INDICATORS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING WITHIN MIGRANT FARMWORKER COMMUNITIES IN WESTERN MICHIGANByJeremy S. NorwoodThis exploratory study was designed to research indicators of human trafficking within migrant farmworker communities in Western Michigan. Much of the research on human trafficking has focused exclusively on sex trafficking and very few studies have been done on labor trafficking. Furthermore, the majority of the research conducted on human trafficking has used the nation-state as a focal point instead of a particular region or locality. For example, there has been a wealth of research done on the United States, but very few studies have been conducted within individual states themselves. This study was formulated in order to fill the gaps within the research and focuses exclusively on indicators of human (labor) trafficking in Western Michigan. In completing this research, I spent several months interviewing fifteen (15) different professionals from various occupations who worked regularly with migrant farmworkers in Western Michigan and another fifteen (15) migrant farmworkers who worked in Oceana County, one of the counties in Western Michigan which hosts the largest number of migrant farmworkers every growing season. The pool of professionals who were interviewed were diverse and the counties or other localities they worked in showed the diversity of approaches to migrant farmworkers in Western Michigan. The migrant farmworkers was working in Oceana County when I interviewed them but had a great deal of other experiences to draw from when responding.Research subjects in each of the two different groups were interviewed and agreed to answer a list of open-ended questions about their lives as professionals or migrant farmworkers. I recorded and later transcribed their responses to these questions. These responses shed light on their journeys to the United States, their lifestyles in following the crop cycles from farm to farm every year, and their resilience to carve out better lives for themselves and their children. Their responses also revealed areas of vulnerability where traffickers had an opportunity to take advantage of them. These areas would later serve as potential indicators of human trafficking amongst these dignified, yet vulnerable populations. The indicators of human trafficking can be summarized based on a number of factors. Firstly, the beginning of the migratory process often encompasses three separate indicators of human trafficking: the presence of economic, political, and family violence, the lack of economic and social networks, and the lack of secure employment. Secondly, the road to employment phase encompasses three additional indicators of human trafficking: the road to employment from the sending country to the place of employment, the access to familiar and reliable transportation on the workplace, and the nature of the contractual arrangement in a particular case. Thirdly, the living and working conditions of the farms in Western Michigan encompass an additional four indicators of human trafficking: the presence of force, fraud, or coercion, the existence of “gaps” in employment, the pay, hours, and working conditions of the migrant farmworkers, and the extent to which breaks, bonuses, and housing are available. Fourthly, the extent to which migrant farmworkers have control over their circumstances dictates an additional four indicators of human trafficking: restrictions on mobility, the role of employers, the extent to which there is dependency on crew leaders, the reluctance of marginalized populations, and the lack of mobility in the H(2)(A) Visa program. Finally, the chapter on the experience with human trafficking yields an additional four indicators of human trafficking within the context of the lives of migrant farmworkers in Western Michigan: the presence of force, fraud, or coercion, and the suspicions surrounding human trafficking. These are the indicators of human trafficking identified by this study.
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