*EPF309 09/15/2004
Fact Sheet: U.S. Plans Effort at U.N. to End Child Sex Trafficking
(This is a U.S. priority at the 59th U.N. General Assembly) (560)

The following is one of a series of seven fact sheets describing U.S. goals at the 59th session of the United Nations General Assembly:

(begin fact sheet)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Public Affairs

TO END CHILD SEX TOURISM: FIGHTING TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS

"We must show new energy in fighting back an old evil. Nearly two centuries after the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and more than a century after slavery was officially ended in its last strongholds, the trade in human beings for any purpose must not be allowed to thrive in our time."

-- President George W. Bush, September 23, 2003

Trafficking in persons is modern-day slavery, involving victims who are forced, defrauded, or coerced into labor or sexual exploitation. Annually, an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 people -- mostly children and women -- are trafficked across national borders. The United States seeks to strengthen collaboration with countries to combat trafficking in persons, particularly to end child sex tourism.

Child sex tourism involves adult tourists sexually exploiting minors abroad, preying upon the most defenseless among us. It is a horrendous and shameful assault on the dignity and rights of children and is a form of violence and child abuse.

What All Nations Can Do

Education and awareness are the keys to the prevention of trafficking in persons, especially of children. The United States is asking governments to immediately expand and invigorate their anti-trafficking efforts.

Increased rescues of trafficking victims and prosecutions of traffickers are critically needed. People freed from slavery must be treated as victims of crime, not criminals.

In collaboration with other countries to combat trafficking in persons, the U.S. seeks to build on the "Three Ps":

-- Prevention of trafficking through such efforts as publicity of the threat and shared commitment to fight it;

-- Protection of victims, including rescue and rehabilitation; and,

-- Prosecution of perpetrators.

U.S. Efforts

Since 2001, the U.S. government has:

-- Provided more than $295 million to support anti-trafficking programs in 120 countries;

-- Passed the PROTECT Act, which allows U.S. law enforcement to prosecute Americans who travel abroad to sexually abuse minors;

-- Launched a domestic public awareness campaign to help rescue victims;

-- Developed the successful Operation Predator initiative to identify, investigate, and arrest child sex criminals, including traffickers;

-- Awarded a grant to World Vision to conduct a public awareness campaign to deter American tourists in foreign countries from engaging in commercial sexual exploitation of children;

-- Secured a commitment from the travel and tourism industry to develop a Code of Conduct to Prevent the Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism.

International Cooperation

Because human trafficking is transnational, international partnerships are critical to win the fight against this modern-day slavery. Cooperation with other countries has contributed to the prosecution worldwide of nearly 8,000 perpetrators of trafficking crimes, resulting in more than 2,800 convictions in 2003.

The State Department is working extensively with other governments on action plans for prevention, protection of victims, and prosecution.

Modern-day slavery and its demand must be stopped. This is not a victimless or harmless crime, and governments should engage the public in a campaign to help expose and end this tragic exploitation of human beings.

(end fact sheet)

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

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