01 February 2001

Fact Sheet: State Department Programs to Combat Trafficking in Persons

The State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) lists the programs it funds in various regions of the world to address trafficking and violence against women and children. This year, for the first time, the bureau is asking embassies and consulates to work with local non-governmental organizations and government ministries to develop proposals for INL consideration.

Following is the text of the fact sheet:

February 1, 2001

Fact Sheet: State Department Programs to Combat Trafficking in Persons

Since 1996, as part of its anti-crime program, the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs has funded over $9 million in programs listed below to address trafficking and violence against women and children. INL's programs are conducted by U.S. non-governmental organizations (NGOs) through grants, federal law enforcement agencies, and international organizations. This year, for the first time, we are asking numerous embassies and consulates to work with local NGOs and government ministries to develop proposals for INL consideration.

Global Programs

UN Protocol on Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children. Last December in Palermo, Italy, over 120 nations gathered to sign the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its two supplementary protocols on trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling. Eighty-one countries signed the Trafficking Protocol. More countries are expected to sign the protocol pending approval from their respective parliaments.

In April 1998, at the UN Commission for Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, member states adopted an INL-drafted resolution on trafficking in women and children. The INL Bureau has had the lead over the last two years in negotiating this protocol for the United States. The trafficking protocol, for the first time in history, defines "trafficking in persons." This protocol provides a framework for countries to do the following: criminalize trafficking; provide victim protection and assistance in appropriate cases; provide victim rehabilitation; address the status of the victim in the receiving state; return trafficking victims without delay; implement law enforcement measures against the traffickers; strengthen border controls; provide security of travel documents; verify validity of documents; and prevent trafficking through public information campaigns. The next step for the signatory countries is to ratify and implement these instruments.

The Protection Project. Dr. Laura Lederer, with Johns Hopkins University, has developed an interactive database on U.S. and international legislation protecting women and children from commercial sexual exploitation. The database includes a comparative analysis of laws and penalties, situation reports on each country, maps, case studies, and victim testimonials. This database is available on web at www.protectionproject.org.

"Be Smart Be Safe" Brochure. This brochure, targeted to potential victims, describes the tactics criminal groups use to coerce and traffic women, the risks of trafficking, what women can do to protect themselves against illegitimate groups, what are victims' rights in the U.S., and how women can get help while in the United States. The brochure has recently been distributed to 27 U.S. embassies in 24 different languages. Plans are underway to disseminate the brochure to more U.S. embassies. The brochure is available online at http:/usinfo.state.gov/traffic/besmart.htm.

Federal Law Enforcement Training. INL funded four federal law enforcement agencies to conduct specialized training to combat violence against women and children in Russia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Tajikistan, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Ghana, Namibia, South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Zambia, Swaziland, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Panama.

Conference to Combat Child Pornography on the Internet. The U.S., the European Union, and Austria co-sponsored an international conference to combat child pornography on the internet September 29-October 1, 1999, in Vienna, Austria. INL provided some funding for the conference. The conference objectives were as follows: 1) reinforce cooperation between law enforcement and the judiciary; 2) encourage Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to establish self-regulatory mechanisms; and 3) encourage the establishment of further hotlines and networking.

Russia/NIS

Anti-Trafficking Center - Moldova. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recently received INL funding to develop a multi-purpose anti-trafficking center in Chisinau. Working with the U.S. embassy, UNDP will select a local non-governmental organization to manage the center. The center will provide a focal point for gathering information to be used by governments, NGOs, victims, and concerned citizens. The center will distribute publications and serve as a site for workshops for law enforcement, border control personnel, and other State employees.

Grants. In FY 1999, we awarded grants to Sister Cities International, Project Harmony, Connect US/Russia, and Winrock International to conduct anti-domestic violence programs in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Armenia, and Georgia. Winrock International's program addresses both domestic violence and trafficking in women by increasing the capacity of non-governmental organizations to train law enforcement and other criminal justice officials and institutionalize cooperation.

American University also received funding to develop an anti-trafficking-in-women training curriculum for the International Law Enforcement Academy in Budapest. This curriculum will cover several aspects of human trafficking: strategies for prevention; methods of enforcement and prosecution; and methods of sensitizing law enforcement officials to the physical and psychological impact of such crimes on victims. The curriculum will also focus on interagency and international cooperation and strategies for overcoming bureaucratic and communication obstacles that stand in the way of investigating and prosecuting human trafficking crimes. The curriculum will then be tested in a pilot training program involving Russian, Moldovan, and Georgian prosecutors and law enforcement officials.

UN Anti-Trafficking Program for Czech Republic and Poland. The United Nations Center for International Crime Prevention (CICP) in Vienna, Austria is expanding its global anti-trafficking in persons program to include Czech Republic and Poland. CICP is currently developing a customized program for both countries.

