*EPF309 09/10/2003
Text: U.S. Says 10 Nations Take Steps to Control Trafficking in Persons
(U.S. imposes sanctions on three nations for lack of progress) (930)

Acting under authority granted by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000, the Bush administration is informing the U.S. Congress that 10 nations have taken significant steps to control and prevent human trafficking, thus avoiding the imposition of sanctions.

According to a September 10 White House statement, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Dominican Republic, Georgia, Greece, Haiti, Kazakhstan, Suriname, Turkey and Uzbekistan "deserve recognition for their quick action to address problems noted in the Department of State's June 2003 Trafficking in Persons Report." In that international survey of counter-trafficking efforts, the State Department identified 15 governments, including these 10, which had not taken steps to comply with minimum standards to stop and prevent trafficking as defined by TVPA.

"Steps taken by these 10 governments demonstrate that the administration's intervention on this issue is spurring the international community to action and, most importantly, is yielding results," according to the statement.

Liberia and Sudan also have been ranked as non-compliant, but President Bush has determined that sanctions should not be imposed.

Sanctions will be imposed on Burma, Cuba and North Korea for their "continuing failure ... to make significant efforts to comply with the Act's minimum standards."

Following are the texts of the White House statement and the president's message to Congress:

(begin text)

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
September 10, 2003

STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY

Presidential Determination Regarding the Trafficking Victims Protection Act for 2003

The President notified Congress that ten countries have avoided possible sanctions under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 because of significant steps their governments have taken to fight trafficking in persons. These governments -- Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Dominican Republic, Georgia, Greece, Haiti, Kazakhstan, Suriname, Turkey, and Uzbekistan -- deserve recognition for their quick action to address problems noted in the Department of State's June 2003 Trafficking in Persons Report. The President is committed to leading the fight to eradicate trafficking in persons, which according to our recent estimate involves up to 900,000 people a year being moved across international borders into forced labor, sexual exploitation, and other forms of modern day slavery. Steps taken by these ten governments demonstrate that the Administration's intervention on this issue is spurring the international community to action and, most importantly, is yielding results.

These ten countries made notable progress in many key areas including the drafting or passage of new anti-trafficking legislation and procedures; conducting high-profile public awareness campaigns on national press and television; developing new anti-trafficking training programs for police, immigration and judicial officials; creating national task forces and action plans; establishing confidential hotlines to fight corruption and trafficking in persons; and building referral systems for victims. These important actions will punish the perpetrators and help the victims of this heinous crime around the world.

The steps taken by these countries stand in contrast to the continuing failure of Burma, Cuba, and North Korea to make significant efforts to comply with the Act's minimum standards. As a result, the President decided to impose sanctions on these countries in accordance with the Act. While Liberia and Sudan have also failed to meet the standards of the Act, and are thus subject to sanctions, the President has determined that certain multilateral assistance for these two countries would promote the purposes of the Act or is otherwise in the national interest of the United States. For Sudan, the assistance will be limited to that which may be necessary to implement a peace accord.

(end text)

(begin text)

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
September 10, 2003

September 9, 2003
Presidential Determination

MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE

SUBJECT: Presidential Determination with Respect to Foreign Governments' Efforts Regarding Trafficking in Persons

Consistent with section 110 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (Division A of Public Law 106-386) (the "Act"), I hereby:

Make the determination provided in section 110(d)(1)(A)(ii) of the Act, with respect to Burma, Cuba, Liberia, North Korea, and Sudan, not to provide certain funding for those countries' governments for fiscal year 2004, until such a government complies with the minimum standards or makes significant efforts to bring itself into compliance, as may be determined by the Secretary of State in a report to the Congress pursuant to section 110(b) of the Act;

Make the determination provided in section 110(d)(3) of the Act, concerning the determinations of the Secretary of State with respect to Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Dominican Republic, Georgia, Greece, Haiti, Kazakhstan, Suriname, Turkey, and Uzbekistan;

Determine, consistent with section 110(d)(4) of the Act, with respect to Liberia, that provision to Liberia of the multilateral assistance described in section 110(d)(1)(B) of the Act would promote the purposes of the Act or is other--wise in the national interest of the United States; and

Determine, consistent with section 110(d)(4) of the Act, with respect to Sudan for all programs, projects, or activities of assistance as may be necessary to implement a peace accord, that provision to Sudan of the multilateral assistance described in section 110(d)(1)(B) of the Act for such programs, projects, or activities would promote the purposes of the Act or is otherwise in the national interest of the United States.

The certification required by section 110(e) of the Act is provided herewith.

You are hereby authorized and directed to submit this determination to the Congress, and to publish it in the Federal Register.

GEORGE W. BUSH

(end text)

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

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