Vermont’s Multidisciplinary Human Trafficking Task Force Partnerships Formalized
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont and the Office of the Attorney General for the State of Vermont are pleased to announce that on June 7, 2018, the Vermont Human Trafficking Task Force (VT HTTF) executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) contractually implementing the state’s multidisciplinary approach to combating human trafficking affecting the State of Vermont and its residents.
Vermont recognizes that the act of trafficking another human being is a violation of basic human rights and is determined to bring an end to the exploitation of human beings for labor or commercial sex.
Since 2013, under the leadership of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Vermont Attorney General’s Office, the HTTF has worked to facilitate a collaborative effort to eliminate and prevent the trafficking of persons within the State of Vermont; to pursue prosecution of perpetrators; and to protect, rehabilitate, and empower survivors of human trafficking through comprehensive social, medical, and legal services.
Human trafficking is a crime that causes deep and lasting trauma to even the strongest of its survivors. This formal agreement to work collaboratively across disciplines illustrates Vermont’s commitment to bringing a victim-centered and trauma-informed approach to our work as we fight to end human trafficking.
Human trafficking is the act of compelling a person by force, fraud, or coercion to provide labor or a commercial sex act. Coercion may be subtle and insidious, and traffickers often threaten serious physical, psychological, and emotional harm. Human trafficking is a global, national, and local problem, and Vermont is not immune to this crisis.
Drug addicts and other vulnerable people such as children, the disabled, and the undocumented are specifically targeted and recruited by traffickers for exploitation. Between 2014 and mid-2017, in the Chittenden County area alone, the HTTF’s data collection efforts estimate that there were over 250 suspected incidents of human trafficking.
Vermont’s United States Attorney, Christina E. Nolan, emphasized the link between human trafficking and the opiate crisis in Vermont, stating, “Human trafficking continues to be one of the most dangerous, but least understood, aspects of the opioid trade in Vermont. Drug dealers coerce addicts to perform commercial sex acts for the benefit of the dealers’ illegal organizations, deliberately perpetuating the victims’ addiction in order to exploit them for commercial gain.
Vermont’s Attorney General, T.J. Donovan, added, “I’m proud to partner with U.S. Attorney Christina Nolan and her team to combat human trafficking. This is about protecting basic human rights and ensuring that survivors have the help and services they deserve.”
Anyone can be a victim of human trafficking, regardless of race, age, gender, nationality, socio-economic status, or sexual orientation. Trafficking victims are often subjected to physical and emotional abuse, forced labor, and commercial sex acts.
The Vermont Human Trafficking Task Force (VT HTTF) is a collaborative effort to combat human trafficking in the state of Vermont. The task force works to prevent human trafficking, identify and assist victims, and prosecute traffickers.
Key Facts
- State: Vermont
- Category: Human Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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