23 June 2004

Human Trafficking Needs Multi-pronged Opposition, Harrison Says, June 23, 2004

(Prevention of trade, rehabilitation and reintegration of victims needed)

Fighting the scourge of human trafficking requires a "multi-pronged approach," according to Patricia de Stacy Harrison, the acting under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs.

Prevention, rehabilitation and reintegration into society for victims are all necessary to deal with the complex problem of the "new slavery," she said at a conference held in Tokyo that discussed strategies for combating human trafficking in Asia.

In her keynote address delivered June 23 at Tokyo's United Nations University, Harrison said prevention must include anti-trafficking education campaigns, sex tourism prevention programs and economic alternatives for at-risk groups.

Rehabilitation should include emergency assistance and vocational training for foreign trafficking victims; and reintegration should include voluntary repatriation assistance for victims and border shelters in key areas, she explained.

"Trafficking in persons," Harrison said, "is truly a form of personal terrorism." Vulnerable people -- predominantly women and children -- are "lured and then trapped, their lives taken away," she said, while the victimizers, in many cases, are "free to live in society, to reap economic benefits from the human misery they have inflicted."

Fighting against human trafficking, Harrison said, is fighting for human dignity, human rights, rule of law and all the basic tenets of a civil society. "If we believe in these values, we must be against trafficking in a vigorous and a measurable way," she said.

Legal reform is also critical in this venture, Harrison said. The United States is working "to educate foreign police on the new Protect Act, create law enforcement units to rescue women and children, train judges and prosecutors and provide technical assistance to help countries draft or amend their laws on trafficking and sex tourism."

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 is the cornerstone of American anti-trafficking efforts. "This law declares trafficking a crime, and it requires federal agencies to combat trafficking domestically and work with other nations to address the problem globally," Harrison explained. She said an interagency task force to oversee U.S. anti-trafficking efforts has enjoyed favorable results -- criminal prosecution of human traffickers has increased sharply in just the last three years.

The Protect Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 2003 strengthens existing laws. "Under the Protect Act, U.S. law enforcement officials may prosecute American citizens or permanent residents who travel abroad and sexually abuse children. The law criminalizes actions to arrange or facilitate the travel of so-called child sex tourists," Harrison said.

The Bush administration, Harrison said, is working around the world to stop trafficking directly, and, through development assistance, "to improve economic and social conditions so that potential victims will see opportunity and hope in their future and not be swayed by the siren song of the traffickers."

The two-day conference, "Strategies for Combating Human Trafficking in Asia," was hosted by the U.S. embassy in Japan, the International Labour Organization's Tokyo office, and Vital Voices Global Partnership, a U.S. nonprofit organization.
The 2004 edition of the U.S. Department of State's Trafficking in Persons Report has put Japan on a "watch list" of countries that may slide into the category of the most poorly performing countries for dealing with trafficking issues. According to the report, "Japan's trafficking problem is large and Japanese organized crime groups (yakuza) that operate internationally are involved. The Japanese government must begin to fully employ its resources to address this serious human rights crime within its borders."
Following is the transcript of Harrison's remarks:
(begin transcript)

Acting Under Secretary of State Patricia de Stacy Harrison
Strategies for Combating Human Trafficking In Asia
Keynote Speech

23 June 2004
United Nations University
Tokyo

ACTING UNDER SECRETARY HARRISON:

Good morning. Thank you Ms. Horiuchi, and good morning Mr. Ambassador, Mrs. Baker, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

First let me just say, Mrs. Moriyama (Mayumi Moriyama, Member of Parliament and former Minister of Justice), that was really wonderful, and your leadership on behalf of victims is really extraordinary.

I am so pleased to be here among so many distinguished guests - not only from Japan and the Asian region, but globally - as we all work together to end the scourge of human trafficking. Trafficking in persons is truly a form of personal terrorism. Vulnerable people - women and children - lured and then trapped, their lives taken away, and to complete the cycle of injustice, the victimizers, in many cases, free to live in society, to reap economic benefits from the human misery they have inflicted.

As each of us works to end the scourge of trafficking, we are really working for, as President Bush has said, the non-negotiable demands of human dignity - human rights, rule of law, all the basic tenets of a civil society. If we believe in these values, we must be against trafficking in a vigorous and a measurable way.

If you were to ask almost anyone, "Are you for or against slavery?" the person would reply "Against, of course," because slavery is a word that everyone understands. But very few people really know - outside of this room - what trafficking means. They associate the word entirely with the selling and buying of illegal drugs, and it is true that human trafficking is linked to international crime syndicates involved in drugs and terrorism, and guns and false documents and the spread of HIV/AIDS. But so few people understand that this word "trafficking" really means selling into slavery women, men and children - a life of prostitution, degradation, violence and shame.

As Ambassador Baker said, President Bush was the first leader to raise the issue of trafficking at the General Assembly, and ending the scourge of slavery - trafficking - is a priority for him. That's why he has committed an additional $50 million more funding, on top of the $70 million allocated this past year. The President's determination is reflected in the remarks that he made to the General Assembly, and he said, "There is a special evil in the abuse and the exploitation of the most innocent and vulnerable. The victims see little of life ... an underground of brutality and lonely fear. Those who create these victims and profit from their suffering must be severely punished, and governments that tolerate this trade are really tolerating a form of slavery." Secretary of State Colin Powell used the word "slavery" as well, when he said, "This form of modern slavery plagues every single country in the world including the United States." Last Monday, the Secretary remarked, "We fight trafficking in persons not just for the sake of victims and potential victims of these crimes; we do it for ourselves, because we can't fully embrace our own dignity as human beings unless we champion the dignity of others." That is basically what Mrs. Horiuchi and everyone gathered here is doing - championing the dignity of others.

