January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, a time for the Federal government to reaffirm its commitment to stop and prevent trafficking from occurring. Human trafficking often takes the form of involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery and is an anathema to our democracy, our society, and our economy.

The International Labour Organization—an agency of the United Nations that brings together governments, employers, and workers—estimates that 27.6 million people worldwide are forced to work against their will each day. Tragically, human trafficking occurs in every industry and in every country, including the United States.

Human traffickers force, defraud, or coerce others to perform labor or services, exploiting their subjects for profit. Those who are trafficked are treated as property rather than persons, and they are often subjected to threats, physical violence, and isolation. Many are denied access to identification, travel, or financial documents, as well as pay, benefits, or medication.

At the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), we have a unique, but critical, role in helping to eradicate human trafficking. A person who markets, trades, sells, solicits, or buys the forced labor or services of another often not only violates the criminal laws prohibiting human trafficking itself, but also the civil laws—enforced by the EEOC—prohibiting employment discrimination because of a person’s race, color, religion, sex (including...

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