"As soon as we landed, our passports were confiscated." - Daewoosa worker

BPSOS first became involved in the issue of human trafficking through the Daewoosa Case. In 2001, over 200 Vietnamese and Chinese workers were tricked into paying thousands of dollars each in order to travel to work in a sewing factory on the island of American Samoa. Each worker was promised $408 per month for wages, plus free food and housing. However, once there, the workers were beaten, confined to the factory, barely fed and forced to live in filthy conditions while the employer kept their travel documents.

After the U.S. government prosecuted Daewoosa, BPSOS along with other service providers came to the aid of the victims. Daewoosa survivors are now legally in the U.S. and are being assisted by through BPSOS’s VETA program to receive the benefits of immigration relief, health care, education and employment assistance.