Outreach to Low-Wage Essential Workers

The McCain Institute focuses on designing and implementing replicable solutions to combat forced labor.  Over the past five years, the Combatting Human Trafficking’s direct outreach has resulted in measurable increases of labor trafficking case identification, referral and prosecution.

Guided by geospatial analysis tools, deep community networks and data, the Institute’s rural outreach team has educated over 14,900 low-wage workers on their legal rights across Texas, from the far reaches of the Panhandle down to the southern border. Our proactive outreach approach and ‘Know Your Rights’ trainings have resulted in the identification and referral of hundreds of cases, many of which have led to enforcement action against labor traffickers and/or legal remedies for survivors.

With a team of experienced farmworker outreach advocates, the McCain Institute has provided farmworkers safe, confidential methods to reach beyond the control of labor traffickers to access social services, legal aid, and support from the criminal justice system.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on low wage workers and communities of color, including many of the workers that the McCain Institute serves. In response, the McCain Institute provided emergency Covid-19 relief distributing over 1,200 care packages around the state of Texas to low-wage workers and their families.