Red State

Turkmenistan Mobilizing Thousands of Civilians in Cotton Harvest
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Turkmenistan Mobilizing Thousands of Civilians in Cotton Harvest

It’s still unclear whether Turkmenistan has the political will to root out forced labor from its own cotton fields, Allison Gill, forced labor program director at the Global Labor Justice-International Labor Rights Forum, told Sourcing Journal Monday. Gill, whose organization hosts the Cotton Campaign, a multistakeholder initiative that aims to eliminate state-sponsored forced labor in…

Testimony by Tara Lee Rodas for The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement
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Testimony by Tara Lee Rodas for The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement

Editor’s note: We are non-partisan. Children are being hurt. Please, watch, read, learn, and act accordingly. Hearing Date: Wednesday 04/26/2023 – 3:00 PM Hearing Location: 2141 Rayburn House Office Building The hearing, “The Biden Border Crisis: Exploitation of Unaccompanied Alien Children,” will examine the unprecedented surge of unaccompanied alien children at the southwest border and…

Inside the Government’s Failing Program to Protect Farmworkers
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Inside the Government’s Failing Program to Protect Farmworkers

Editor’s Note: This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting and was originally published by Investigate Midwest.   In early 2019 in Illinois, a farmworker, his wife and his son lived in a moldy house. Attempting to keep the winter cold at bay, he’d spray-foamed the windows shut. The toilet often malfunctioned. Unlike most farmworker housing,…

Red tape in child labor laws is being removed in several 'Red' states | Food Safety News
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Red tape in child labor laws is being removed in several 'Red' states | Food Safety News

In Arkansas, Gov. Sarah Sanders has signed the Youth Hiring Act of 2023, removing the requirement that a parent or guardian consent to a child starting a job or getting an employment certificate. In Iowa, there’s a bill that would allow 14 and 15 year olds to work specific jobs in the meat packing industry….

As other states ban unpaid ‘slave’ prison labor, lawmakers drop plans to tackle issue in Florida
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As other states ban unpaid ‘slave’ prison labor, lawmakers drop plans to tackle issue in Florida

It’s in your civics classes. The 13th Amendment of the US Constitution, ratified in 1865, abolished slavery and involuntary servitude. But there was one glaring exception clause: if convicted by state courts, incarcerated Americans can be slaves of the state. Four states banned slavery during last year’s general elections — 150 years after enslaved Black…

Clock ticking for Springfield Twp. hotel to address litany of complaints – Akron Beacon Journal
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Clock ticking for Springfield Twp. hotel to address litany of complaints – Akron Beacon Journal

Police were called out to Quality Inn 157 times during first nine months of in 2022. Drug overdoses, assault, human trafficking among most serious complaints investigated at site, Attorney for owner Hexagon Properties says company complying with plan to eradicate nuisances. The Springfield Township Quality Inn has until Feb. 23 to make extensive safety and…

Youth pastor, teacher among 46 arrested in North Texas prostitution sting
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Youth pastor, teacher among 46 arrested in North Texas prostitution sting

A youth pastor. A high school teacher and football coach. And an operations director of a large hospital network. These were among the 46 men arrested in a massive undercover prostitution sting this month in Frisco and Southlake, local and federal authorities announced. Roughly a dozen law enforcement agencies participated in the operation Jan. 12…

Slavery rejected in some, not all, states where on ballot
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Slavery rejected in some, not all, states where on ballot

Voters in four states have approved ballot measures that will change their state constitutions to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime, while those in a fifth state rejected a flawed version on the question. The measures approved Tuesday could curtail the use of prison labor in Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont. In…

Four States Vote to Ban Prison Labor and the “Slavery Loophole”
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Four States Vote to Ban Prison Labor and the “Slavery Loophole”

In the lead up to the election, pundits strained themselves bending over backwards to claim that Democrats’ focus on so-called “social issues” leaves them out of touch from the everyday concerns “ordinary” people deal with. But surprise: The results of the 2022 midterms prove otherwise. All five states with abortion on the ballot—California, Michigan, Vermont,…

Irresponsible to Call DeSantis Migrant Flights Human Trafficking: Advocates – Newsweek
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Irresponsible to Call DeSantis Migrant Flights Human Trafficking: Advocates – Newsweek

Democrats are calling for an investigation into whether Florida Governor Ron DeSantis‘ decision to transport migrants from Texas to sanctuary cities in blue states constitutes human trafficking. But advocacy groups are cautioning DeSantis’ critics from making any accusations with limited information this early on. DeSantis’ decision to fly about 50 mainly Venezuelan migrants from Texas…