LaborVoices (LV) aims to fight human trafficking and improve labor rights by facilitating information sharing between workers and current and potential migrants. We use pervasive mobile technology to draw information from workers on abusive or deceitful employers and encourage employer responsibility for providing safe work environments. We gather surveys of workers, as well as questions and answers from our users, to generate reliable reputations of employers and worksites. Our goal is to make this data transparent, directing workers to the best employers, and encouraging employers to improve conditions for better ratings. We are also doing our best to protect our users, protecting workers who report abuses from employer reprisal.
LaborVoices provides an exciting opportunity for researchers interested in labor and migration studies, and we’re committed to facilitating such investigations. We believe that LV could serve as a unique and valuable resource and partner for researchers. We’re looking for partnerships that can help advance this mission. We have an ongoing pilot project in Bangalore, India, and we will be expanding on that work in 2011-12. If you are interested in becoming a LaborVoices research partner or would simply like to share your insights, please contact us.