U.S. Constitution

The bid to close the U.S. ‘slavery loophole’
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The bid to close the U.S. ‘slavery loophole’

ByEyes on Trafficking News

Johnny Perez was made to work under threat of punishment, sewing underwear, pillowcases and sheets. He earned between $0.17 and $0.36 per hour for his labor.   Johnny was one of the hundreds of thousands of incarcerated people who are forced to work in the U.S. as a result of a so-called “slavery loophole” created…

The fight for human labor trafficking (modern day slavery) victims continues
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The fight for human labor trafficking (modern day slavery) victims continues

ByEyes on Trafficking News

Q: MY employer brought me to America to work as live-in nanny for their youngest child. I would be paid $1,000 per month with weekends off.  When we arrived in Los Angeles, my employer took my passport. I was then made to work 7 days a week, up to 16 hours per day, taking care…

There is a serious forced labor problem in the United States
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There is a serious forced labor problem in the United States

ByEyes on Trafficking News

Genocide, slave trade, forced labor and other evil acts are the undeniable original human rights sins in the history of American colonialism and capitalism. From the slaughter and enslavement of Native American Indians by early European colonists, to the exploitation of black slaves under the prevailing slave trade in the 18th century, to the systematic…

‘A vestige of slavery’: Why advocates are fighting to make prison labor voluntary
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‘A vestige of slavery’: Why advocates are fighting to make prison labor voluntary

ByEyes on Trafficking News

Prisoners making license plates is a popular stereotype, but most of the nation’s 800,000 incarcerated workers hold jobs more similar to those on the outside: They cook and serve food, mop floors, mow lawns, and cut hair. Unlike other workers, though, the incarcerated have little say, if any, in what jobs they do. They face…

The 5 states with ballot initiatives to abolish slavery in 2022
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The 5 states with ballot initiatives to abolish slavery in 2022

ByEyes on Trafficking News

(Getty Images) Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio. It’s 2022, and five states have ballot initiatives to abolish slavery. Yes, you read that right. In the “land of the free,” the states of Alabama, Louisiana, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont have an opportunity to…

The United States’ Practice of Forced Labor at Home and Abroad: Truth and Facts (Part One)
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The United States’ Practice of Forced Labor at Home and Abroad: Truth and Facts (Part One)

ByEyes on Trafficking News

BEIJING, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) — The United States’ Practice of Forced Labor at Home and Abroad: Truth and Facts August 2022 Introduction Over the years, the United States has concocted the biggest lies of the century such as the so-called “genocide” and “forced labor” in Xinjiang, in an attempt to smear and contain China. It…

Snoqualmie to use prison labor in WASHINGTON STATE public works department
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Snoqualmie to use prison labor in WASHINGTON STATE public works department

ByEyes on Trafficking News

Unable to find seasonal public works employees this summer, the City of Snoqualmie has turned to correctional inmates — signing an agreement with the state Department of Corrections (DOC) that will pay inmates less than $2 an hour. While the city has no control over the pay-rate, city councilmembers, in a 6-1 vote, approved a…

People incarcerated in the US produce $11 billion worth of goods a year but can’t afford a bar of soap
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People incarcerated in the US produce $11 billion worth of goods a year but can’t afford a bar of soap

ByEyes on Trafficking News

Passed by the U.S. Congress on January 31, 1865, the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution abolished slavery. But, due to an exception clause, the amendment allowed slavery to remain legal as punishment for a crime, thus allowing states to extract free labor from prisoners. Today, in the U.S., more than 65% of those incarcerated…

Australia’s prisons are also a source of forced labor
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Australia’s prisons are also a source of forced labor

ByEyes on Trafficking News

As part of the Abolish Slavery National Network Freedom United is campaigning against the poor conditions facing incarcerated people in U.S. prisons. Together we are saying, “No slavery, no exceptions.” Because of the exception clause – or the punishment clause –  of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, incarcerated people in the U.S. can…