Civil Enforcement Partners

Collaboration with civil enforcement agencies on a human trafficking task force is crucial. Local, state, and federal civil enforcement agencies may encounter human trafficking cases that have not yet been identified by law enforcement or victim service providers. Such enforcement agencies also may detect trafficking during investigations of other crimes or regulation violations.

Civil agencies work together with criminal enforcement agencies, providing their expertise and knowledge of employment and labor laws to investigate labor violations related to the trafficking situation and to calculate restitution more accurately. This accurate assessment of restitution is particularly important in labor trafficking cases. For more information on restitution, see Chapter 5.

In addition to addressing wage and hour legal remedies, sexual assault and harassment, and discrimination, some of these agencies sign U visa and T visa law enforcement certifications. Some trafficking survivors may choose to explore their options as victims of workplace crimes, which are intertwined and related to trafficking-related crimes.

For additional information and tools, visit the Resource page for Section 3.1 Task Force Membership & Management.