Report Recommends Vermont Make Human Trafficking Illegal

by Amanda Kloer · 2011-01-26 05:30:00 UTC
Topics:

A new report from the Vermont Attorney General's office this week clearly states that Vermont has a human trafficking problem, and and to remedy it, they need to criminalize human trafficking. But will Vermont legislators listen to this advice and make human trafficking a crime in the state? Or will they remain one of the few states in the country without sufficient anti-trafficking laws?

The report found that while human trafficking data was very limited, there was a definite trafficking problem in Vermont. Over a quarter of the service providers surveyed for the Attorney General's report claimed to have worked with people who would be considered human trafficking victims under a state law. However, most of the service providers surveyed said they were "not well informed or unaware" of human trafficking, indicating that some victims could be going un-identified. The report also  noted a lack of public awareness and basic education about human trafficking, even among law enforcement and service providers. A law criminalizing human trafficking, especially one that provided resources for training and education, could help identify and aid victims.

If the Attorney General's recommendations are included in the new law, it will be pretty comprehensive. The legislation would include human trafficking training for law enforcement and service provider organizations. It would also provide full immunity from prosecution for children 18 and involved in the commercial sex industry and limited immunity for people 18 to 23 years old. And finally, the law would include a civil right to action, allowing victims to sue their traffickers.

When the report was initially released, Vermont legislators said passing comprehensive human trafficking legislation is a top priority this year. Now, Vermonters and other anti-trafficking activists have the chance to hold them to that promise. Join the campaign to ask the Vermont state legislature to criminalize human trafficking in 2011.

Photo credit: Amy the Nurse

Amanda Kloer is a Change.org Editor and has been a full-time abolitionist in several capacities for seven years. Follow her on Twitter @endhumantraffic

RELATED PETITION

Tell Vermont to Make Human Trafficking Illegal
VICTORY!
419 People
PREVIOUS STORY:
A Trafficking Survivor's Plea to Super Bowl Hosts and NFL
NEXT STORY:
Today is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, how are you going to take action?

COMMENTS (1)

    Comment Policy

    · All fields are required to comment.

    [X]

    Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the campaign on Change.org. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments which, as determined solely in our discretion: (1) are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; (2) include content solely intended to personally attack the campaign creator, (3) are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them; and/or (4) violate our terms of service and/or privacy policy. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion. Please also be advised that: (A) we do not actively curate and/or monitor in any manner whatsoever the comments made on the Change.org platform, and (B) the creator of each campaign on Change.org may remove any comment at her/his/its discretion.