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.

 

 

End of slavery exception in state constitutions could reform prison labor
|

End of slavery exception in state constitutions could reform prison labor

In the days when the COVID-19 virus was new, less understood and more deadly, officials in Louisiana turned to state prison inmates to produce essential but scarce products to slow the rapid spread of the virus. There were occupational hazards and health concerns for the imprisoned people mixing chemicals to create hard-to-find hand sanitizer. For…

Forced Prison Labor Was Also on the Ballot
|

Forced Prison Labor Was Also on the Ballot

Terrancé Akins worked the entire seven years that he was incarcerated in the Hardeman Correctional Facility, a private prison contracted to imprison people in Tennessee. “You couldn’t not have a job,” he told The Nation. “We cooked. We cleaned. We washed the clothes. We taught the classes. The whole operation of the facility was dependent…

U.S. voters reject slavery ‘exception’ in midterm elections
| | |

U.S. voters reject slavery ‘exception’ in midterm elections

This week, voters in five American states were balloted on wording in their constitutions that permits slavery as a punishment for crime. Tennessee, Alabama, Vermont and Oregon voters chose to fully abolish legal slavery in all forms in their jurisdictions. The punishment or exception clause in the Thirteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states, “Neither…

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

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”
|

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,…

Slavery rejected in some, not all, states where it was on the ballot
| | | |

Slavery rejected in some, not all, states where it was on the ballot

Voters in three states approved ballot measures that will change their state constitutions to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime, while those in a fourth state rejected the move. The measures approved Tuesday curtail the use of prison labor in Alabama, Tennessee and Vermont. In Oregon, “yes” was leading its anti-slavery ballot initiative, but…

Prison-Labor Bans Are About Unions More Than ‘Slavery’
|

Prison-Labor Bans Are About Unions More Than ‘Slavery’

What I learned working in the correctional kitchen for 75 cents a day. I worked in York Correctional Institution’s kitchen for five years. I earned 75 cents a day for the first year, then got a raise to $1.75 a day. That job is the reason I’m alive. The work was menial, but it provided…

Voters in five states have the chance to wipe slavery and indentured servitude off the books
|

Voters in five states have the chance to wipe slavery and indentured servitude off the books

When slavery was outlawed in the U.S. in 1865, the 13th Amendment included one exception. “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction,” the amendment reads. The penalty has remained on…

Massachusetts man arraigned on human trafficking, kidnapping charges in Bennington.
|

Massachusetts man arraigned on human trafficking, kidnapping charges in Bennington.

BENNINGTON — A Massachusetts man was arraigned in Bennington Superior Court Monday on human trafficking and kidnapping charges after fleeing authorities for several weeks in a case involving guns, drugs, ransom, beatings and a victim’s late-night return to Vermont in an Uber. Jason Simpson, 26, has been the subject of a Vermont arrest warrant on…

'Real People That We Care About Are Being Exploited' – POLITICO
| | | |

'Real People That We Care About Are Being Exploited' – POLITICO

MEDFORD, ORE. — Early on a warm August morning in 2021 — as helicopters and drones hovered overhead — three women huddled under a sheet of plastic in a southern Oregon greenhouse. Outside, state, federal and county law enforcement were raiding the massive unlicensed cannabis farm where the women had worked for two months. Officers…