Remarks at the Innocents at Risk Gala Dinner on Human Trafficking

Thank you, Barbara, for that introduction. I am pleased to be here tonight to speak on the critical issue of human trafficking.

I thank Ambassador Lund for participating and accepting the award on behalf of Her Majesty Queen Silvia. For many years, Sweden has been a world leader in the fight against human trafficking, and Queen Silvia has been one of the most dedicated, strong, and effective advocates. Her personal involvement has mattered and has contributed immensely to the heightened global awareness of this egregious human rights violation. Sweden is working in many countries to save children from commercial sexual exploitation. And Sweden and the United States have partnered on several crucial educational and advocacy efforts, including by addressing how prostitution contributes to trafficking in persons.

I'd like to also recognize Ambassador Lund's colleagues from the diplomatic corps who are here tonight and who are working with us to combat human trafficking.

And Deborah Sigmund, thank you for having the foresight, staunch commitment, strong determination and the heart to found Innocents at Risk. You have made a difference and have contributed to educating the public and heightening domestic and international awareness of trafficking in persons. I commend you, your co-chairs and board for all the good work you have done and for making tonight such a success.

Trafficking in persons is a modern-day form of slavery. It is a global phenomenon that relies on coercion, exploitation, and violence. Human trafficking extends into every country in the world, including the United States.

The U.S. Government estimates that, every year, approximately 800,000 men, women, and children are trafficked across international borders into slavery. And if you count the thousands trafficked within their own countries, the number of victims is probably in the millions. Up to 80 percent of the victims of transnational human trafficking are women and girls. About half are under age 18.

Modern-day slavery takes many forms, including domestic servitude slavery, largely concealed in private homes; factory and farm slavery; child-soldier slavery and child camel-jockey slavery; and sex slavery, which is the largest category of human trafficking: two-thirds of the people trafficked across international borders every year are trafficked for sexual exploitation.

Human trafficking robs people of freedom and human rights. It is a multi-dimensional global threat, imperiling the safety and security of nations. It undermines the rule of law; it goes hand-in-hand with corruption, document forgery, criminal networks, and money laundering. And it is a global health risk, profoundly harming individual victims and facilitating the transmission of disease, including HIV/AIDS.

State Department officials have met survivors of the modern slave trade from all over the world. Let me introduce you to one: Suri, a girl from Nepal. At the age of 12, she was sold to a brothel in a neighboring country. She was commanded to tell anyone asking her age that she was 25 and had voluntarily joined the brothel. Unfamiliar with the local language, and routinely witnessing local police officers collect bribes from the brothel owners, she had no one to turn to for help. But she was rescued with the help of a U.S-based NGO called International Justice Mission, which is supported in part by the U.S. Government.

Suri is a reminder that human trafficking is not about statistics or studies. It is about individual human beings who suffer in this evil trade. If we take her story and multiply it by hundreds of thousands, even millions, we get an idea of the magnitude of the problem.

What are the factors that fuel human trafficking? Lack of employment opportunities and the attraction of perceived higher standards of living elsewhere, organized crime, violence against women and children, discrimination against women, government corruption, political instability, and armed conflict are some.

On the demand side, the sex industry, tolerance of prostitution, and unscrupulous employers who exploit vulnerable people are significant factors.

In 2006, the U.S. Government spent approximately $75 million in international anti-trafficking assistance and $29 million in anti-trafficking efforts at home. U.S. Government efforts are organized under the "Three Ps": Prevention of the crime; Prosecution of the criminals, and Protection of the victims. We have developed a diplomatic strategy to encourage other governments to fight human trafficking. As part of that strategy, the State Department releases an annual Trafficking in Persons Report to describe the problem in each country around the world. The Justice Department issues a separate report to assess our domestic efforts.

The goal of the Trafficking in Persons Report is not to punish, but to stimulate government action to end modern-day slavery.

We have hard evidence that the report is having a real impact. Thanks to intensified engagement by the Department of State and increased political commitment from governments themselves, anti-slavery efforts have improved in many countries. When we started to compile data for the Report in 2001, only a handful of countries had laws specifically outlawing human trafficking. That number is now well over a hundred, and constantly growing. And the number of trafficking-related convictions worldwide has increased 63 percent in under two years.

But we need to do more. We need to expand the modern-day abolitionist movement so that it represents a worldwide force against human trafficking. To do that, we need your dedication and energy. The U.S. Government can engage other governments, we can seek to educate people around the world, and we can help fund successful programs. But the fight to end modern slavery depends on the involvement of NGOs, law enforcement, and good citizens like you. Human-rights groups, brave individual advocates, and NGOs are helping to take the lead.

Let me give you just a few ideas of what individuals can do:

• You can encourage your religious institutions to help victims around the world. You can support great NGOs and programs worldwide.

• You can encourage your state legislatures to pass state anti-trafficking laws so local and state law enforcement can join our federal efforts. You can talk to friends and neighbors and call law enforcement when you see suspicious activity.

• You can urge the news media to cover this struggle. Every time the media reports on slavery, it raises public awareness and leads to more victims being freed, or avoiding a horrible and tragic fate.

We look forward to working with friends and partners to abolish human trafficking and related transnational criminal activities. We share a common goal and a common determination. Together, we can succeed.