In the United States, several federal laws combat labor trafficking. These laws include:
1. The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000: This is the primary federal law that addresses human trafficking in the United States. It defines labor trafficking as the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery. The TVPA also provides for penalties on traffickers, including fines and imprisonment and it also provides for the forfeiture of assets that were used to commit or facilitate trafficking.
2. The Forced Labor Statute (18 U.S.C. § 1589): This law prohibits the use of forced labor in any form, including debt bondage, peonage, and slavery. It carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and fines.
3. The Peonage Statute (18 U.S.C. § 1581): This law prohibits the use of peonage, which is a form of forced labor in which a person is forced to work as a form of payment of a debt. Penalties for violating this law include fines and up to 20 years in prison.
4. The Labor-Management Relations Act (LMRA) (29 U.S.C. § 158): This law prohibits employers from restraining or coercing employees from joining labor organizations, and it also prohibits employers from restraining or coercing employees from engaging in concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection.
5. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) (29 U.S.C. § 201 et seq.): This law establishes minimum wage and overtime pay standards, and it also prohibits employers from using child labor.
6. The Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA) (29 U.S.C. § 1801 et seq.): This law provides protections for migrant and seasonal agricultural workers, including provisions related to wages, housing, and transportation.
7. The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) (29 U.S.C. § 151 et seq.): This law guarantees the right of employees to form, join, or assist labor organizations and to engage in collective bargaining.
8. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) (8 U.S.C. § 1101 et seq.) This law contains provisions that allow the government to prosecute employers who knowingly hire and employ unauthorized aliens and also provides for immigration relief for victims of trafficking.
All these laws provide enforcement mechanisms that allow the government to investigate and prosecute labor trafficking cases and also provide for immigration relief for victims of trafficking. They provide penalties on traffickers including fines and imprisonment and it also provides for the forfeiture of assets that were used to commit or facilitate trafficking.