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On August 2, 1995, 72 Thai nationals were found working in conditions of slavery in a makeshift garment factory consisting of a row of residential duplexes in El Monte, California, just east of Los Angeles.〔White, George. ("Works Held in Near Slavery, Officials Say" ), ''Los Angeles Times'', Los Angeles, 3 August 1995. Retrieved on 5 May 2015.〕 This case is considered the first recognized case of modern-day slavery in the United States since the abolishment of slavery.〔Martorell, Chanchanit and Beatrice "Tippe" Morlan (2011). ''Thais in Los Angeles”, p. 25. Arcadia Publishing, Los Angeles. ISBN 9780738581842.〕 It would serve as a wake-up call for the world to the global phenomenon of human trafficking and modern-day slavery and would begin the anti-trafficking movement in the United States with the Thai Community Development Center as its pioneer.〔Liebhold, Peter and Harry Rubenstein. (“Between a Rock and a Hard Place: A History of American Sweatshops, 1820 – Present” ), “History Matters”, July 1998. Retrieved on 5 May 2015.〕 The case would also lead to the passage of California laws to reform the garment industry and end sweatshop abuses through independent monitoring and a code of conduct〔Foo, Lora Jo. (“Asian American Women: Issues, Concerns, and Responsive Human and Civil Rights Advocacy” ) Ford Foundation Los Angeles, 2002. Retrieved 6 May 2015〕 and then eventually to the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) passed by the United States Congress (later known as the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA).〔Watanabe, Teresa. (“Home of the Freed” ) “Los Angeles Times” Los Angeles, 14 August 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2015〕 ==The Beginning== As early as 1988, recruiters in Thailand were canvassing rural villages in the provincial parts of Thailand for garment workers.〔Rodriguez, Junius, ed (2011). “Slavery in the Modern World: A History of Political, Social and Economic Oppression”, p. 250, ABC-CLO INC, Santa Barbara. ISBN 185109783X〕 Many of the garment workers came from impoverished farming families and were eager to take any opportunity to better their life circumstances. Rotchana, one of the 72 workers discovered in the sweatshop, said she wanted to go to America so she could have a better life for herself and her children.〔Monroe, Julie and Kent Wong (eds). “Sweatshop Slaves: Asian Americans in the Garment Industry”, P. 93, UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education, Los Angeles. ISBN 0-89215-000-9〕 She said the recruiter was kind and generous promising her a legitimate job that would enable her to quickly pay off the $4,800 loan she secured from the recruiter to pay for the plane ticket and processing fee to the United States. Elsewhere in Thailand, many others were hearing the same story. They were taken to the airport and given expensive jewelry to wear so that they would appear to be wealthy tourists. Once the plane touched down, the recruiters took the jewelry, their passports and their money. They transported the workers to the El Monte complex—a row of two story buildings with boarded up windows and a fence surrounding the entire compound topped with barbed wire and spikes facing inward.〔Monroe, Julie and Kent Wong (eds). “Sweatshop Slaves: Asian Americans in the Garment Industry”, P. 93, UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education, Los Angeles. ISBN 0-89215-000-9〕 Two guards armed with guns, knives and baseball bats patrolled the building twenty four hours a day. Once at the El Monte complex, the Thai nationals were forced to sew clothing seventeen to twenty two hours a day.〔Diaz, David and Marta López-Garza (eds) (2002). “Asian and Latino Immigrants in a Restructuring Economy: The Metamorphosis of Southern California” p. 27 Stanford University Press, Los Angeles, ISBN 9780804736312〕 They were not allowed any contact with the outside world and their letters home were censored, opened and read to insure no news of their captivity would reach home.〔Becker, Maki and Patrick J. McDonald. (“7 Plead Guilty in Sweatshop Slavery Case” ) “Los Angeles Times”, Los Angeles, 10 February 1996. Retrieved 5 May 2015.〕 They were not allowed breaks even when sick〔Monroe, Julie and Kent Wong (eds)(2006). “Sweatshop Slaves: Asian Americans in the Garment Industry”, P. 94, UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education, Los Angeles. ISBN 0-89215-000-9〕 or any social interactions with each other.〔Diaz, David and Marta López-Garza (eds) (2002). “Asian and Latino Immigrants in a Restructuring Economy: The Metamorphosis of Southern California” p. 27 Stanford University Press, Los Angeles, ISBN 9780804736312〕 They were under 24/7 surveillance by armed guards.〔Monroe, Julie and Kent Wong (eds)(2006). “Sweatshop Slaves: Asian Americans in the Garment Industry”, P. 94, UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education, Los Angeles. ISBN 0-89215-000-9〕 Some were held against their will for as long as seven years.〔Diaz, David and Marta López-Garza (eds) (2002). “Asian and Latino Immigrants in a Restructuring Economy: The Metamorphosis of Southern California” p. 21 Stanford University Press, Los Angeles, ISBN 9780804736312〕 The workers were virtually not paid as they had to work off their debt to their traffickers/employers.〔Monroe, Julie and Kent Wong (eds). “Sweatshop Slaves: Asian Americans in the Garment Industry”, P. 48, UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education, Los Angeles. ISBN 0-89215-000-9〕 In essence, they became indentured servants. However, they were forced to buy food and personal supplies such as toothpaste and shampoo at inflated prices from the employers residing at the complex who operated sundries in the garages.〔Diaz, David and Marta López-Garza (eds) (2002). “Asian and Latino Immigrants in a Restructuring Economy: The Metamorphosis of Southern California” p. 27 Stanford University Press, Los Angeles, ISBN 9780804736312〕 Having no money to make their purchases, these amounts for the rent and personal items would just be tacked on to their debts. Therefore, their debt just kept growing with no end in sight. They sewed clothing for many well-known brands such as Anchor Blue, B.U.M., High Sierra, CLEO and Tomato Inc.〔Monroe, Julie and Kent Wong (eds)(2006). “Sweatshop Slaves: Asian Americans in the Garment Industry”, P. 94, UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education, Los Angeles. ISBN 0-89215-000-9〕 The workers were forced to wake up at six every morning and worked under the watchful eyes of their Thai national employers who included Suni Manasurangkun and her four sons and two daughters-in-law. The workers were warned if they dared escape, both they and their families back home would be physically harmed.〔Monroe, Julie and Kent Wong (eds)(2006). “Sweatshop Slaves: Asian Americans in the Garment Industry”, P. 94, UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education, Los Angeles. ISBN 0-89215-000-9〕 They were also threatened that they will be caught by United States authorities who will shave their heads and deport them back to Thailand. The threat of retaliation was constant and relentless. The guards even showed them a picture of the last man who had tried to escape—he had been beaten. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「El Monte Thai Garment Slavery Case」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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