New Zealand People Trafficking Coalition respond to USA Report

The 13 th. edition of the United States Department of State Trafficking in People (TIP) Report was released today. The annual Report was released by Secretary of State John Kerry who stated “Ending modern slavery must remain a foreign policy priority.” Countries all over the world are ranked in this Report on their progress in combatting people trafficking.

In the country narrative on New Zealand the Report comments “The Government of New Zealand fully complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. However, the government has not prosecuted or convicted any trafficking offenders under its trafficking legislation in the last seven years, nor has it identified or certified any trafficking victims in the last nine years. A legal review of national anti-trafficking legislation to expand the availability of anti-trafficking prosecutorial tools, and to conform the existing New Zealand anti-trafficking laws with international standards, was submitted to the Cabinet; approval of the review’s recommendations remained pending at the end of the reporting year. While three trafficking investigations continued at the end of the reporting period, the government did not formally identify any persons as trafficking victims during the year.”

The New Zealand Network Against People Trafficking (NZNAPT) – a coalition of agencies working to prevent people trafficking gaining a foothold in New Zealand supports the expansion of the definition of people trafficking . “We are hopeful that the Government will progress the change in legislation to strengthen New Zealand’s efforts to combat people trafficking. We also want to see harsher penalties for the sex trafficking of children. Although progress has been made constant vigilance, monitoring and awareness is needed if New Zealand is going to be a country completely free from people trafficking.”

The Government of New Zealand increased its efforts to prevent trafficking during the reporting year. After the March 2012 release of the ministerial inquiry report on forced labour aboard foreign-flagged fishing vessels operating in New Zealand waters, the government implemented short- and long-term legislative and regulatory changes. In the short-term, the government suspended visas for the crews of foreign fishing vessels, effectively shutting down fishing operations until operators showed credible evidence that they are providing back pay to former crew and adequate pay to current crew. This reportedly resulted in significant economic losses for the fishing companies. Apparently as result, several fleets no longer fish in New Zealand waters. A new law, the adoption of which had been recommended by the ministerial inquiry into the allegations of trafficking of fishing boat crews, requires that by 2016, all FCVs fishing in New Zealand waters must operate as New Zealand-flagged vessels, and to extend the applicability of New Zealand’s health and labour laws to such vessels.

NZNAPT agrees with the Report that the New Zealand Government has made progress in addressing people trafficking concerns. “Following the release of research and an outcry from many agencies and the public the progress in relation to foreign flagged fishing vessels has seen a significant change in improving New Zealand’s responsibilities to protect those that operate within New Zealand waters. There has also been an effort to deliver training and awareness regarding recognition of situations where people are vulnerable and at risk of being trafficked – particularly in regard to high risk industries such as horticulture, viticulture and the sex trade.”

The Report says “the Prostitution Reform Act criminalize inducing or compelling a person to provide commercial sex and, with regard to children, provide a broader prohibition to include facilitating, assigning, causing, or encouraging a child to provide commercial sex. While statutory penalties for these crimes are generally commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape, the maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment prescribed for the sex trafficking of children does not commensurate with penalties imposed for rape or with the maximum penalty of 14 years’ imprisonment prescribed for inducing or compelling the commercial sexual services of an adult.”

The government continues to distribute brochures on trafficking indicators to community groups in six languages through its regional offices; they were also distributed to those in the sex trade and the horticulture and viticulture industries. The Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment developed a train-the-trainer module to raise awareness about trafficking crimes and to teach indicators to front-line officers, targeting vulnerable populations in migrant communities. The government continued to cooperate with foreign governments to identify child sex tourists and to prioritize the prevention of child sex tourism abroad by New Zealand residents.

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