5 June 2008
Ambassador Mary Ann Glendon on the Release of the 2008 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, June 5, 2008
(The U.S. Embassy to the Holy See - Office of Public Affairs)
For Immediate Release
Yesterday in Washington, D.C., Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice released the eighth annual U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report.
The 170-country report is the most comprehensive worldwide assessment of the efforts of governments to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons. This year’s report includes a particular focus on issues related to forced labor, including efforts to prosecute such crimes. The report is not issued to “grade” countries, but rather to serve as a diplomatic tool to engage governments on the issue, to share best practices, and to identify areas for practical improvement. The more countries we can get to work together in addressing this transnational crime, the more likely we are to make progress in eradicating it.
The United States estimates that each year, approximately 800,000 people are trafficked across national borders, which does not include millions trafficked within their own countries. We take this crime against human dignity seriously. In 2007, the U.S. spent approximately $79 million to fund 180 anti-trafficking projects in more than 90 countries. We also hope that our efforts to promote legal and economic reforms in many countries of origin will help reduce the conditions that facilitate trafficking. Just two weeks ago Pope Benedict XVI pointed to poverty and a decline in moral values as underlying factors in the “abhorrent exploitation” of human beings.
Since 2002, the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See has made this fight a key focus of its mission. We have enjoyed a high level of cooperation with the Holy See and others in our work to eradicate modern-day slavery worldwide. Today we remain committed to continuing our efforts, heeding the warning words of Pope Benedict XVI who said that the world can ill afford to “overlook the scourge of human trafficking, which remains a disgrace in our time.”
Contact:
Amy Elizabeth Roth
Media and Programs Advisor
U.S. Embassy to the Holy See
(39) 06/4674-3433
Fact sheets on various types of human trafficking along with information on U.S. anti-trafficking program funding are available at www.state.gov/g/tip.
