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The Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, headed by Ambassador Susan Coppedge, leads the United States' global engagement against human trafficking, an umbrella term used to describe the activities involved when someone obtains or holds a person in compelled service. |
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"It ought to concern every person, because it is a debasement of our common humanity. It ought to concern every community, because it tears at our social fabric. It ought to concern every business, because it distorts markets. It ought to concern every nation, because it endangers public health and fuels violence and organized crime. I’m talking about the injustice, the outrage, of human trafficking, which must be called by its true name -- modern slavery."
– President Barack Obama
The State Department is pleased to announce that the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking Persons has awarded a $600,000 grant to the Labor Rights Promotion Network (LPN) to continue its efforts to provide support to migrants in the Thai fishing industry and to support the government’s efforts to hold perpetrators of human trafficking accountable. The 2015 Trafficking in Persons Report highlighted concerns about forced labor and trafficking in Thailand’s fishing and fishing-related industries. This grant will allow LPN to continue partnering with the Thai government to eliminate labor abuses in the seafood sector. LPN will provide direct assistance and support to trafficking victims in the fishing industry, including shelter services, legal aid, and witness protection assistance. LPN will work to improve protection strategies by providing training to community leaders, villagers, and fishermen. LPN will support government efforts to hold traffickers accountable by coordinating with law enforcement on investigations and prosecutions. Additionally, LPN will also raise awareness about the International Labor Organization’s Good Labor Practices (GLP) program in the fisheries industry, corporate social responsibility, and human trafficking in Thailand's fishing industry through media and technology.
The International Organization for Migration and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) released a report on the health risks and consequences of migrant and trafficked workers, with funding from the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. The report explores occupational and other risks to health and well-being, and compares the experiences of migrant workers and victims of trafficking in Kazakhstan, Argentina, and Peru in construction, textile, and illegal mining industries, respectively. Full Report»
On February 1, 2016, The Partnership for Freedom announced the five finalists that will move forward to compete for a grand prize of $250,000 in the Rethink Supply Chains challenge. The five finalists submitted concepts for technical solutions to identify and address labor trafficking in global supply chains for goods and services. The finalists, selected among dozens of applicants and representing 11 nations, will receive $20,000 and proceed to the Finalist Accelerator round of the competition to further develop their proposed solutions with support from subject matter experts.
Read more about the finalists here: https://www.partnershipforfreedom.org/rethinksupplychains/#finalists-current
Secretary Kerry (Jan. 5): "It is estimated still that there are more than 20 million people who are enslaved, but regrettably, only a fraction of them, perhaps 1 percent, are identified on an annual basis. So we are living in 2015, in modern times, with a form of slavery that is even hard to identify. But so much could be done to prosecute it." Full Text» Fact Sheet» DipNote»
On December 9, 2015, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) released a new study on the impact of the Syrian war and refugee situation on trafficking in persons in the region. The study, funded by the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking Persons, analyzed the conditions in Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq and identified a number of different forms of trafficking. ICMPD presented the findings and key recommendations at an international conference in Istanbul, Turkey to experts from foreign governments, international organizations, NGOs, academia, and the media. Full Report»
In FY 2015, the Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP Office) awarded over $18 million in grants and cooperative agreements to combat human trafficking. Nongovernmental and international organizations are supporting 27 projects that address prosecution, protection, and prevention in both sex and labor trafficking globally, regionally, and in the following countries: Bangladesh, Burma, Djibouti, Estonia, Ghana, India, Haiti, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Namibia, Nepal, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uruguay. More»
On June 23, 2015, the Government of Ghana and the Government of the United States signed the first Child Protection Compact (CPC) Partnership in Accra, Ghana. The CPC Partnership is a jointly-developed, multi-year plan aimed at bolstering current efforts of the Government of Ghana and Ghanaian civil society to address child sex trafficking and forced child labor within Ghana.
CPC Foreign Assistance: In October, the TIP Office awarded a total of $5 million in foreign assistance to the International Organization on Migration and the NGO Free the Slaves for activities in support of the new CPC Partnership with Ghana. More»
In June 2015, UNODC and ILO jointly released two global reports on labor recruitment practices known to facilitate human trafficking with funding from the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. Both agencies coordinated research that included three stakeholder meetings and field surveys conducted in different countries and regions of the world. The reports include findings and recommendations aimed at improving recruitment practices and will build support for shaping international norms regarding labor recruitment and human trafficking. UNODC Full Report» ILO Full Report»
Strengthening Protections Against Trafficking in Persons in Federal and Corporate Supply Chains
Verité released a report about the risk of trafficking in persons in federal and corporate supply chains. Providing a comprehensive framework for evaluating trafficking risk, this report identifies 11 key sectors at heightened risk for human trafficking and maps federal spending in each key at-risk sector. The Department of State-funded report will be an essential resource for government officials and federal contractors concerned about compliance with Executive Order 13627, as well as for any businesses concerned about human trafficking in their supply chains. Full Report»
