Press Releases
U.S. Consular Officer Urges Foreign Employment Agents to Help Prevent Human Trafficking
Colombo, August 10, 2009: In a speech given on August 10 at the Sri Lankan Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), U.S. Vice Consul Joel Wiegert urged foreign employment agents to do everything possible to prevent their clients from becoming victims of human trafficking. “The common connection of all trafficking scenarios,” Wiegert said, “is the use of force, fraud, or coercion to exploit a person for profit.” Sometimes workers are forced into prostitution or sexual favors; sometimes they are denied their wages or the means to contact their families. Wiegert pointed out that such abuses can often be prevented by the vigilance of scrupulous employment agents who warn their clients of the potential risks they face in particular countries, check in periodically on them, and teach them the proper steps to take if they find themselves in an abusive situation. These precautions not only make sense morally, but they often increase the foreign employment agency’s profitability as well. Wiegert said that “President Obama views the fight against human trafficking, both at home and abroad, as a critical part of America’s foreign policy agenda.” The United States Government currently funds 140 anti-trafficking programs in nearly 70 countries, including Sri Lanka.