Human Trafficking in the Construction Industry

Human trafficking is a horrific crime that is present in many industries around the world,
including the construction industry. The exploitation of vulnerable people for forced labor is a
violation of human rights and a significant problem that needs to be addressed. The
construction industry is one of the most significant contributors to the global economy, and it is
also one of the most labor-intensive industries. Construction projects require large numbers of
workers, and it is not uncommon for contractors to hire labor from overseas to keep costs low.
This practice can be exploited by traffickers who prey on vulnerable individuals seeking
employment opportunities.
Human trafficking in the construction industry involves the recruitment, transportation,
and exploitation of people for forced labor. Traffickers typically target vulnerable populations
such as migrants, refugees, and people from impoverished communities who are desperate for
work. These victims are often lured with false promises of employment and improved lives, but
when they arrive at their destination, they find themselves trapped in a cycle of exploitation,
unable to escape. Migrants in particular are held with the threat of deportation if they leave or
seek help. An anti-trafficking group called Polaris did a study on human trafficking in general.
Architect Magazine reports their findings. “Polaris received reports of 10,085 potential cases of
labor exploitation. Of these, 405 instances of exploitation were found associated with the
construction industry” (Goodman). Now, these numbers may seem low percentage-wise, but
these numbers refer to construction only. The study also found that human trafficking is also
prevalent in the areas surrounding construction such as landscaping. Remember, these
numbers are just reported cases, so it is guaranteed that the real numbers are much higher.
The exploitation of victims of human trafficking in the construction industry can take
many forms. They may be forced to work in dangerous conditions without adequate safety
equipment, work long hours without breaks, and receive little or no pay. Workers may also face
physical abuse, sexual exploitation, and other forms of violence. “The Construction Executive”
describes a scene of human trafficking where four young boys were being forced to work on
improvements to a mall. The owner just happened to be leaving late and “he noticed there was
still a light on inside (the site), and when he investigated, he found the four workers living there.
Later, it would be revealed that they were workers trafficked from Vietnam the way most are
trafficked in the construction industry—through corrupt recruiters and exploitative
subcontractors” (Enrile).
One of the main reasons why human trafficking is prevalent in the construction industry
is the lack of oversight and regulation. Construction sites are often hidden from public view, and
many workers are employed informally, making it difficult to monitor working conditions.
Contractors often subcontract work to third-party companies, making it easier to hide the
exploitation of workers. Brouse McDowell illustrates this in a case their lawyers took where “a
subcontractor hired undocumented immigrants to work on projects throughout the Twin Cities,
exploiting their fear of deportation in order to force them to work excessive hours and to work in
unsafe conditions” (Dixon). The informality of many employment practices in the construction
industry is the largest contributor to how prevalent human trafficking is in the field.
 To combat human trafficking in the construction industry, it is essential to increase
awareness and understanding of the issue. Workers, employers, and consumers should be
educated about the signs of human trafficking, such as workers who appear to be under the
control of others, are unable to leave a worksite, or are paid very little for their work. This will
enable them to recognize and report suspicious activity, and help to prevent further exploitation.
Another important step is to strengthen the regulations and enforcement mechanisms in the
construction industry. Governments should require contractors to register their workers and
ensure that they are paid fairly and have access to basic working conditions. It is also important
to monitor subcontractors and prevent the use of unscrupulous labor brokers who may facilitate
human trafficking.
In conclusion, human trafficking is a heinous crime that needs to be addressed in the
construction industry. The exploitation of vulnerable people for forced labor is a violation of
human rights and a threat to the social and economic well-being of communities. Governments,
employers, workers, and consumers must work together to increase awareness, strengthen
regulation, and support victims to end human trafficking in the construction industry.
 Works Cited

Dixon, J. T. (2021, September 20). RE&C in review: Compliance with anti-trafficking

terminology in construction contracts: Brouse McDowell: Ohio Law Firm. Retrieved March
7, 2023, from
https://www.brouse.com/rec-in-review-compliance-with-antitrafficking-terminology-in-constr
uction-contracts

