll answer the question, I guess, on I believe there was a question about the industries where trafficking is most prevalent. And I really, I love it that you ask that question, Sandra, because, really, it's almost everywhere. So what we find is mostly industries that are unregulated. Those are the ones that are where we find most cases. But like, for example, in the hospitality industry, we're seeing we see a lot of cases, so restaurants, motels, hotels, you name it, we see it, but I think one surprising one in my career that I saw was assisted living care facilities. So I remember there was about a three year period of time where we had several cases, in assisted living care facilities where traffickers were bringing people in mostly from the Philippines to work in these facilities, with people with Alzheimer's or with dementia. And it was usually the neighbors who were around those facilities that called our hotline because they noticed that the workers in those cases were never leave, they never left the facility. When they were walking the patients around the yard, they were they seemed really afraid and wouldn't make eye contact with them or talk with them. So there were some signs that the neighbor saw, and that's why they called our 24 hour hotline. At Cass we also see sex trafficking cases, as does tie CDC. Right now, it's we about 60% of our cases are sex trafficking cases, and about 40% are forced labor, the majority of which are in hospitality industries. So I hope that answers your question.

Unknown Speaker 1:07:29

I do want to add a little

Unknown Speaker 1:07:30

bit. So I typed CDC, we see that there are, you know, labor cases that are trending, the labor cases are actually really difficult to bring in the criminal sense because they the prosecutors have to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. That's like the highest burden in the law. And so many times, you know, the victims don't identify as victims, nobody actually wants to identify a victim in sex or labor trafficking. But I would agree with Kay that many of these unregulated industries are starting to pop up here and there, right now, particularly cannabis, and there are illegal and legal, you know, grows and farms, that we're seeing a lot of labor exploitation and forced labor situations. Maybe not, as I guess, in our in our past cases, you can see very clearly that it's a forced labor situation. But in these cases, because they're not identifying it becomes a wage and hour type of situation that we're looking at. But unfortunately, you know, under the federal laws, sometimes they don't have an outlet through the Department of Labor, US Department of Labor. So we do have other remedies, which I'll be happy to talk to you all about later.

Unknown Speaker 1:08:51

You know, oh, go ahead. Chauncey. I want to add something there. Oh, yeah. No,

Unknown Speaker 1:08:56

I was just gonna add briefly that follow me on multicase, which was a garment tracking case that we have. After that we have more labor trafficking cases involving Thai nationals forced to work in the welding construction industry, in agriculture. They also were forced domestic work. And, and so some of these cases had set their own precedents too, because like our farm workers, case cases, home workers case was like evolved, involving over 1100 Thai nationals who were trafficked into the US and put on farms all over the US on the mainland and off the mainland and Hawaii and what have you. And that was at the time consider the largest human trafficking case in US history. And then before that, we had worked on the tie welders case, and that then was considered the largest male labor trafficking case in US history. So yeah, we see On Labor trafficking cases, but we do also see sex trafficking cases.

Unknown Speaker 1:10:05

Yeah, I want to, I want to say that to you that it's not just la either, even though both of our organizations are here in Los Angeles, we see cases in every state, right, that are in agriculture, in construction in hospitality, domestic servitude also happens in every state. But we do see a concentration of that in areas where there are diplomats, for example. So we've definitely seen, we've really seen every type of case that is possible here in the United States. So the takeaway here, because I think most of you watching this, you know, maybe see the human trafficking in the news, or it might be on television, a TV show or a movie. And most of those, most of that coverage of human trafficking is about sex trafficking, which is important. But what that what that usually does, is it misinformed the general public, who then don't learn about labor trafficking, and forced labor is just as prevalent, if not more than sex trafficking.

Jennifer Jihye Chun 1:11:18

Thank you. I know, we are out of time, perhaps okay, if you need to leave, please, you know, feel free. But I want to ask one final question. Since our labor studies class, I think, PE and Penita and Chauncey have identified a lot of different industries where we're seeing labor trafficking and a tremendous increase in cases in some of those industries like hospitality, hotel care, are also unionized. So I thought, could you speak to the opportunities, but also the challenges of working with labor unions to combat labor trafficking.

Unknown Speaker 1:12:00

So I, honestly, I work with foreign national victims who are not unionized, not organized, and it is a huge barrier to get them to that point. Because they're not asserting their rights for various cultural reasons, and family reasons and financial reasons. Sometimes, you know, in terms of unions, they also have their own agenda. And that isn't necessarily the victims agenda.

Unknown Speaker 1:12:36

TCC works works with many unions, and I'm on the board of Labor Committee services, and it's part of the LA County Federation of Labor. And I think the MIT case really woke people up to the this new global phenomenon known as human trafficking, modern day slavery. And then I think, labor unions, then realize that, oh, my, yeah, this is this is really happening and try to wrap themselves around around this phenomena and figure out, you know, what can be done about it, because a lot of these cases involve, like the NSA, foreign nationals is kind of beyond their reach. But, but we're seeing also domestic cases. And so this is where I think the union can really play a role in wrestling, you know, with with this scourge, and I think just, they need to, like I mentioned in my remarks that we need to forge a stronger union, no pun intended, between the immigrant rights, civil rights, human rights organizations and labor unions, to really make sure that we go not just after the manufacturers and retailers and corporations that are complicit, but also really go to the aid come together to, to aid victims once they're discovered. And like the almighty case, that's what unites it, unite came to work with us and aid the workers and so, so we just need to forge a stronger, stronger union. Yeah, to combat this.

Unknown Speaker 1:14:32

I want to chime in to Chauncey that's such a good point, because what this tells us is that unions do have a really important role to play, right, and we need to tighten the collaboration with them so that we can educate all of their leaders make sure that survivors are and community based organizations are involved in establishing policy aimed at ending human trafficking. And so there's another example Well, I want to leave everyone with and that is that we learned by serving survivors that there were a lot of potential interventions in hospital settings or or health settings. What that means is that victims were going to hospitals or clinics, many times taken by traffickers who were serving as their interpreters, right, and controlling what the victims were saying to the doctor or the nurse. And this is a different example from unions, I realized. But the point is that once we had that data, that there were so many potential interventions that were lost, because the practice the health health practitioners, were not actually identifying it as trafficking, and essentially sending the victims home with the traffickers. Once they realize these hospital systems realized that was happening. They created programs and collaborated with community based organizations, anti trafficking organizations, to make sure there were shelter advocates in the hospital working alongside the health practitioners, either training them, helping them to identify cases and most importantly, being there as that sensitive person to help the survivor get through that experience and helping them escape. So I tell that story, because I think there's a lot of unidentified partners out there. And we really need to identify them, bring them into our alliance so that we can work effectively with them. The unions would be a great candidate to help us in the state bill that I mentioned earlier, the California mask bill.

Unknown Speaker 1:16:44

So our sinal Thank you, and

Unknown Speaker 1:16:46

thank you, thank you all for attending the remembering Allomancy symposium today was wonderful. I want to thank candidates and wow for sharing their stories as well as Kay Pandia and Chauncey for contributing to the conversation on labor exploitation, human rights. I also want to thank Professor Chun and my fellow students are organizing this event, and you all for participating today. Have a lovely day. Thank you.

Jennifer Jihye Chun 1:17:16

Everyone, this webinar will be recorded and also share it with ICDC and cast. And so it will also be available. So thank you. Thank you everyone out there.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai