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Who We Are

The Anti-Trafficking Litigation Assistance Support Team (“ATLAST”) advocates for the civil rights of human trafficking victims through litigation, technical assistance, and research. Our technical assistance, training and educational materials equip attorneys with the tools to provide trafficked persons with remedies for the civil rights violations they suffer in the workplace. Under state and federal fair employment laws, workers – including trafficked persons -- have a right to be paid, a right to a safe and healthy work environment and a right to be free from abuse and harassment in the workplace. Tort laws provide trafficking victims with claims for the egregious abuses inflicted upon them such as assault, battery, and false imprisonment. Finally, the trafficking private right of action amended to the TVPA through the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003 and other civil rights and labor statutes empower trafficking victims to hold their traffickers directly accountable for the crime of modern-day slavery.

A trafficked individual’s pursuit of civil relief and compensation is a fundamental component of remedying serious human rights violations. Securing monetary relief against traffickers not only provides the trafficked person with an element of justice, but also deters trafficking by shining a bright light on the punitive financial consequences of exploiting labor. Moreover, obtaining a civil judgment allows the trafficked person to make a significant step toward economic stability and self-sufficiency.

ATLAST was created by Kathleen Kim and Dan Werner co-authors of Civil Litigation on Behalf of Human Trafficking Victims, in response to a growing need for ongoing education and technical assistance to attorneys and advocates assisting trafficked individuals in civil litigation.

Kathleen Kim, ATLAST co-director and co-founder

Kathleen Kim is Associate Professor of Law at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.

Dan Werner, ATLAST co-director and co-founder

Dan Werner is Deputy Director of the Immigrant Justice Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Content and resources contributed by Laura Cadra, Head of Reference/Foreign and International Law Librarian at Loyola Law School.

Website maintained by Suzie Shatarevyan, Electronic Resources Librarian at Loyola Law School.