The State Department released its 19th human trafficking report on June 21: a yearly contribution to the global anti-human trafficking movement.
Hosting this year’s unveiling were Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Ivanka Trump.
Today I joined Secretary Pompeo to unveil the 2019 Trafficking in Persons Report and honor the heroes who have devoted their lives to fight against Modern Slavery – a stain on humanity.#EndTrafficking @StateDept pic.twitter.com/nkDjqbpiCu
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) June 20, 2019
“Human trafficking is a stain as well, on all of humanity,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at the ceremony. “We detest it because it flagrantly violates the unalienable rights that belong to every human being.”
Today marks the release of the 19th annual Trafficking in Persons Report. See how the State Department engages in bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, targeted foreign assistance, and public engagement to #EndTrafficking. https://t.co/r8GCYGS68C #TIPreport @JTIP_State pic.twitter.com/VT7Sjaxo28
— Department of State (@StateDept) June 20, 2019
Freedom fighters from different countries who made the report possible were met with honors. One such recipient was Sister Gabriella Bottani, international coordinator of Talitha Kum, a global network of 2,000 Catholic nuns working to end human trafficking.
“We seek to overcome any kind of idealogical, religious, and political differences in anti-trafficking measures and activity,” said Bottani.
Sister Gabriella Bottani of Italy, one of the most prominent and influential anti-trafficking advocates within the Catholic diaspora, delivers remarks on behalf of the 2019 Trafficking in Persons Report Heroes. #EndTrafficking pic.twitter.com/qlDt1m7swH
— Department of State (@StateDept) June 20, 2019
Change in Focus
Pompeo said that this year’s focus is different; the focus now is to push other countries to solve this problem within their own borders.
“Every individual, and every individual country must confront this challenge on its own sovereign territory, because in reality, said traffickers exploit an estimated 77 percent of victims in their own home country,” Pompeo said.
.@SecPompeo: The focus of the 2019 TIP Report is to encourage governments to address forms of human trafficking occurring within their country’s own borders…Traffickers exploit an estimated 77 percent of victims in their home country. #EndTrafficking pic.twitter.com/AzfiBuv8l3
— Department of State (@StateDept) June 20, 2019
The report indicates that today nearly 25 million children and adults are robbed of their basic human rights in this way.
Venezuela, North Korea, and China were ranked Tier Three this year—the worst tier in the report—for their inadequate efforts to stop modern-day slavery in their nations.
Since 1999, the Chinese Communist Party has brutally persecuted practitioners of Falun Dafa: a spiritual practice with moral teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. An independent tribunal in London confirmed this month that the Chinese regime has forcibly harvested organs from these practitioners, and added that Uyghur Muslims are at “risk” of being subjected to forced organ harvesting in Xinjiang’s “re-education” camps.
While Tier One nations meet the United States’s standard in working to eliminate human trafficking, a Tier One designation does not mean the country is completely free of human trafficking.
According to the report, the U.S. may restrict its assistance to countries that fall below Tier Three.
Pompeo said these consequences carry a message: “If you don’t stand up to human trafficking, America will stand up to you.”
The 2019 #TIPReport is now available: https://t.co/neNPZQ3bk3 #EndTrafficking pic.twitter.com/Ou0X2I86F3
— DOS TIP Office (@JTIP_State) June 20, 2019