I know through this important conference, you're going to increase the numbers of people of good will who will be inspired to help those who are being victimized now. We know that heroes come from every level of society. The Colombian Ambassador to Japan is certainly a hero for his commitment to this issue, and each of you here today - you can be the heroes that inspire others. My personal hero is Nancy Kassebaum Baker, because her leadership on behalf of the dignity of others, through a lifetime of work just speaks volumes.

Let me quickly talk about what the United States is doing to eliminate trafficking in persons. As you know, the U.S. is not immune from the human trafficking problem, and we are working to accelerate anti-trafficking measures at home. In 2000, we passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which is the cornerstone of our anti-trafficking efforts. This law declares trafficking a crime, and it requires federal agencies to combat trafficking domestically and work with other nations to address the problem globally. President Bush has established the President's interagency task force to oversee U.S. anti-trafficking efforts. The task force is chaired by Secretary of State Colin Powell, and its directives are carried out by senior-level government officials from 10 federal agencies and departments. As a result, I'm happy to say that criminal prosecution of human traffickers has increased sharply in just the last three years.

The United States advocates a multi-pronged approach. It isn't a one-size-fits-all approach. As we just heard, this is a complex problem. This multi-pronged approach includes prevention, for one. So that means anti-trafficking education campaigns, sex tourism prevention programs and economic alternatives for at-risk groups. Rehabilitation - that provides emergency assistance and vocational training for foreign traffic victims, and it builds the capacity for NGOs focused on trafficking. And then reintegration - that includes voluntary repatriation assistance for victims and border shelters in key areas. And finally, legal reform. We are working to educate foreign police on the new Protect Act, create law enforcement units to rescue women and children, train judges and prosecutors and provide technical assistance to help countries draft or amend their laws on trafficking and sex tourism.

The U.S. Congress passed the Protect Act last year, which strengthens existing laws. Under the Protect Act, U.S. law enforcement officials may prosecute American citizens or permanent residents who travel abroad and sexually abuse children. The law criminalizes actions to arrange or facilitate the travel of so-called child sex tourists. Its directives are carried out through the President's task force. We are of course working around the world to stop trafficking directly, and most importantly, through development assistance, we are working to improve economic and social conditions so that potential victims will see opportunity and hope in their future and not be swayed by the siren song of the traffickers.

As a result of these efforts, we've begun to see real success in combating trafficking, both in the U.S. and worldwide. And I want to underscore that in our critical need to stop the traffickers, we must continue to help the victims once they are rescued. In the United States, victims of trafficking are eligible for temporary housing, legal assistance, educational opportunities, mental health counseling, foster care and other benefits, and we do work in partnership with NGOs to help us communicate what the benefits are and to deliver them to the victims.

We have an anti-trafficking public awareness campaign, letting victims know that if they do move forward - and moving forward sometimes takes the most courageous step for these people, to move forward to get help - that they will be protected. We also ask for help from those who may know of victims and can work with us to free them. We sponsor a hotline advising callers what resources are available to them, and we've also set up a new Web site for victim assistance.

My own bureau, Educational and Cultural Affairs, works to fight trafficking through educational exchange programs. We bring leading anti-trafficking experts to the United States, where they and their U.S. counterparts can focus on what is working, what needs to be done, and what resources are required. Alumni of these programs represent a positive force in every country on behalf of victims and potential victims. My bureau has also supported the travel of trafficking victims to conferences such as the one in Bali, and the important thing is that when victims of trafficking go to these conferences it provides an opportunity for the public to hear from them directly.

I had an opportunity to meet with some young people who had received both rescue and shelter from volunteers from the private sector. And I have to tell you: Once you meet a victim, you will not sleep at night until you do everything you can to end this terrible scourge.

In 2003, an Asia-only group participated in an ECA (the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs) program that introduced them to policies and strategies to prevent and actively combat trafficking in persons. The program demonstrated how from a wide range of professions. We can effectively maximize what we are invested in doing, because it hits all levels of society. By bringing people from different sectors together, we have a much wider net.

We are supporting projects to provide journalists in Eastern Europe with the tools they need to increase public awareness and to ensure responsible coverage of the issue. We've provided support for four fellows to study anti-trafficking while participating in the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Program. We support NGOs that build awareness through communications programs. We want to reach potential victims where they receive information - at shelters, but beyond shelters, at bus stops, in restaurants - so that young people can be aware before they succumb.

I'm extremely pleased to learn that some of the alumni of these programs are here today. You were selected for these programs because of your experience and dedication, and you will be part of a sustainable, multiplier effect increasing the numbers of people, who as I said can then form a circle of prevention surrounding those who would fall prey to traffickers. And of course, our Embassy here in Tokyo and American embassies overseas support anti-trafficking efforts by organizing workshops and conferences, giving grants to local NGOs, and providing both public and private statements of support for anti-trafficking activities. Many of our participants today from other parts of Asia were selected to attend this conference by our U.S. Embassy colleagues in those countries. All of you have a strong ally in the war against trafficking, and that ally is the American Ambassador, and his or her staff in your home country. On behalf of those who are helpless, your dedication, your commitment is so important.

I want to thank and commend the co-sponsors of this very important conference: the Tokyo branch of the International Labour Organization and Vital Voices, and each one of you for being here today. As President Bush said, "We must show new energy in fighting back an old evil. Nearly two centuries after the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and more than a century after slavery was officially ended in its last stronghold, the trade in human beings for any purpose must not be allowed to thrive in our times."

Thank you so very much.

(end transcript)