*EPF313 06/05/2002
14 Nations Make Gains in Combating Human Trafficking
(State Department issues annual Trafficking in Persons Report) (820)

By Charlene Porter
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- The U.S. Department of State issued a congressionally-mandated report June 5 evaluating 89 nations in their efforts to control human trafficking, a "modern form of slavery" and an "unconscionable crime," according to Secretary of State Colin Powell, who explained the findings to reporters.

The Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report 2002 "represents the resolve of the entire United States government to stop this appalling assault on the dignity of men, women and children," said Powell. The study estimates that between 700,000 and four million people fall victim to the deception, coercion and fraud that are the hallmarks of trafficking, even while acknowledging that the collection of data on such a covert activity is difficult.

Powell said the survey is achieving the goal that Congress outlined with passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000: encouraging nations to adopt more aggressive policies toward trafficking.

"In the year since the last report I am pleased to announce that South Korea by the standards of the report has made great strides in improving its record," Powell said. "Romania and Israel have also worked with us to significantly strengthen their anti-trafficking efforts."

The TIP report categorizes nations in one of three tiers. The first tier, the most favorable ranking, is made up of nations that have met the minimum standards outlined in the law for the elimination of trafficking. The State Department analysis concludes that these Tier 1 nations are clamping down on human trafficking by prosecuting perpetrators, protecting victims and educating the public about this activity, which has been described as one of the most rapidly expanding criminal enterprises in the world.

Tier 2 comprises those nations that have not met the minimum standards set by law but are making progress toward them. The third tier is reserved for those nations that don't meet the standards and have not been able to make significant efforts to do so.

When the law reaches its third year of implementation in 2003, it calls for sanctions to be imposed on nations that remain in the Tier 3 ranking and are not taking action against trafficking. Ambassador Nancy Ely-Raphel, of the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, said the sanctions will limit non-humanitarian and non-trade related assistance and will invoke U.S. opposition to the issuance of loans to Tier 3 nations from international financial institutions.

Ely-Raphel said the intent of the TIP report is not to grade countries but rather to empower and assist nations in joining the world community in prevention of a crime with many victims. In the 2002 report, 14 nations have advanced to a more favorable ranking, evidence that the report is creating "success stories," according to Ely-Raphel.

Like Powell, she cited the positive action taken by Romania in response to the 2001 report. "The government of Romania passed a law in December 2001 that criminalizes trafficking," Ely-Raphel said. "They organized a crime directorate that is investigating trafficking and arresting traffickers, and the government has prosecuted traffickers under kidnapping and pimping codes."

Albania, the Czech Republic, France, Gabon, Israel, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Poland, South Korea, Romania, and Yugoslavia are all nations that have progressed in their anti-trafficking efforts over the last year.

Ely-Raphel did not speak harshly of the countries in Tier 3; she credited many with having introduced anti-trafficking laws and having taken some strides toward addressing the problem. She said that many are developing action plans, and she anticipates their efforts will be recognized in next year's assessment. The head of the primary office for monitoring trafficking issues said the most serious problems exist in those countries that won't admit to having any trafficking problem at all.

The TIP report is described as the most comprehensive international anti-trafficking review issued by any single government despite its acknowledged limitations in data collection. The report cautions that the non-inclusion of some countries in the survey does not necessarily mean they have no trafficking problem. It could mean that sufficient data was unattainable or that data was difficult to analyze to ascertain whether observed activity was actually human trafficking or migrant smuggling.

Asked about possible links between human trafficking and organized crime networks, El-Raphel said, "There's got to be a tie-in." She said that traffickers are using the same types of falsified documents and money-laundering techniques that terrorists and drug traffickers use, so authorities are still looking for direct connections.

The U.S. government supported more than 110 anti-trafficking programs around the world last year in several dozen countries. The programs dealt with the problem from a variety of angles, including development of anti-trafficking laws; support for victims; and training of government, law enforcement and medical personnel.

(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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