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More Forbidden Freedom: Slavery in Southwest Florida

• Family accused of enslaving workers at Immokalee camp
• Human trafficking on Marco Island?: Islanders learn warning signs of ‘underground slavery’
• Immokalee sets stage for international talk on human trafficking

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TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Senate on Thursday passed a measure bolstering penalties for those who, through intimidation and coercion, force foreign laborers into servitude under what critics say is nothing short of modern-day slavery.

From farmworkers to sex slaves, hundreds if not thousands of foreign workers are being victimized by human traffickers who profit from their isolation, lack of language skills and fear of deportation.

“Human trafficking has been one of the fastest-growing international crimes, and Florida is near the top here in the United States,” said Rep. Anne Gannon, D-Delray Beach, sponsor of the House version, which passed its last committee hurdle Thursday and is ready for the floor.

A U.S. Department of State report for 2005 estimates 600,000 to 800,000 people, mostly women, are trafficked across borders worldwide. Nearly half are children and most are being used for sexual purposes, either as prostitutes or sex slaves. Of those, an estimated 50,000 are being held in the United States.

While many eventual victims are smuggled across the border with promises of work, others enter the country legally. They come on tourist visas or under the federal guest worker program, which restricts their ability to move from employer to employer.

Some are told they need to pay off debts. Others are threatened with physical abuse or deportation. Denied access to social services, advocacy groups and legal counsel, many don’t even know they are victims.

In an effort to shed light on this shadowy world, the bill’s measures increase penalties for human trafficking by adding racketeering to the list of offenses. Under state racketeering laws, those convicted face a first-degree felony charge punishable by prison terms of up to 30 years, fines and forfeiture of property. Victims also may sue for monetary damages.

The proposals also set up training programs to help social service and law enforcement officers recognize the signs of human trafficking. State lawmakers last addressed the issue in 2004, making it a second-degree felony to force people into labor and a first-degree felony to force minors into sexual servitude.

“The law has to be severe so people won’t do it,” said Margaret Romo of the Farmworkers Self-Help, a farm advocacy group based in Dade City. “People do it now because they can and they get away with it. You need to make the penalty so bad that they will never see sunlight again.”

The issue of human trafficking has special significance in Collier and Lee counties, where recent investigations netted convictions and spurred national attention. In response, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office has set up an anti-trafficking unit and local advocates have been working with local, state and federal officials to crack down on unscrupulous labor contractors. An anti-trafficking unit also was set up in Lee.

“Human trafficking has become a significant problem and we need to get our arms around it,” said Sen. Burt Saunders, R-Naples. “These measures help us get there.”