The Anti-Trafficking Litigation Assistance Support Team (“ATLAST”) advocates for the civil rights of human trafficking victims through litigation, technical assistance, and research. Our technical assistance, training and educational materials equip attorneys with the tools to provide trafficked persons with remedies for the civil rights violations they suffer in the workplace. Under state and federal fair employment laws, workers – including trafficked persons -- have a right to be paid, a right to a safe and healthy work environment and a right to be free from abuse and harassment in the workplace. Tort laws provide trafficking victims with claims for the egregious abuses inflicted upon them such as assault, battery, and false imprisonment. Finally, the trafficking private right of action amended to the TVPA through the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003 and other civil rights and labor statutes empower trafficking victims to hold their traffickers directly accountable for the crime of modern-day slavery.
A trafficked individual’s pursuit of civil relief and compensation is a fundamental component of remedying serious human rights violations. Securing monetary relief against traffickers not only provides the trafficked person with an element of justice, but also deters trafficking by shining a bright light on the punitive financial consequences of exploiting labor. Moreover, obtaining a civil judgment allows the trafficked person to make a significant step toward economic stability and self-sufficiency.
ATLAST Web Portal
This web portal provides information, resources and technical assistance to attorneys and advocates representing human trafficking victims pursuing civil remedies. We are currently under construction. In the near future, this web portal will contain a password protected: database of civil trafficking cases to date; sample complaints, motions, briefs, and other pleadings; and supplemental resources and information on litigation strategy. This website will also serve to create a virtual community of anti-trafficking attorneys and advocates to communicate and share information with each other as they advance the civil rights of trafficked persons.
Click here to obtain “Civil Litigation on Behalf of Human Trafficking Victims,” an introductory guide to trafficking civil litigation. The manual update is forthcoming.
To learn more about who we are, click here.