There are almost always laws on the books that would protect these people, but they've often never heard of those laws, and the systems that are supposed to enforce those laws are corrupt or broken or both.
Il existe presque toujours des lois censées protéger ces gens, mais ils n'ont souvent jamais entendu parler d'elles, et le système qui est supposé appliquer ces lois est corrompu, brisé ou les deux à la fois.