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The
Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000
requires Tier ratings to emphasis
government efforts against human
trafficking, especially in terms of
prosecution, protection and prevention,
rather than just the extent of the slavery
problem.
The Department placed each of the
countries included on the 2005 TIP Report
into one of
the three lists, described as tiers,
mandated by the TVPA. (The Trafficking
Victims Protection Reauthorization Act)
This placement is based on the extent of a
government’s actions to combat
trafficking. |
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Through this
annual report, the United States seeks to
bring international attention to the
horrific practice of trafficking in
persons. This report is a diplomatic tool
for the U.S. Government in combating
trafficking in persons, serving as an
instrument for continued dialogue, and a
means to encourage increased prosecution,
protection, and prevention programs.
The Department will
use the information gained during the
report compilation to target assistance
programs more effectively. Hopefully, the
report will be a catalyst for governmental
efforts to combat trafficking in persons
around the world, so that this degrading
practice is eventually eliminated.
According to Ambassador John R. Miller*,
'if a country stay in Tier 3, it will
require sanctions'. (View
Penalties) As public awareness
increases -- and sometimes when countries
don't have free flows of information,
that's hard -- but as public awareness
increases, I don't think people want
slavery today and this is where one of the
signs of progress has been the exponential
increase of news media attention to this
issue the last couple of years.
'Since I'm at the end here, I want to tell
you, when you write on this -- when you
write on this, I know you're journalists
and all that -- but when you write on this
issue, you indirectly help free victims
and throw traffickers in jail because it
increases public awareness'.
*Ambassador
John R. Miller is Director of
the State Department’s Office to Monitor
and Combat Trafficking in Persons and
Senior Advisor to Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice on human trafficking. The
Trafficking in Persons Office coordinates
U.S. Government activities in the global
fight against modern-day slavery,
including forced labor and sexual
exploitation, which impacts some 800,000
women, children, and men every year.
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