RESOLUTION NO. __________, SERIES 2026
title
A RESOLUTION HONORING JANUARY 12TH AS LABOR TRAFFICKING AWARENESS DAY.
body
SPONSORED BY: COUNCIL MEMBER PARRISH-WRIGHT
WHEREAS, January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month: <https://www.state.gov/national-human-trafficking-prevention-month/>. This month celebrates efforts raising awareness about human trafficking by international organizations, anti-trafficking entities, law enforcement officials, survivor advocates, communities of faith, and citizens; and
WHEREAS, labor trafficking, as defined by Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. § 7102), is “[t]he 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;” and
WHEREAS, it’s globally estimated 24.9 million people are trapped in forced labor: <https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en/human-trafficking/labor-trafficking>. 16 million are victims of labor trafficking in private industry and 4.1 million are victims of state-imposed forced labor. And labor trafficking is not only less visible but it’s a severely underreported form of the known 32-billion-dollar global human trafficking industry trapping all genders, ages, classes, and nationalities (<https://www.wearepact.org/blog/2019/8/23/human-trafficking-101-what-is-the-difference-between-labor-and-sex-trafficking>, <https://polarisproject.org/myths-facts-and-statistics/>); and
WHEREAS, labor trafficking remains largely misunderstood by the general public and can happen in any industry although remaining most prevalent where the workforce is isolated, underregulated, or heavily dependent on vulnerable populations such as agriculture, farm work, domestic work, caregiving, construction, hospitality, landscaping, and food service (<https://www.safehouseproject.org/>); and
WHEREAS: according to the National Institute of Justice, labor trafficking in the US tends to be concentrated around certain trades, specifically occupations that are especially risky but require a tremendous amount of physical effort (<https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/understanding-and-characterizing-labor-trafficking-among-us-citizen-victims>); and
WHEREAS: the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs reports that 204 goods from 82 countries and areas are produced by child labor or forced labor (<https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/reports/child-labor/list-of-goods>); and
WHEREAS, research on U.S. citizen victims of labor has been scarce and according to the National Institute of Justice, labor trafficking in the US tends to be concentrated around certain trades, specifically occupations that are especially risky but require a tremendous amount of physical effort (<https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/understanding-and-characterizing-labor-trafficking-among-us-citizen-victims>); and
WHEREAS: law enforcement in the U.S. struggles to integrate labor trafficking enforcement with traditional policing routines and roles, resulting in enforcement focused primarily on sex trafficking, and few labor trafficking cases have been identified and prosecuted (<https://nij.ojp.gov/library/publications/policing-labor-trafficking-united-states>); and
WHEREAS, labor trafficking has been found to affect the City of Louisville through Operation Deliver Justice, where the Louisville Metro Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), alongside numerous local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, conducted a coordinated multi-state human trafficking enforcement operation resulting in multiple arrests tied to alleged illicit massage businesses operating in Louisville (<https://louisvilleky.gov/news/mayor-greenberg-announces-successful-multi-state-human-trafficking-enforcement-operation-led>).
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF THE LOUISVILLE/JEFFERSON COUNTY METRO GOVERNMENT (“METRO COUNCIL”) AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION I: Metro Council hereby recognizes July 12th as National Labor Trafficking Awareness Day.
SECTION II: Metro Council hereby acknowledges the severity of labor trafficking and the Three P (“3P”) paradigm which includes: Prosecution of traffickers, Protection of victims/survivors, and Prevention which includes efforts to strictly enforce Kentucky State and Louisville Metro labor laws, especially in sectors where labor trafficking is most typically found.
SECTION III: Metro Council hereby shall cause executed copies of the Resolution to be transmitted to the Governor of Kentucky, the Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives, the President of the Kentucky Senate, and the Attorney General of Kentucky.
SECTION IV: This Resolution shall take effect upon its passage and approval or otherwise as provided by law.
_______________________________ _____________________________
Sonya Harward Brent Ackerson
Metro Council Clerk President of the Council
_______________________________ _____________________________
Craig Greenberg Approval Date
Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Michael J. O’Connell
Jefferson County Attorney
BY: ____________________________
R-161-26 LTA Day cg 11.06.26