Vermont

In 1609, French explorer Samuel de Champlain came upon a large lake in the area we know today as Vermont and named it after himself. The state’s name comes from two French words vert (green) and mont (mountain), which explains Vermont’s nickname, the “Green Mountain State.” Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys defended their homeland from the British during the Revolutionary War. Vermont is one of the six New England states and became the 14th state in 1791. Some of Vermont’s major industries are dairy farming and tourism. One of the most picturesque states, Vermont has millions of visitors each year who come to see the leaves turn colors in the fall and the snow-covered mountains in the winter. The state flower is the red clover and the tree is the sugar maple. Vermont maple syrup is one of the state’s most popular products.

Human trafficking is a serious issue that affects people all around the world, including in Vermont. It is a form of modern slavery in which individuals are exploited for labor, sexual exploitation, or other purposes.

According to data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline, Vermont has consistently had relatively low numbers of human trafficking cases reported compared to other states in the United States. In 2020, the state ranked 49th in the country for the number of cases reported to the hotline, with a total of 5 cases.

Human trafficking can take many forms in Vermont, including forced labor, domestic servitude, and sexual exploitation. It often affects vulnerable populations, such as immigrants, children, and people who are homeless or in poverty.

If you suspect that someone you know may be a victim of human trafficking, there are steps you can take to help. You can report the situation to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or by text at 233733. You can also contact local law enforcement or a trusted organization that provides services to victims of human trafficking. It is important to remember that the safety of the victim should be the top priority and to handle the situation with care and sensitivity.

 

 

Inside Louisiana’s forced prison labor and a failed overhaul attempt
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Inside Louisiana’s forced prison labor and a failed overhaul attempt

BATON ROUGE – Breakfast at Louisiana’s state Capitol includes fresh coffee, cookies and egg sandwiches – made and served in part by incarcerated people working for no pay. “They force us to work,” said Jonathan Archille, 29, who is among more than a dozen current and formerly incarcerated people in Louisiana who told the Washington…

Success of ‘slavery on the ballot’ measures could help incarcerated pregnant people of color
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Success of ‘slavery on the ballot’ measures could help incarcerated pregnant people of color

Originally published by The 19th During the midterm elections, five states — Alabama, Oregon, Vermont, Louisiana, and Tennessee — put to vote initiatives purported to prohibit the use of slavery and indentured servitude as a punishment for crime, an antiquated allowance given by the 13th Amendment 157 years ago this month that prisons across the country still…

‘You’re a slave’: Inside Louisiana’s forced prison labor and a failed overhaul attempt
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‘You’re a slave’: Inside Louisiana’s forced prison labor and a failed overhaul attempt

BATON ROUGE — Breakfast at Louisiana’s state Capitol includes fresh coffee, cookies and egg sandwiches — made and served in part by incarcerated people working for no pay. “They force us to work,” said Jonathan Archille, 29, who is among more than a dozen current and formerly incarcerated people in Louisiana who told The Washington…

'You Are Loved': UMass Amherst grad completes 100th meaningful mural
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'You Are Loved': UMass Amherst grad completes 100th meaningful mural

By MELISSA KAREN SANCESFor the Bulletin Monday, December 26, 2022 Last summer, retired art instructor Bob Callahan strolled through downtown Burlington with his family. And then he saw it. Across the street, in cool-toned letters that spanned the brick wall: “You Are Loved.” He recognized it immediately. Not because he’d seen a mural like this…

Knowledge Vault stories organized by American state and territory
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Knowledge Vault stories organized by American state and territory

Stories sorted by location Click any location name to learn more and pull up any related Knowledge Vault stories, articles, or resources. States Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia  Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland  Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey  New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina  South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming  Map of United States of America with state names Territories American Samoa Baker Island Guam  Howland Island Jarvis Island Johnston Atoll …

Movement grows to abolish US prison labor system that treats workers as ‘less than human’
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Movement grows to abolish US prison labor system that treats workers as ‘less than human’

Hundreds of thousands of incarcerated people work in US prisons as part of their sentences, often without basic protections and for little to no pay For more than two decades imprisoned in California, Samual Brown worked more than a dozen different jobs and was transferred between penitentiaries throughout the state – earning less than a…

Your child’s glasses may have been made with forced prison labor
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Your child’s glasses may have been made with forced prison labor

When Sovannarie was 3 months old, her parents noticed something unusual about their daughter: white opacities in both pupils. Without cataract surgery — and soon — doctors predicted irreversible vision loss. Even if that procedure went perfectly, Sovannarie would need glasses to rehabilitate her eyes and prevent blindness. A decade and many operations later, Sovannarie…

Why Outlawing Slavery Won’t Outlaw Slavery—Yet
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Why Outlawing Slavery Won’t Outlaw Slavery—Yet

Slate podcast transcripts are created by Snackable using machine-learning software and have not been reviewed prior to publication. Listen to this episode Mary Harris: In all the coverage of the red wave that wasn’t this midterm cycle. There’s this one thing the voters weighed in on that I’m not sure people have talked about enough….

How a Jim Crow-era strategy blocked 4.6 million people from voting in 2022
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How a Jim Crow-era strategy blocked 4.6 million people from voting in 2022

Reading Time: 8 minutes A type of law first created after the end of slavery to prohibit Black men from voting prevented more than 4.6 million Americans from participating in the 2022 midterm elections. Forty-eight states strip voting rights from people convicted of felonies, no small decision in the country with the highest incarceration rate…

The story behind why Louisiana voted against a ban on slavery
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The story behind why Louisiana voted against a ban on slavery

Last week, Louisiana voters struck down an amendment to its constitution that would have prohibited slavery and involuntary servitude. The four other states where slavery was on the ballot – Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont – approved similar referenda. Louisiana was put in the national spotlight for rejecting the change. Trevor Noah did an entire…