Lured by the promise of $316 a month to work on road construction, Arjunan traveled last year from India to Malaysia, where his employer confiscated his passport and decided to pay him just $36. When Arjunan protested, his boss phoned India and told Arjunan's wife that he would cut off her husband's leg and hand. So she pawned jewelry to buy back the confiscated passport. But even after she paid out nearly $1,400, Arjunan's boss still won't give it back. Arjunan's ordeal, documented by the Solidarity Center, is typical in Malaysia, which may be upgraded by the State Department for its efforts to fight human trafficking.

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