Committee on International Relations
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515-0128
Committee on International Relations
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515-0128
Remarks Before
The Committee on International Relations
Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and
International Operations
“Combating Human Trafficking: Achieving Zero
Tolerance”
Ambassador John R. Miller, Director
Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
U.S. Department of State
Wednesday, March 9, 2005
Mr. Chairman and other Members of the Committee:
Thank you for the opportunity to personally discuss the efforts of the Department of State in combating trafficking in persons, though this term is a euphemism for what can more accurately be described as the 21st century slave trade.
The U.S. Government estimates 600,000 to 800,000 women, children and men are bought, sold, and trafficked across international borders every year. These numbers do not include victims who are trafficked within their own countries. We now estimate that this modern-day slavery also includes 14,500 to 17,500 victims who enter our own country annually, but the numbers alone only tell part of the story. These victims don’t stand up to be counted; how can they? As a result of leadership from the President and Congress, with coordination among U.S. government agencies, and a bipartisan group of faith-based and feminist NGOs, efforts have accelerated to prevent this grave human rights abuse, to protect victims, and to punish the traffickers. As President Bush memorably said in his inaugural address: “We have proclaimed that every man and woman on this earth has rights and dignity and matchless value…because no one is fit to be a master and no one deserves to be a slave.”
The office I lead continues to monitor worldwide human trafficking patterns and will issue the 5th annual Trafficking in Persons Report in June in order to stimulate increased action by foreign governments and regional coordination. The report has become an invaluable diplomatic tool for prompting and lauding progress abroad. We have seen a surge in government activity around the world: the passage of new anti-trafficking laws, almost 3,000 convictions of traffickers last year, national public service announcements and much more. We don’t think it is a coincidence that increased anti-trafficking efforts coincided with the imposition of sanctions in 2003: Thanks to the efforts of Congress, countries that do not make significant efforts to confront slavery face the threat of losing non-trade-related, non-humanitarian forms of U.S. assistance.
In addition to the report, a second core function of our office is coordinating U.S. financial assistance to support anti-trafficking programs around the world. With fiscal year 2004 funding, U.S. taxpayers provided more than $144 million [Comment: The number seems high to me when compared to FY 2002 and 2003, even including the President's $50 million initiative, but since State keeps track of these grants, I will defer to them.], including the President’s $50 million initiative announced before the UN in September 2003, to anti-trafficking in persons efforts, boosting our programming dollars to almost $300 million over three years. USAID and the Departments of State, Labor, Justice, and Homeland Security are involved in these efforts in foreign countries. In fact, 11 U.S. government agencies involved in anti-trafficking in persons efforts have developed a strategic plan to guide our government’s anti-TIP efforts.
Finally, we take our mandate to increase public outreach very seriously. We are reaching hundreds of millions of people around the world through media, public speaking engagements, Digital Video Conferences, and e-mail alerts. This effort leverages the effectiveness of the report and assistance programs.
Today you have requested my comments concerning what can be done to strengthen child protection in U.S. Government post-conflict and post natural disaster relief programs, measures to deter sexual exploitation by military and peacekeeping personnel, current demand reduction measures for sex trafficking and sex tourism, and what can be done to increase protection and services to victims of trafficking.
After the first reports of potential child trafficking as a result of the Asian tsunami, we issued a statement to our NGO partners to encourage those working in the region to warn potential victims of human trafficking schemes. I encouraged those providing shelter and care to register and protect the people in their facilities, particularly children. I recommended, that women and children should not be placed in isolated areas of shelters or camps. I also encouraged those hiring new or temporary employees for the relief effort to educate new hires about human trafficking and outline a zero-tolerance policy for employees involved in human trafficking. Thankfully, we have seen no major evidence of a rise in trafficking in the region, but we encourage those working with U.S. funded programs to remain vigilant in their efforts as the region recovers from this terrible disaster.
Through the combined efforts of my office and our colleagues at the Department of Defense, The U.S. military continues an aggressive, multi-pronged anti-TIP strategy that began in January 2004 with a “zero-tolerance” approach, including clear opposition to prostitution as a contributing factor of human trafficking. Anti-trafficking in persons training is now mandatory for all U.S. Service members and DoD civilians deploying overseas. Training is also available at the command level.
In November 2004, I was able to visit U.S. Forces Korea to view its comprehensive anti-trafficking in persons program serving 38,000 Service members and DoD civilians. I was impressed at the scope and dedication of this program. The strategy focuses on awareness, identification of victims, reduction of demand, and interaction with local law enforcement working to eliminate prostitution and its links to human trafficking in Korea. USFK also maintains and updates an “off-limits” list of establishments deemed unsafe or associated with illegal activity. The list currently includes 600+ bars, restaurants and clubs.
NATO has also adopted a zero tolerance policy on trafficking in persons. At the Istanbul Summit in June 2004, NATO Heads of State and the Euro-Atlantic Partnership (EAP) council endorsed the NATO Policy on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, which reinforces efforts to prevent and combat trafficking. This policy was initially led and sponsored by the U.S. and Norway. NATO is implementing reporting mechanisms to ensure compliance with the human trafficking policy.
NATO has implemented a mandatory anti-human trafficking education and awareness program for all its troops prior to their deployment on a NATO mission. Training for all 26 NATO countries and 20 EAP countries will be implemented this summer.
In June 2004, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan approved a Position Paper on Human Trafficking and United Nations Peacekeeping. The policy, coupled with the U.N.’s Code of Conduct for Blue Helmets approved in 2001, promotes a “zero tolerance” approach for sex abuse and human trafficking by UN peacekeepers. The UN’s own investigative report claims there is “zero compliance” with the “zero tolerance” policy. Individual peacekeepers from the Balkans to the Democratic Republic of the Congo have violated this policy. In 2004, a UN internal investigation revealed that dozens of peacekeepers from the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) had committed sex abuse crimes against refugees there, many committed against minors.
In January, the Secretary of State and the Japanese Foreign Minister sent a strongly worded letter to UN Secretary General Annan asking him to investigate the sex abuse charges against UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo and to ensure troop compliance with the UN Human Trafficking policy and Code of Conduct. They also encouraged the UN to adopt universal, preventative measures for UN troops and to urge that troop contributors swiftly and appropriately discipline and punish offenders.
Secretary General Annan and Under Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean Marie Guehenno, recently called for an overhaul of the UN’s training program and disciplinary and investigative regimes. The UN’s Code of Conduct includes a prohibition on visits to brothels by peacekeeping personnel and a curfew has been established for peacekeepers in the UN Mission in the DRC, among other steps to help prevent sexual abuse and human trafficking. I met with Under Secretary General Guehenno on February 24, 2005 and asked that training and discipline measures consistent with the UN’s official policy be put in place by all UN troop-contributing countries.
Among the many despicable variants of human trafficking, a particularly noxious form is child sex tourism involving people who travel from their own country to another and sexually exploit children. With passage of the 2003, PROTECT Act, penalties for U.S. citizens participating in child sex tourism increased to a maximum of 30 years in prison. There have been over 20 indictments and over a dozen convictions of child sex tourists since passage of the law. The United States is funding a major public awareness campaign—which is being implemented by World Vision—in Costa Rica, Cambodia, Thailand, and the United States against child sex tourism overseas.
The challenge is immense, but due to the leadership of the President and Congress, an effective methodology for assessing global progress via the annual TIP Report, improved inter-agency coordination, strong NGOs working worldwide, and gains in public awareness, we are beginning to abolish contemporary slavery.
Thank you again for the opportunity to address the committee. I yield for questions.