Open letter on current measures against sex trafficking in CNMI

This letter is addressed to the citizens of the Commonwealth to explain the improvements we have made at the Labor Department in countering sex trafficking into the Commonwealth.

Under the new labor law, P.L. 15-108, there is a required orientation session for every new entrant into the Commonwealth. The new labor law came into effect on January 1, 2008. Every foreign worker is interviewed personally at the Labor Department. Orientation sessions are held every Tuesday morning, so no one is in the Commonwealth for more than six days before attending orientation. If someone who enters as a foreign worker does not show up for orientation, they are required to leave the Commonwealth immediately.

At the orientation session, the attendees are given a presentation on their rights and responsibilities as foreign workers in the Commonwealth. The attendees are told how to report any labor problems they may encounter, including any instance in which they are asked to participate in sex industry activities. The workers are then interviewed by the Director of Labor or one of his staff to ascertain that their affidavits and entry documents are genuine; they have located their employer and have the job that was promised in their contract; they have adequate housing; and they are not engaged in any sex industry activities.

The orientation sessions have been highly effective in spotting fraudulent documents, identifying illegal sponsorships, and making sure that foreign workers get off to a good start in the Commonwealth.

The Labor Department also requires employers to send a standard written notice to prospective foreign workers before they depart from their home countries explaining working conditions and rights and responsibilities as foreign workers in the Commonwealth. In addition, P.L. 15-108 mandates early reporting and mediation of employment disputes, before they erupt into full-blown labor cases. This system is explained to all incoming workers.

The Labor Department is confident that the new system under P.L. 15-108, as enacted by unanimous vote of the Legislature last November, will be an important factor in eliminating sex trafficking in the Commonwealth as it affects the foreign workers who are part of the labor pool management system operated by the Department. No state in the United States has this kind of individualized attention to each foreign worker who enters for purposes of employment. The Labor Department’s scarce personnel resources have been somewhat strained by the requirements of this new system, but the results have been very rewarding.

In addition, in December 2007, the Governor issued emergency regulations halting the entry of any new unskilled workers into the Commonwealth. Those regulations have been enforced diligently by the Department. In the past, most sex trafficking victims have been unskilled workers recruited as waitresses or for similar jobs. The ban on entry by unskilled workers has an important place in the anti-trafficking efforts.

Labor Secretary Gil San Nicolas and I, together with our Labor Department personnel, remain committed to doing everything in our power to eliminate the stain of alleged sex trafficking from the Commonwealth, and we urge every citizen and resident of the Commonwealth to be on the lookout for and to report any such activities as promptly as possible. All information received from the public will be treated confidentially and will be followed up quickly.
[B] Cinta M. Kaipat
[/B][I]Deputy Secretary of Labor[/I]