Release of the Seventh Annual Trafficking in Persons ReportSecretary Condoleezza RiceWashington, DC June 12, 2007 View Video
(10:07 a.m. EDT) In my travels, I have noticed a greater desire by our partners to fight this crime and protect its victims. And across the globe, the United States is building new partnerships to rescue and shelter the victims. We are helping to lead a global movement, not just to confront this crime, but to abolish it. More and more countries are coming to see human trafficking for what it is -- a modern-day form of slavery that devastates families and communities around the world. Much of the growing desire to fight this crime is due in no small part to our annual Trafficking in Persons Report. The report's purpose is to raise awareness, to highlight best practices and to inspire governments to take action against trafficking. I am pleased that this year's report covers more countries than ever before -- 164 in total. When we first began tackling this issue several years ago, the idea of human trafficking was akin to a global family secret. It was known, but not often discussed publicly. I am proud that our office in just a few short years has brought global attention to this problem. Millions more people know about human trafficking today than when the first report was issued in 2001 and we hope that this greater awareness translates into greater prevention. Wherever we encounter human trafficking, the United States stands ready to work with our partners around the world to right this wrong. We hope this report encourages responsible nations across the globe to stand together to speak with one voice and to say that freedom and security are non-negotiable demands of human dignity and to say as President Bush has, no one is fit to be a master and no one deserves to be a slave. Thank you, and now I'll turn the podium over to Mark, our Ambassador at-large and the director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Human Trafficking in Persons. Mark -- and congratulations. Welcome aboard. Remarks by Ambassador Mark P. Lagon 2007/468 Released on June 12, 2007 |