Enrile, A., & Ritchie, O. (2019, June 1). How to spot human trafficking in the construction
industry. Retrieved March 7, 2023, from
https://constructionexec.com/article/how-to-spot-trafficking-in-the-construction-industry

Goodman, J. (2017, March 32). Construction industry cited in human trafficking study.
Retrieved March 7, 2023, from
https://www.architectmagazine.com/practice/construction-industry-cited-in-human-traffickin
g-study_s
Makayla Muñoz Peer Review

I really loved looking at and reading through your piece! As someone who isn’t a
construction major and who doesn’t know much about the industry, I found it very informative
about these conditions that some people unfortunately have to go through.
I think the definition that you used for human trafficking did a very good job
encompassing the full scope of what it is, especially what it would look like in the field of the
construction industry. You provided context of conditions within the industry that would create
situations in which human trafficking could take place. For example, I knew that construction
was labor intensive, but I had no idea that they would go as far as to hire people from people
outside the region that they were working, let alone people from overseas. Also, the mention of
the populations that were most affected by it does a great job of interacting with the social
justice aspect of the assignment.
I think that the story of the four boys really brings the situation to life. It also does a good
job of transitioning from the problematic circumstances going on to the root of the problem and
possible solutions to improve it so this will stop happening. I really like how you present a
solution to the problem by describing what construction companies are doing now that are
allowing this behavior to continue versus policy that would likely prevent or highly decrease
these circumstances from happening in the future.
I think your piece is great, and I have a couple small recommendations and ideas that
could make it even better. I know you said that your bibliography is not quite finished yet which
is totally fine, I’m sure that will come together great. I think another thing would be to link some
of the sources you have directly into your article so it would be easier for readers to be able to
learn more about what you are talking about, or to get more context of the situation if needed.
Another thing that could improve the piece would be adding more of a hook at the beginning. I
think the information that you present in the first paragraph is good and you should definitely
keep it, but it may help for the first couple of sentences to tell a story similar to that of the four
workers from Vietnam.
All in all, this is a really good piece; you presented your ideas well and backed them up
with great evidence and commentary while also presenting a valid solution and advocating for
more awareness to this issue.

Olivia Rollins Peer Review

As someone who is not familiar with construction and the way they hire their employees, I really
enjoyed reading this. It helps to open a person from the outsides eyes to see that human
trafficking is in our everyday lives and we could walk past a trafficking situation daily.
I found it interesting that a majority of the human trafficking in construction is through
landscaping, I would love to hear more about the reasoning behind this or if it is just a
coincidence.
I was able to read through your work and knew that it was credible due to the websites and the
words/phrases in parenthesis. This appeals to logos due to the sources. The example you used
by Bruce Mcdowell helped to strengthen your point and show others how the trafficking is
worked through construction too. I find it crazy that subcontractors would offer jobs to
immigrants and then threaten them with deportation.
I love that you flipped sides and were able to give solutions to these problems, it helps to lighten
the reading and create an uplifting message. I completely agree with the statement that the
regulations need to be stricter and they need to have people check over their finances and how
many employees they have to find the trafficking earlier than later. You have to have strong,
reliable people in charge and even the people below for the job to run smoothly and ethically.
Part 1:
Please write 300ish words below reflecting on your process of composing this paper and what
you learned in that process. Address issues including (in no particular order) how completing a
peer review for your peer helped you revise your own project, how your peers’ feedback helped
you revise your project, how this project has helped you better understand how to contribute to
the conversation and write for a specific audience and in a specific genre (OpEd), what you
might still revise in your project if you were able to do it again, what about your process of
writing (brainstorming, drafting, revising, polishing) was helpful and what might you change in
the future about your process, and other points about your process that you think are relevant
for reflection. Be sure that you are primarily reflecting on your process of writing and not only
on what you learned about the content about which you wrote (although you can address that
also). Additionally, be sure you spend some time on this and be honest with yourself. It is not
enough to say “I didn't learn anything from my peer review” or “I didn’t learn anything about
contributing to the conversation and appealing to a specific audience”. You will want to spend
some time reflecting because you will be asked to use this reflection again at the end of the
weeks.

