Massachusetts state leaders say workers, visitors and vulnerable people may be at more risk of being exploited with the first World Cup match just days away.Lawmakers were at the state house Thursday with a goal of increasing awareness of human trafficking — in an effort to prevent it.”Together, we really do believe we can build a stronger network of survivors to be able to identify and prevent exploitation and the most important thing, make Massachusetts safe for everyone,” Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said.Driscoll said $390,000 in state funding would go directly to the groups and organizations that are working to prevent human trafficking and support survivors.That work is a coordinated effort across state agencies to strengthen training, worker protections, response planning and survivor supports.These efforts are part of a five-year statewide strategy to address human trafficking and prevention.Dr. Hanni Stoklosa, an emergency room doctor at Mass General Brigham, explained why events like the World Cup, where a lot of people can be hired quickly, can become targets for traffickers. “People might be hired under false pretenses, having to pay a debt in order to be able to get the job, having their passport taken,” Stoklosa said. “Those are the kinds of things we see with this kind of pressure environment that the World Cup just kind of amplifies even further.”State leaders said they have been working to combat human trafficking across the Commonwealth over the last five years, well before the World Cup comes to Massachusetts.
Massachusetts state leaders say workers, visitors and vulnerable people may be at more risk of being exploited with the first World Cup match just days away.
Lawmakers were at the state house Thursday with a goal of increasing awareness of human trafficking — in an effort to prevent it.
“Together, we really do believe we can build a stronger network of survivors to be able to identify and prevent exploitation and the most important thing, make Massachusetts safe for everyone,” Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said.
Driscoll said $390,000 in state funding would go directly to the groups and organizations that are working to prevent human trafficking and support survivors.
That work is a coordinated effort across state agencies to strengthen training, worker protections, response planning and survivor supports.
These efforts are part of a five-year statewide strategy to address human trafficking and prevention.
Dr. Hanni Stoklosa, an emergency room doctor at Mass General Brigham, explained why events like the World Cup, where a lot of people can be hired quickly, can become targets for traffickers.
“People might be hired under false pretenses, having to pay a debt in order to be able to get the job, having their passport taken,” Stoklosa said. “Those are the kinds of things we see with this kind of pressure environment that the World Cup just kind of amplifies even further.”
State leaders said they have been working to combat human trafficking across the Commonwealth over the last five years, well before the World Cup comes to Massachusetts.
