- Remarks of Dr. Mohamed Mattar, Executive Director of The Protection Project
Luncheon with Ambassador Luis C. de Baca
July 26th, 2011
At The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
Washington, DC
On behalf of The Protection Project at The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, I would like to welcome our distinguished guests to theFifteenth Embassy Luncheon.
The Embassy Luncheon is a tradition of the Protection Project where we come together and meet ambassadors and embassy representativesand share ideas and exchange views.
Today we are devoting this Embassy Luncheon to a discussion of:
The 2011 United States State Department Trafficking In Persons Report.
We are happy to once again be in the company of Ambassador Luis C. de Baca. to present a review of the Tip report.
Here are some of the findings of the report that we highlighted in this review:
First, the report again highlights a serious problem of trafficking in children. Children are subject to trafficking in many cases including:
- Child begging is a problem in 80 countries.
- The number of countries of destination for child sex tourism is 81.
- Trafficking for the purpose of domestic service is a problem in 108 countries.
As you all know the ILO just adopted an international convention on decent work for domestic workers.
From this podium we urge countries to ratify the ILO convention.
The Tip report covers ILO convention number 182, 29 and 105.
I trust that the Tip report 2012 will include the new ILO convention
Second: as to civil societies’ efforts to combat the problem, here are some numbers from the report.
- In 95 countries media is used as a tool to educate, deter and prevent human trafficking.
I believe that in this country the CNN Freedom Project ending modern-day slavery is having a significant effect on the public all over the world.
- There are 18 countries in which faith-based institutions and/or religious figures have been engaged in combating trafficking in persons
I was in Jordan on the 3rd and 4th of this month and the president of the Islamic university issued a fatwa stating that human trafficking, if organized and conducted on a large scale warrants the same penalty for the crime of corruption in land
- In 31 countries trafficking in persons was incorporated in their general academic curriculum as a preventive measure in the fight against trafficking.
After we established the association of scholars of human trafficking in this country The Protection Project is launching a similar initiative in Europe in Amsterdam on November 22,23, and during thanksgiving of this year.
- Cooperation between NGO’s and governments is reported in 153 countries.
I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to The Protection Project Sixth Annual Symposium: “TheFive Elements of Civil Society: A New Approach to Participation inCombating Trafficking inPersons”
November 2/2011
You read the TIP report and you can put your hand on many best practices around the world
This is what ambassador deBaca called the ten years of development, looking forward to the next ten years of delivery
So now these are the two D’s of status of human trafficking Development and Delivery
For example Australia offered 20 victims plus a 9 family members permanent residency status
Finland established the national repporteur office report on the problem, so now we have two countries that have a national rapporteur, the second is the Netherlands
Egypt enacted a national action plan specifying projects that it has committed to complete in 2011-2012
Brazil conducted multimedia campaigns during 2011 targeting the 12 cities that will host the 2014 world cup.
Finally, the status of anti-trafficking legislation:
- 73 countries have comprehensive acts
- 62 countries have comprehensive provisions in Criminal law
- 33countries have provisions in penal law criminalizing some forms of trafficking
- 9 countries have laws specifically focused on child anti-trafficking laws
- 9 countries have an anti-trafficking draft law
- Only 1 country, North Korea out of the 184 countries ranked in the TIP Report, have no specific laws on trafficking.
I know that in the introduction to the report you say that at least 128 countries enacted laws prohibiting all forms of trafficking
Any howthis is a success story, almost every country in the world has a law against trafficking.
However, if you take a look at the report you can conclude that countries still have a long way to go.
Out of the 184 countries covered by the report only 32 are ranked as Tier 1 and 23 ountries are placed on tier 3
Now allow me to introduce
President Obama’s coordinator of The U.S. government activities in the global fight against contemporary forms of slavery.
The senior advisor to Secretary Clinton and the director of the State Departments office to monitor and combat trafficking inpersons
Without any further delay,please help me welcome Ambassador Luis C. de Baca.
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