Letters & Speeches
Remarks by Deputy Chief of Mission James R. Moore at the IOM event on Trafficking in persons
November 31, 2008
On behalf of the Embassy of the United States, I am very pleased to be here this morning to celebrate an important milestone in our journey toward eradicating human trafficking.
One of the reasons we are all here today because we share a common belief: a belief that each and every person in this world has value – not as a commodity to be bought and sold in the marketplace, but as an individual with unique skills and characteristics, talents and gifts.
We have families and friends who care about us, communities that sustain us, and countries that depend on us to create a better future for the generation that follows us. And, we all have the basic right to freedom.
However, our fundamental right of freedom needs to be protected on many levels, including against criminals who are willing exploit people through human trafficking.
Human trafficking can take different forms. It can be young women lured away from their villages with the promise of good jobs in big cities, only to be trafficked into prostitution, domestic slavery, or forced labor. It can be men and women recruited for jobs that would help them take care of their families, only to be held against their will in dangerous working conditions and deplorable living situations. It can be children robbed of their innocence by those who would use them for sex or forced labor.
Human trafficking is a global problem and afflicts virtually every country in the world. It is present in the United States, and it is present in Sri Lanka. In 2008, the U.S. State Department issued a report that described Sri Lanka as a country of origin and destination for men, women, and children trafficked for sexual exploitation and domestic labor. In other words, that foreigners are brought to Sri Lanka to be trafficked, and Sri Lankans are trafficked to other countries abroad. The report specifically noted the problem of recruitment agents which knowingly and for profit place individuals in situations where they would be exploited.
The report also noted that governmental organizations often have the will, but not the capacity or resources, to prevent trafficking, both internally and externally.
In deference to my U.K. colleague who is with us this morning, I’ll quote from the British statesman and philosopher Edmund Burke, who said: “All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men do nothing.”
The United States, like other countries, stands with all Sri Lankans – men and women alike – who are dedicated to taking action – to doing something – to end human trafficking and protect the people of this great country.
The U.S Government recognizes there is a gap between the resources available and the resources that are needed to improve counter-trafficking measures in Sri Lanka. The United States has provided funding to train law enforcement officials and improve data collection. Working with the IOM, the U.S. funded programs to increase capacity so that Sri Lankan law enforcement officers would have the training and tools they need to more effectively reduce the incidence of human trafficking.
I’d like to acknowledge the wonderful work of IOM program managers Anuradhi Navaratnam and Roma Ranasinghe, who have worked so hard on trafficking issues.
To help combat trafficking, the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, provided $200,000 to fund trafficking prevention assistant programs. In addition, we secured $300,000 in funding from the State Department’s Trafficking in Persons office to address counter-trafficking issues by strengthening prosecution and improving victim protection.
Using this combined funding and working with local officials, IOM conducted extensive research to identify the needs and the gaps in the system. With guidance from experts, IOM designed a comprehensive training curriculum for police officers. The results were so positive that the police department has already included this curriculum in its normal police training program. Later this morning we will officially turn over the Training Curriculum and the Multimedia Publication on Counter Trafficking to police officials.
Using funding from the United States, IOM conducted 13 workshops, training more than 500 police officers in identifying, investigating, and prosecuting cases of trafficking. IOM also held two training programs for 70 governmental officials from the police, Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau, immigration, and the attorney general’s office. In addition, key law enforcement officials were sent to the U.S. and Italy for additional training to help Sri Lanka stay abreast of the most current techniques used by their international colleagues.
U.S. funding also supported a trafficking awareness program that trained 64 local NGOs and government officials in Kurunegala. In addition, funding provided to assist a local NGO, Women in Need, in their victim outreach program.
You may have heard radio advertisements or seen street dramas about human trafficking sponsored by U.S.-funded programs. These are part of a public awareness campaign that is already under way to educate vulnerable populations about the dangers of trafficking. Two training sessions for journalists have also been planned, to help raise awareness of this problem in society.
One of the activities I am most proud of is the reintegration work. Using U.S. funding, local NGOs have helped 28 victims of human trafficking return to Sri Lanka and reintegrate with their families. This complements the outstanding work the Sri Lankan government is doing to repatriate and assist trafficking victims.
I’d like also to recognize the British High Commission for its support of a centralized data system. This system will collect and analyze data, helping law enforcement and governmental officials identify those companies and individuals who benefit from human trafficking, and providing better service to victims. The system will be invaluable tool to law enforcement officers.
As a result of these programs and activities, and particularly the commitment and effort of the Sri Lankan Government and NGOs, institutions in Sri Lanka have significantly increased their knowledge of counter trafficking measures and their ability to identify trafficking cases. I meet regularly with government and law enforcement officials working in counter-trafficking, and am very impressed both by their dedication and by the services they provide.
In particular, I’d like to acknowledge the outstanding work being done by the Ministry of Foreign Employment and the Bureau of Foreign Employment. I’d also like to commend the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for taking a leadership role in coordinating the Governments counter-trafficking work across agencies.
However, even with all these achievements, there is still a lot of work to do to prevent and prosecute trafficking cases.
Perhaps the largest obstacle is the lack of awareness about the trafficking issue.
Although there has been an improvement in the services for the victims of internal trafficking and for migrant workers, the government still relies heavily on NGOs for victim protection services.
In addition, quality psychological counseling is often not available to trafficking victims such as migrant workers and children. Also, importantly, few cases against traffickers have been prosecuted.
We encourage the Government of Sri Lanka to take leadership on enhancing these issues by enhancing the protection and prosecution mechanisms available in the country.
In conclusion, I would like to thank all the parties involved in this program today. I would like to extend our gratitude to the British High Commission for funding the database, which is a very important part of this effort.
And, on behalf of the U.S. government, I would like to recognize IOM for its outstanding work to combat human trafficking. And I would like to acknowledge the hundreds of police officers, immigration officials, government employees, and NGO staff who work every day to protect the defenseless from human trafficking and abuse. You work is important, and we are proud to play a small role in supporting it.
Thank you very much