2023 Breakthrough Report - The Naomi Project
A Year of Breakthroughs
The beginning of Spring can be the new start after the harsh winter. It is also a time of reflection, and I was reflecting recently on how far Naomi Project has come.
When Naomi Project first became involved with survivors of labor trafficking back in 2018, we had no relationships with law enforcement in order to stop companies proven to have engaged in labor trafficking from continuing and even growing their operation. We had the testimonies, but we did not have the resouces to press charges just yet.
We functioned as the proverbial rescue team pulling survivors out of the river, but having no capacity to stop the companies from throwing people in to the river. We could not swim towards the root of the problem. We were simply acting as a rescue team, unable to create change in this system of crashing, turbulent, water.
This past year we experienced a dramatic shift.
In July, federal agents arrested the contractor responsible for trafficking the first survivors that we had worked with. They were served justice after years of taking advantage of certain people in the work force.
Then in August, federal agents raided the buffet restaurant we had previously been successful at holding accountable for $280,000 in unpaid wages. In fact, this case gained enough attention that Keloland ran a story about it. Look here for more details: (https://www.keloland.com/top-stories/sioux-falls-restaurant-shut-down-after-what-neighbors-describe-as-police-raid/).
Three managers of that restaurant will now face criminal charges on this case.
Last month, the owner of a construction company that the Naomi Project has investigated for years pleaded guilty to charges carrying up to 30 years in prison. This owner and construction company were responsible for bringing 500+ workers a year from Mexico through the H-2B visa program (a government sponsored program that brings workers in to fill labor needs in the U.S. economy which unfortunately is vulnerable to facilitate labor trafficking). Yet again, Keloland documented this success story through a news article that you can find here: (https://www.keloland.com/news/local-news/sioux-falls-businessman-breaks-law-to-get-money-from-sba/)
Set for trial in April is an altogether separate labor trafficking case.
What has made these investigations effective has been Naomi Project’s ongoing relationships of support with survivors of labor trafficking whose willing testimony is what makes these criminal cases viable. Without willing witnesses, arrests never materialize, and criminal investigations fall apart.
This past year Naomi Project has worked with over fifty survivors of labor trafficking spanning many investigations. In addition to providing these survivors with help finding housing, food, and legal representation in applying for trafficking visas, Naomi Project hosts leadership development trainings to equip these people to be the voice of our movement.
Now in order to become more proactive in the fight against labor trafficking, Naomi Project is approaching businesses within the industries of construction and restaurants regarding equipping the staff of those businesses to identify and report labor trafficking. These are the two campaigns that are called Hungry for Justice (restaurant reform) and Building Dignity (construction reform). Already two leading construction companies and three prominent restaurants have agreed to receive this training which Naomi Project will lead.
Foundational to this training on identifying and reporting the indicators of labor trafficking are survivor/leaders sharing their individual stories of being labor trafficked. Nothing communicates more effectively the reality of labor trafficking than a survivor telling their own story.
After survivors share their personal story, we then walk with the staff of these companies through the survivors' stories to highlight indicators that could be picked up on by outside observers–indicators such as workers working seven-day weeks, unsafe working conditions, verbal abuse, workers speaking up about not being paid, and the employer controlling the workers’ housing and transportation. Staff of these companies then receive Naomi Project’s number to call if they witness any of these indicators. Thanks to our leadership development work, there are many survivor leaders ready and willing to help us lead these groundbreaking trainings.
None of this would have been possible without your support, generosity, and prayers.
Would you consider a tax-deductible year-end gift to further our work this year?
Contributions can be made through our website: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/naomiproject.
Thanks so much!
Jordan Bruxvoort (Naomi Project Director)