http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=164931Wage theft is one of the main crimes committed against immigrants, legal and illegal.
Exploited immigrants, unaware of labor laws, afraid to fight mistreatment
by Shannon Mehnerand Brianna McClane
May 20, 2010
Natasha moved to Chicago from Eastern Europe a year and a half ago with a visa and a vision of what America would be like. But that vision quickly disintegrated.
The nanny job she had secured turned ugly when they stopped paying her on time and started asking her to do things she wasn’t comfortable with. Finally, feeling as though she had no other options, she quit and started the job search anew.
“
was not working at all,” said Natasha, who requested her real name be withheld. “But then I had no money and I got desperate because I didn’t want to leave.”
One of her Eastern European friends mentioned a Chicago-area spa owner who was hiring masseuses and provided great perks: a free apartment, a car and a job. So she decided to give it a try. But things went downhill, again.
“After a few months he stopped paying me,” she said. “Then he started threatening my life if I didn’t do what he said. He would hit me. I was so scared. He told me if I tried to escape he would find me.”
The business only employed Eastern European girls, both legal and illegal. Natasha said he was sexually and physically abusive.
“We weren’t allowed to talk to each other or anyone else,” she said. “We were trapped.”
Natasha was afraid to approach the police—she didn’t know how they would react or whether they could help her. And she was afraid of getting sent back to Europe, even though she still had a valid visa.
FULL story at link.
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