*EPF406 06/12/2003
Excerpt: State Dept. Puts China on Tier 2 List for Human Trafficking
(2003 Trafficking in Persons Report released June 11) (720)

The State Department designated China as a Tier 2 government in its third Trafficking in Persons Report in recognition of the Chinese government's "significant" efforts to meet congressionally set standards for combating human trafficking.

The report, released June 11, noted that China "is a source, transit and destination country for trafficking for labor and sexual exploitation" as well as a country with "internal trafficking of young women and girls sold as brides."

In the face of this, the report said, "senior (Chinese) officials have expressed their determination to combat trafficking," and the government's "continued high-level engagement on fighting trafficking is vital to address the worldwide problem."

The report added, however, that the implementation of Chinese anti-trafficking policies is "uneven," and suggested that the Chinese government should "sharpen its effectiveness by widening its international cooperation on law enforcement ... (and) continue to fight corruption along (China's) lengthy borders."

The State Department is required to report to Congress annually whether foreign governments meet the minimum standards set for the elimination of trafficking as detailed in the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act of October 2000. Governments that do not fully meet the act's minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to do so, are put on the Tier 2 list.

The full text of the report is available at: http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2003/

Following is an excerpt on China from the report released by the Department of State June 11:

(begin excerpt)

PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (Tier 2)

The People's Republic of China (PRC) is a source, transit and destination country for trafficking for labor and sexual exploitation. There is also internal trafficking of young women and girls sold as brides. Victims trafficked into the PRC originate from Thailand, Burma, Mongolia, Laos, North Korea, Vietnam and Russia; they are most often young women and girls trafficked for prostitution or sold as brides. Political prisoners in the PRC, including Tibetans, are occasionally forced to work in prison and detention facilities. Chinese are trafficked to Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, Japan, Malaysia, the Hong Kong or Macau Special Administrative Regions, South Korea, North America, and Europe. Many Chinese migrants who are smuggled to North America are trapped in forced labor to repay traffickers.

The Government of the People's Republic of China does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Senior officials have expressed their determination to combat trafficking, and policies are in place to do so. Although the implementation of those policies is uneven, the PRC's continued high-level engagement on fighting trafficking is vital to address the worldwide problem. The PRC can sharpen its effectiveness by widening its international cooperation on law enforcement. The government should continue to fight corruption along its lengthy borders.

Prevention

The PRC continued public awareness campaigns against trafficking in women and children, including warning messages about domestic bride abuses. The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) announced its four-year "Elimination of Trafficking: Zero Tolerance Plan" with UNICEF targeting rural farmers via promotional awareness and educational activities. MPS drafted an anti-trafficking action plan that established a national committee to oversee its development. Other campaigns were aimed to keep children in school ("Spring Bud Plan") and women's empowerment ("Rural Women Know All") through vocational training and rights awareness. The ILO-IPEC Mekong Sub-Regional Project continues to prevent trafficking through cooperation between government officials and local communities.

Prosecution

Trafficking in women is specifically outlawed in the PRC. The government recognizes trafficking as a priority law enforcement issue and has an anti-trafficking unit within the MPS. No government figures were released on prosecutions for the past year, although press releases note that there were 469 arrests of suspected human traffickers in the Fujian province alone. Inter-government cooperation and exchanges between law enforcement officials took place with Vietnam and Thailand.

Protection

PRC assistance is primarily focused on Chinese trafficking victims. Women are reintegrated into their communities through resettlement centers offering legal, medical, and psychological help. The PRC collaborated with UNICEF on three pilot "transit centers" offering victims temporary lodging, counseling, and vocational training, as well as training hundreds of MPS officers on victims' needs.

(end excerpt)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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