Judit Olah
Survivor of Labor Trafficking
Raised in Hungary, Judit Olah answered an ad to be a nanny in New York. The “nanny agency” owner met Ms. Olah at the airport and drove her to his apartment where he confiscated her passport until she paid him five weeks’ salary. Ms. Olah was placed as a nanny with a family, but all of her earnings were taken from her and she was told she would face criminal charges if she told police or immigration authorities. She later learned that in over 17 years, the agency owner brought eleven girls weekly from Hungary to the United States and took their earnings. In exchange for Ms. Olah’s cooperation in a case brought against him by local authorities, she obtained a T visa, which permitted her to work legally in the United States.
“People entering the U.S. desperately need to be informed of their legal rights. I know many people in New York who are trapped and terrified, not knowing how to escape.”
