When Beyond Survival’s last report was released in 2015, we shared Karmo’s story. A group of trafficking survivors took the stage at the 2014 National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) Congress, attended by hundreds of domestic workers, to announce that they had just rescued Karmo from being trafficked and she was greeted by the warm embrace of NDWA members. Though that was just two years ago, today we find ourselves in a very different political climate.

Since Donald Trump assumed the presidency of the United States on January 20, 2017, we have witnessed daily news reports of immigrant communities and communities
of color being criminalized and targeted by his agents. Mothers have been deported within hours of being torn from their children, survivors of domestic violence have faced arrest in courts where they go to access safety and justice, and community leaders have chosen to take sanctuary in churches rather than fall victim to the harsh consequences of an inhumane deportation regime.

In the current climate, we anticipate that the labor rights protecting survivors will
only deteriorate. Employers seeking to prey upon the most vulnerable among us
will only be emboldened, leading to even more dangerous conditions for domestic workers and other workers in low-wage sectors. As police are increasingly embroiled in immigration enforcement, fewer community members will seek help and safety from law enforcement.

Never before has it been more important to learn from the experiences of workers who have survived labor exploitation and human trafficking. Only through the leadership and creativity of domestic workers will others experiencing abuse, exploitation, and trafficking be encouraged to break the silence and come forward. Through organizing, survivors have shined a light on the dark labor conditions they face and convinced policy makers, time and again, to adopt their solutions. Today, seven states across the country have passed Domestic Worker Bills of Rights that increase legal protections for domestic workers under state law.

As for Karmo, her leadership in Beyond Survival has continued to grow — speaking out, advocating with policy makers, and building strategies to prevent human trafficking. Her story is further profiled in the pages of this report. She, and others like her, are the ones who illuminate the path forward toward justice and recognition for the work that makes all other work possible.