Remarks as Prepared for Trafficking and Health Symposium

Thank you for the kind introduction.

Human trafficking is an insult to human dignity. It can not be allowed to happen in this or any other country.

When one single individual can be enslaved, the liberty of all is put at risk.

Ending human trafficking has long been a priority of the Bush administration and the Department of Health and Human Service and it will continue to be so until we leave office.

I know all of you share that commitment and I thank you for being here today. I also want to thank you for all your hard work for this cause.

Yet, we are still faced with these sobering statistics: the International Labor Organization – which is a United Nations agency charged with addressing labor standards, employment, and social protection issues – has estimated that world wide there are 12.3 million people in forced labor and sexual servitude; other estimates range from 4 million to 27 million people.

Human trafficking is the second largest criminal activity in the world and the fastest growing.

Many trafficking victims are forced to work in prostitution or the sex entertainment industry; others are coerced into domestic servitude, restaurant or janitorial work, sweatshop factory work and migrant agricultural work.

As Americans, we recognize the rights of every human being and we treasure the value inherent in each individual. Because of this, we have a shared duty to end this modern-day form of slavery.

So, in 2000 the US government enacted the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, or TVPA to fight traffickers and bring humanitarian assistance to their victims. Congress reauthorized the TVPA in 2005.

As part of that 2005 reauthorization, Congress recognized that there are an estimated 100,000 to 300,000 children in the United States at risk of commercial sexual exploitation, including trafficking.

Congress also documented that runaway and homeless youth in the U.S. are particularly susceptible to being domestically trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation; every day there are between 1.3 and 2.8 million runaway and homeless youth living on our streets.

Obviously this a great challenge and our effort goes on.

This is a calling that cuts across agency or organizational lines. It knows no political party. It is a collaborative effort.

But though we have a shared responsibility, we have differing roles.

At the Department of Health and Human Services, we have a victim-centered approach.

The safety and needs of trafficking victims are our primary concern; when these needs are met, victims are better able to help law enforcement agencies find and prosecute their traffickers.

Our standard for success is the number of victims who are recognized, rescued and receive the vital support services they need to achieve self sufficiency as they transition from bondage to freedom.

The health community is also key resource for identification and referral of victims.

Trafficking victims might first be encountered by health providers during a visit to a health clinic or emergency room, or perhaps by emergency medical personnel in response to a 911 call, or even on a scheduled visit to a private doctor.

And I am proud to say that working in collaboration with our governmental and non-governmental partners we have made great progress in identifying and serving trafficking victims.

For example, as of this summer, our Anti Trafficking in Persons program has certified and provided assistance to a little over 1600 international trafficking victims.

There are also great individual success stories.

For example, that of an eleven year old Guatemalan girl sold by her mother and smuggled across the U.S. border to serve as a domestic servant and sex slave. Working with our frontline partners in Florida, this young girl was identified, freed and given access to crucial medial services. Today she is free and a recent high school graduate.  

And then there is the  41 year old Jamaican woman who came to America full of hope only to end up trafficked to work long hours in a Florida hotel and forced to live in a decrepit house with 15 other victims. Thanks to the efforts of one of our non-profit partners who worked with local law enforcement, she is now employed as a legitimate hotel housekeeper, earning a fair wage and living in her own apartment.

These are just two stories out of many.

We have made great progress, but there is still much work to do.

Human trafficking is a huge and growing problem; eradicating it is an enormous task. It can not be accomplished by one agency or organization alone.

Health care practitioners, social service providers, law enforcement agencies, child welfare advocates and faith based and community organizations all have vital roles to play.

At HHS we know this first hand: addressing the health needs victims alone is not enough.  We must coordinate and collaborate with social service providers and legal and law enforcement communities to address the needs of victims related to employment, housing and safety.

It is essential that we pool our resources, share our practices and acknowledge how much we need each other’s assistance. We must have a dialogue about how best to improve the identification of trafficking victims and diagnose and treat their health needs.

This symposium provides us with a great opportunity to do just that. It will also help us spotlight the critical role of health professionals and their essential collaboration with anti-trafficking experts and social service providers to heal the trauma and repair the lives of trafficking victims.

It will also present a forum for health professionals and trafficking experts to share knowledge and have a dialogue about how best to improve the identification and treatment of trafficking victims.

So on behalf of Secretary Leavitt, and the entire Department of Health and Human Services, I want to thank you for your participation in this important symposium. You should all be very proud of the central role you have played, and will continue to play, in our efforts to stop human bondage.

I look forward to continuing our collaboration…

As long as there is even single person in this country that is denied their fundamental rights, our work continues.