Completing peer reviews were helpful for me. It is always nice to see what direction other
people take with their projects and how theirs looks compared to mine. Doing the peer reviews
showed me a couple of ways to improve my sources and how I implemented them into my
project. Likewise, the feedback I received helped me edit and show my sources better, as well as
integrate them well with my work. I do need to get better at letting people give me criticism. I
try to make my drafts as good as possible, sometimes I sacrifice some ideas I had to make them
good.
This project has given me a better understanding of how to write an effective op-ed.
Being fancy is not necessary, but rather making good points and backing them up with evidence.
If I could do the project again I would like to find a source with statistics relating to my field.
Having physical data is a great way to back up your point when it comes to this type of writing.
The most influential part of this project for me was finding sources. Once I found my sources
they really helped me jump right into writing. I never felt lost while writing this, and I think my
sources are a big part of that. I think for my drafting process I might try and have more in my
draft next time. I cut a lot of stuff out this time, but being able to experiment with ideas would
be helpful.

Part 2:
Please complete the self-assessment below, including the points and comments section.
Please spend some time on this and complete it honestly with points and comments. I will also
use this when I grade your final product.

Each section is worth 5 points:

5=excellent, 4=good but could be improved, 3=adequate but needs significant work, 2=doesn’t quite meet the
requirements and needs significant work, 1= does not meet any of the requirements.
Category and Goals Points Student Comments

Genre: 4.5/5 I believe I met the criteria for this portion. I feel like I did a good job
connecting my major with the genre of this piece and my hyperlinks are
● Demonstrates effective.
anticipation of genre
and audience
expectations in your
own writing.
● Demonstrates
careful research on
the genre chosen.
● Demonstrates
understanding of
genre of Op-Ed
and/or informative/
persuasive
interpretation.
● Demonstrates
creativity and critical
thinking
● Is sufficiently
developed.
● Shows effective use
of citations in
hyperlinks.
Rhetoric: 4.5/5 I feel I showed an understanding of my audience and a
● Demonstrates clear direction for my work. I think I used all three
understanding of appeals effectively to engage the reader.
rhetorical situation
and audience needs
specific to the
platform/venue.
● Demonstrates aim
that adds to the
conversation and
informs the audience
of something they
might not know or
have thought about
in that way
● Appeals to audience
effectively using
emotional, logical,
and ethical appeals
● Builds credibility
effectively through
citations
(hyperlinked where
 appropriate), logical
structure, and ethos.
Research: 5/5 I have three very good quotes that highlight my points and are very
relevant to my field. My citations are good and hyperlinks are in good
● Uses sufficient places too.
textual examples and
provides sufficient
evidence for claims
including scholarly
research
● Demonstrates
analysis of genre,
author/s, purpose,
audience, context,
sources, content
level, format,
language and visuals.
● Uses sufficient
textual examples.
● Shows effective use
of citation
conventions
(hyperlinks and
works cited at the
end in field’s format)
Labor/Process: 5/5 I was on time with my peer reviews. The draft was a little late, but it was
still the second one finished in my group, so no one was waiting on me.
● participated in good
faith in the drafting,
peer review, revision,
and reflection
process and
submitted in a timely
manner
TOTAL: 19/20

Dear Caleb,
Some great work here! Excellent job linking the construction industry to the human rights issue of trafficking. I
tend to agree with your self-assessment that a bit more time for revision would have helped you hone the
organization and appeal to your audience.
Cheers,
Dr. Walzer