For Immediate Release
June 19, 2013
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Chairman Royce Reacts to Administration’s
Washington, D.C. – Today,
U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA),
Chairman of
the House Foreign Affairs Committee, reacted to the State
Department’s 2013 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, which catalogues
abuses of modern-day slavery throughout
the world. This year’s report, for the first time in the history of the
Trafficking Victim’s Protection Act, downgrades China and Russia to Tier 3
status, the lowest category, in which countries may face U.S.
sanctions. In the report, the State Department also downgrades
Cambodia, from Tier 2 to a lower tier referred to as “Tier 2 Watch List.”
Chairman
Royce said: “The
State Department’s TIP Report is a mixed bag. On the one hand, after I
have long called for such action, the State Department today has rightly
downgraded some of the world’s worst human trafficking offenders. This step is long overdue.
Despite this welcome development, other countries known for their egregious
human trafficking records, like Vietnam and Laos, have not
been downgraded, and Cambodia should be ranked even lower, in Tier
3. The Cambodian government is clearly complicit. Pulling punches
in tier rankings impedes efforts to curtail trafficking. Unfortunately,
today’s report shows that much work remains to be done to combat this
modern-day slavery and offense against human dignity. Twice as many
countries were downgraded than were upgraded since last year.”
The
State Department’s annual report monitors 188 countries’ anti-human
trafficking efforts. The report ranks countries from Tier 1 to Tier
3. Due to limits set by Congress in 2008, the Administration is no
longer allowed to “park” countries on the “Tier 2 Watch List”
indefinitely. Now, if countries have not made significant efforts to
comply with minimum trafficking standards, they must be downgraded to Tier
3. Twenty seven country rankings (14% of the total) have worsened since
last year.
For
years, Royce pressed the Administration to downgrade Cambodia, in 2010 offering
legislation condemning the government’s corruption and the role it plays in
furthering human trafficking.
NOTE: Last month, Chairman
Royce held a Committee hearing to examine
innovative local and private sector initiatives to combat human trafficking
around the world.
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Secretary of State John Kerry calls Ending Human Trafficking
"A Priority" for the World and for the Country