Central Europe

Exploitation of Women and Children. The Department of Justice conducts one-week symposiums for foreign prosecutors, law enforcement, and advocacy groups to exchange information on best practices to investigate and prosecute trafficking cases. These programs will be offered to Hungary, Czech Republic (with Slovakia), and Bosnia-Herzegovina at ILEA/Budapest. In May and November 1999, DOJ conducted a similar program in Legionowo, Poland for law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and non-governmental organizations from Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. Topics covered during these seminars include investigative techniques, laws and treatment of victims, and discussion on how prosecutors and police treat these cases in their respective systems. The main purpose of these seminars is to share techniques and to establish inter-country contacts.

Three-month study by the Boltzman Institute on Trafficking in Women in Bosnia. The Boltzman Institute recently completed a report containing information on the current trafficking situation, national laws relevant to combating trafficking in women, governmental and NGO initiatives, police structure and efforts, and international community initiatives.

South East Asia

Anti-Trafficking in Human Beings in the Philippines. The UN Center for International Crime Prevention (CICP) is embarking on a global anti-trafficking program beginning in the Philippines. This pilot program consists of the following elements: analysis of the problem, review of current government of Philippines' efforts, and development of a profile of a trafficked woman. The project will then focus on how to better coordinate the Philippine Government to combat trafficking. If this project is successful, it could become a model for other related UN programs in the region.

Development of an Organized Crime Task Force. The Department of Justice conducted a one-week training program for Thai officials on setting up an organized crime task force with a focus on trafficking in persons. This program took place January 8-12, 2001, in Bangkok.

Thai Coordination Center for the Protection of Child Rights. The Governor of Chang Mai established this coordination center in response to a sharp increase in child abuse over the last three years. INL funding will upgrade an existing shelter that will allow specialized interview rooms for victims -- a multi-disciplinary intake center (doctors, social workers, counselors, police, and prosecutors). The funding will also go towards establishing the Coordination Center for the Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) at the Chiang Mai Provincial Hall that will house staff and a database to track cases and provide two rooms for general counseling for families. CPCR will have oversight of the emergency shelter.

ILEA/Bangkok Illegal Migration and Trafficking in Women and Children Training Program. In August of 1999, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service District Director's Office, together with Japanese officials and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), conducted a two-week program on Illegal Migration and Trafficking in Women and Children training program. Approximately 50 immigration and border officers from most of the ASEAN countries participated in the program that included topics on trafficking in women and children case studies and gender-responsive care for women and victims of trafficking. This two-week program was generated as a result of an ILEA assessment of top crime issues in the region identified by South East Asian and U.S. law enforcement officials.

South Asia Anti-Trafficking Programs

Prerana's Anti-trafficking Program. Through UNIFEM, INL funded an Indian NGO "Prerana," based in Mumbai to establish a center for the following activities: sensitivity training for 2,800 law enforcement and transportation employees; development of a database on trafficking cases; creation of an NGO network through e-mail; and hosting of regular meetings between NGOs and law enforcement.

Save Our Sisters (SOS) Information Campaign. INL funded an anti-trafficking public awareness event in Mumbai, India in March 2000, that united numerous anti-trafficking NGOs, international organizations, civic leaders, law enforcement officials, and Indian film celebrities to confront myths about trafficking and raise awareness of this human rights abuse.

Female Police Cells/Nepal. In FY 1998, INL funded training seminars for new police recruits to investigate crimes against women and girls such as trafficking and rape cases. This funding also included the provision of rape kits, fingerprinting kits, and photographic equipment.

The Bangladesh National Women Lawyer's Association. With FY 1998 funding, this organization carried out several programs in the areas of reparation, rehabilitation for victims, and training for law enforcement.

Africa

Good Samaritan Rape Crisis Intervention Program. The Good Samaritan Association NGO in Ethiopia recently received start-up funds to create the first Ethiopian rape crisis intervention center in Addis Ababa. In addition to providing rape kits and medical assistance to victims, the center will work to increase prosecution of offenders by providing legal counseling and a hotline.

Latin America

Preventing Sexual Assault and Other Crimes Against Children in Guatemala. Social Secretariat for the Welfare of Children, with INL funding, is working to improve placement services for children who are victims of crime. This program includes: sensitivity training for judges, police, and secretariat staff; dissemination of related information; improvement of placement and services at assistance centers; analysis of problems at the assistance centers; and establishment of the secretariat as a coordinator with other government and NGO agencies.

Casa Amiga. This NGO, located in the border town of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, provides shelter and assistance to families traumatized by murder or abuse. Casa Amiga also works closely with the Sexual Trauma Assault Resource Crisis Center in El Paso, Texas. INL funding is supporting Casa Amiga's efforts to: conduct training for law enforcement in Ciudad Juarez on assisting victims of violence and sexual assault; conduct community outreach programs; train the center's volunteers who would then train police; and expand its existing psychological counseling services. This project is timely, given the increase of murdered women in the border area.

Fundemos Foundation. This NGO, located in Guadalajara, Mexico, promotes legal reforms to protect victims of domestic violence. The foundation, with INL funding, is launching a new training program for judges, police, and lawyers on victims rights and the effects of domestic violence on women and children. The foundation is also opening a new center to provide psychological counseling for victims of violence and sexual abuse.

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