According to the US Trafficking in Persons Report released by the State Department, the worldwide economic recession has lead to more people becoming victims of human trafficking.  Laborers are being held for outstanding debts and smuggling fees by employers who exploit their illegal status.

From the Christian Science Monitor:

As economies have soured, more workers in sectors ranging from agriculture and fishing to construction and domestic services have fallen prey to employers who deny wages, claiming they are owed debts workers are unable to repay, or who use an employee’s murky legal status to force them into bondage.Traditionally, human trafficking has been associated with the international sex trade. And forced prostitution of women and children remains a major contributor to trafficking, but CdeBaca notes that the International Labor Organization this year estimates 12.3 million cases of human bondage worldwide, of which just over one-tenth, or 1.5 million, are thought to be cases of sexual servitude.

Read the entire Trafficking in Persons Report here.