On June 25, the House International Relations Subcommittee on International Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Human Rights heard testimony on global trends in trafficking and the 2003 Trafficking in Persons Report.
Trafficking in persons, particularly women and children, has become one of the fastest growing areas of international criminal activity. The U.S. government estimates that as many as 800,000 people are trafficked each year for forced labor, domestic servitude, or sexual exploitation. Victims of trafficking are typically from less developed countries in Asia, the former Soviet Union, and Eastern Europe.
As part of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-386), Congress mandated an annual State Department report on the global trends in trafficking. The annual reports rate countries according to whether they meet minimum standards for addressing the global problem. The 2003 report was released on June 11.
John Miller, Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons at the State Department, testified on the importance of this particular report. “This third annual report carries special significance because for the first time, governments that are not making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with the Act’s minimum standards could face consequences that include the loss of non-humanitarian, non-trade related assistance.” There are currently 15 countries listed on Tier 3 that could be subject to those consequences as early as October 1, 2003. Mr. Miller explained that the State Department is working with those countries, “to aggressively use this period of heightened attention and threat of sanctions to galvanize real action that will translate into lives saved and victims rescued.”
All of the witnesses agreed that the trafficking problem had not improved in the past three years and that more government support is needed to address the problem. Gary Haugen of the International Justice Mission pointed out that sex trafficking flourishes in those areas where it is tolerated by local law enforcement. He argued that, “Programs are needed to support special anti-trafficking police units and prosecutorial teams with training, operational support, and hands-on assistance in achieving the priority outcome of sending offenders to jail and removing dirty cops.”
Holly Burkhalter of Physicians for Human Rights explained how trafficking impacts another international issue: the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. She testified that victims of trafficking are especially vulnerable to HIV/AIDS because they are often forced to work in the commercial sex industry. Many countries have not done enough to address the issue of sex trafficking and this could add to the magnitude of the HIV/AIDS crisis. “There is another AIDS prevention practice that should be endorsed and promoted that has not yet been incorporated into campaigns to confront the pandemic: eliminating sex trafficking.”
