Release of the 2019 Trafficking in Persons Report
As delivered by Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Gregory Macris
to the Permanent Council, Vienna
June 20, 2019
Today, at the United States Department of State, Secretary Michael R. Pompeo released the 2019 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, an annual publication documenting the government efforts of 187 countries and territories, including the United States, to combat human trafficking.
Human trafficking is a shared challenge that we must work together to tackle. In publishing the TIP Report, the Department of State, as required by U.S. law, assesses government efforts – including our own – to fight human trafficking according to minimum standards that track the “3Ps” of the Palermo Protocol: the prosecution of traffickers, the protection of trafficking victims, and the prevention of trafficking in persons.
The theme of this year’s TIP Report introduction is “The National Nature of Human Trafficking: Strengthening Government Responses and Dispelling Misperceptions.” It encourages governments to address all forms of human trafficking with a special emphasis on when it takes place exclusively within the borders of one country, absent any transnational elements.
The report eschews the traditional nomenclature of “source, transit, and destination country” and stresses the need for a balanced response that challenges the presumption that human trafficking requires movement or some cross-border element.
The approach is not intended to minimize the importance of addressing transnational human trafficking, but rather to call on governments to respond to human trafficking with the most comprehensive and effective measures possible.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
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