03 June 2005

Trafficking in Persons Report Focuses on Labor Exploitation, June 3, 2005

(Secretary Rice, Ambassador Miller aim to end modern-day slavery)

By Susan Ellis
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington – Citing both the positive actions and failures of governments around the world to take the necessary steps to end modern-day slavery, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice presented to the public the fifth annual Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP) at the U.S. Department of State June 3.

Rice expressed the hope that the comprehensive, worldwide report "will raise international awareness of the crime of trafficking and spur governments across the globe to take determined actions against it."

Introducing the findings, the secretary noted that "up to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year and millions more are trafficked internally."  Four out of five of those trafficked are women and one in two is a minor, she said.

The data, she said, illustrate that the majority of transnational victims are trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation, but there is also an alarming enslavement of people for purposes of labor exploitation, a form of slavery given special attention in this year’s report.

The responsibility for trafficking does not rest only with developing countries, whose citizens are vulnerable to trafficking because of poverty or corruption or lack of education, Rice pointed out, but "destination or demand countries like the United States and other prosperous nations, whose citizens create the marketplace for trafficking, also bear a heavy responsibility."

There is a modern-day abolitionist movement of "concerned citizens, students, faith-based organizations, feminists and other non-governmental groups … doing courageous and compassionate work to end this trade in human degradation," Rice said.  "The United States government is proud to stand with them at the forefront of this international anti-trafficking campaign."

The United States provided more than $96 million in foreign aid during 2004 to help other countries strengthen their anti-trafficking efforts, Rice noted, and is now helping them to develop legislation to combat abuse.  The aid assists in creating special law enforcement units to investigate trafficking cases and rescue victims, build emergency shelters and develop long-term rehabilitation and vocational training programs," she said.

The report records the efforts of 150 nations between March 2004 and March 2005 to deal with the issue, explained Ambassador John Miller, the senior adviser on trafficking in persons in the State Department.  "Shining through this global tragedy are many rays of hope.  In addition to tremendous efforts of heroic individuals and private organizations, governments around the globe are awakening to this issue and taking action to end this form of modern-day slavery.

"Worldwide this past year the number of trafficking-related convictions has increased over 3,000.  And new anti-human trafficking legislation was approved in 39 countries.  That's a big change from four or five years ago," he said.

The report's methodology includes a three-tier system for rating countries' effectiveness in combating trafficking:

• Tier 1 includes those countries that have met international standards for coping with trafficking and are vigorously addressing the problem.

• Tier 2 comprises countries that are demonstrating commitment to address their problems but have not yet achieved international standards; the Tier 2 "Watch List" consists of countries that might be vulnerable to an erosion of their efforts.

• Tier 3, the least favorable rating, lists countries whose governments fail to meet minimal international standards and are not making significant efforts to do so.

While some governments have taken steps against slavery since the report was drafted, Miller said, others have failed to move forward: "Ecuador was placed on Tier III [the lowest] again this year for its lack of significant efforts during the reporting period.  Two days ago, Ecuador's congress passed criminal code changes that could lead to positive progress in fighting slavery."

In an overview of this year's report, Miller noted that sex slavery is the largest category of transnational slavery, which translates to an increased number of sex victims in countries where prostitution is allowed or encouraged.   Hence there has been "a greater focus on demand, educating and dissuading the so-called customers," he said.

But the United States is concerned with all forms of slavery, Miller insisted, so "this year trafficking through labor exploitation, particularly involuntary servitude of foreign laborers, received greater attention.  This greater emphasis came as a result of better data obtained from source countries and non-governmental organizations."

Four countries -- Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates -- remain on Tier III, primarily for failing to make significant efforts to combat forced labor trafficking, he said.  "The forced labor may involve foreign workers who end up in conditions of involuntary servitude, or child camel jockeys who live in slavelike conditions and are forced to race in extremely dangerous environments," he added.

"Burma, North Korea, Sudan and Cuba remain on Tier III, largely because they still fail to address forced labor in their countries.  Another government, Cambodia, is on Tier III because of government complicity in trafficking in persons."

On the positive side, Miller said: "The Tier II Warning Watch List introduced last year has been very effective.  Thirty-one of the 46 countries on the 2004 TIP reports Tier II Watch List improved their ratings this year."

Several countries that were on Tier III on the 2004 report have acted to be raised to the next tier, Miller stated: "Guyana's president pushed through the country's first anti-trafficking law and led a countrywide awareness campaign on the dangers of trafficking, [and] Bangladesh set up a long-promised anti-trafficking police unit, which started new investigations while rescuing an increased number of victims."

Miller also explained: "Country ratings are based strictly on government actions to combat trafficking of persons as defined by U.S. law.  The standards are set up by the Trafficking Victim Protection Act and are applied equally to every country."

The full text of the report is available on the State Department’s Web site.