Virginia could be doing more to prevent human trafficking and help survivors, according to the latest report from a state commission tasked with studying the issue.

The Commission on Human Trafficking Prevention and Survivor Support found enforcement hasn't been consistent in the state, and said a regional approach would better coordinate law-enforcement efforts. The commission's report also said it's important to seek accountability - not only from traffickers, but those who benefit from criminal conduct and the people who create a demand for this vulnerable workforce.

Alex Delgado, public policy manager for ECPAT-USA, a nonprofit that works to stop child trafficking, said he thinks the report should have addressed eliminating life sentences without parole for minors.

"It would definitely be a big step forward in helping support survivors of human trafficking," he said, "especially minors who were forced to do criminal acts by their trafficker, that are then given life in jail even though they're minors, and it's clearly something that was done under duress and manipulation."

In 2020, Virginia was awarded a grant to develop services for underage victims of sex trafficking. These include referral and case-management services, a dedicated residential facility for juveniles, and free legal services for young survivors of trafficking.

The commission's report also described how Virginia can provide more equitable access to care for trafficking survivors. It suggested partnering with nonprofits and the private sector to increase resources for their mental and behavioral health needs. Now that the report is out, Delgado stressed that sincere action must be taken on its findings.

"You simply can't just have the report and then not take any of those steps forward," he said. "It needs to come with action, and both the governor and the Virginia Legislature need to make sure they're introducing this legislation, and following through with what the commission has put forward."

According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, 140 cases of human trafficking were identified in Virginia in 2021, involving 179 victims.

The meat processing industry continues to face scrutiny over labor practices in states like Minnesota. Proposed legislation would update a 2007 law, calling on companies to provide more disclosure to those they hire about their rights. The measure cleared a House committee this week and has new language about providing information on matters such as workers' compensation requirements.

There are also updated standards for providing details in multiple languages with many of these plants hiring migrant workers.

Rep. Rick Hansen, DFL-South Saint Paul and the bill's sponsor, referenced to working conditions at various plants at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"And while the packing houses may have survived and thrived and made great profit, some of the workers did not, " he said.

A Republican committee member raised opposition to the plan, which includes increases in fines, and said it comes down hard on job creators. But Democrats countered that some companies within the industry have recently been accused of child labor violations. That includes Packers Sanitation Services, which just paid a $1.5-million fine in a case with Minnesota ties.

Rep. Aisha Gomez, DFL-Minneapolis, a member of the Ways and Means Committee, said anyone concerned about the bill should research images from the JBS plant in Worthington at the start of the pandemic.

"There was no way to ensure the safety of these workers at the point, and yet, there they were - side by side with each other - no personal protective equipment, " she said.

The company, along with other big meat processing firms, came under federal officials' microscope over COVID outbreaks and deaths linked to their facilities. For its part, JBS noted it made substantial updates to protect workers as the pandemic continued. Meanwhile, there is a separate Minnesota bill this session that specifically addresses workplace safety at larger plants.


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Advocates and leaders are headed to the state capitol next week to voice their concerns over issues affecting Black communities in Tennessee.

The Equity Alliance wants lawmakers to know their human rights are in jeopardy. Seventeen percent of Tennessee's population is African-American and the group says their civil rights are under attack.

Alliance CEO Tequila Johnson said Black Tennesseans, LGBTQIA people and immigrants are being targeted when it comes to education policies, the makeup of the Nashville Metro Council... even drag show laws.

"Our Day on the Hill is our way of bringing everyday Tennessee as most of whom have never stepped foot in the state capitol, to the state capitol because we do believe that is the people's house," said Johnson. "And then the second thing is for them to hear from legislators and lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, we want people to be able to decide how they want to be governed and by whom."

Johnson said The Equity Alliance is also working to be sure people making laws in Tennessee, which are increasingly affecting more Black people, are face-to-face with their constituents impacted by the legislation.

Johnson said people statewide are concerned about what she calls an attack on public education, which heavily effects black and brown students in all parts of Tennessee.

She offered as evidence a 2021 law that requires schools to hold back third graders who don't pass the Tennessee Ready Reading Test, calling it 'extremely unfair and racially biased'.

"They are using the TCAP which there's tons of research that shows that standardized testing is biased culturally," said Johnson. "And it does not effectively measure a student's ability to read or whatever it is that they're testing them on. Standardized testing just measures of student's ability to take a test."

Johnson says the group's April 20 Town Hall meeting will focus on legalizing marijuana. The Equity Alliance is inviting experts and legislators to talk about what that might look like in Tennessee.

Incidents involving white supremacist propaganda reached an all-time high last year in the U.S., including a dramatic surge of incidents across New England.

White nationalist and neo-Nazi groups publicly marched, gathered and displayed hateful rhetoric in Boston, and beyond with some 465 incidents recorded in Massachusetts alone.

Peggy Shukur, New England interim regional director for the Anti-Defamation League, said some hate groups are recruiting new members through often deceptive tactics.

"One group, Patriot Front, uses the Stars and Stripes to appear to be a mainstream group when instead they are a group that is virulently antisemitic and racist," Shukur explained.

In addition to the group's march through Boston Commons last July, groups also targeted bookstores, libraries, theaters and even hospitals with racist, anti-immigrant, and anti-LGBTQ messages. Shukur pointed out the incidents are being carried out by a small number of people having an outsized impact.

Researchers said the groups are increasingly moving from online forums to in-person gatherings, including on highway overpasses.

Shukur noted Massachusetts, known as the cradle of liberty, provides a dramatic flourish for hate groups to utilize, but she added communities are increasingly countering the hate with support for those being targeted.

"If your community instead comes out and said, 'we are with you, we see you', that's a really powerful message," Shukur emphasized.

Shukur stressed it is not recommended to engage or confront hate groups but the Anti-Defamation League encourages the public to report any incidents in an effort to hold them accountable.


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