Release of the 2007 Trafficking in Persons Report

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Announce Release of the 2007 Trafficking in Persons Report

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will announce the release of the seventh annual Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report on Tuesday, June 12, 2007 at 10:00 a.m. in the State Department's Press Briefing Room (Room 2209). Following Secretary Rice's opening remarks, Ambassador Mark P. Lagon, the Secretary's Senior Advisor on trafficking in persons, will respond to press queries. This on-the-record, on-camera briefing is open for press coverage. The 164-country report is the most comprehensive worldwide report on the efforts of governments to combat trafficking in persons, or modern-day slavery. Its findings will raise global awareness and spur countries to take effective actions to counter trafficking in persons. The assessment includes reports on countries determined to have a significant number of victims of severe forms of trafficking. This year, the TIP Report includes a special focus on bonded labor as an egregious form of labor trafficking which enslaves millions worldwide.

Media representatives may attend this briefing upon presentation of one of the following: (1) a U.S. Government-issued identification card (Department of State, White House, Congress, Department of Defense, or Foreign Press Center), (2) a media-issued photo identification card, or (3) a letter from their employer on letterhead verifying their employment as a journalist, accompanied by an official photo identification (driver's license or passport).

Members of the press who do not have a State Department building pass should arrive at the 23rd Street entrance by 9:30 a.m. for clearance through security and access to the briefing room. Advance Copies of the Embargoed Report

Embargoed copies of the report will be available on Tuesday, June 12 at 9:00 a.m. in the State Department Press Office (Room 2109). The report will be distributed in hard copy and CD-ROM format on a first-come, first-served basis - one copy per media organization. Copies will not be reserved, mailed, faxed or delivered to a building entrance. The entire report is EMBARGOED until the end of the press briefing at approximately 11:00 a.m. on June 12. Electronic Access to the Report and supporting material

The full text of the report will be available for downloading from the State Department Web site at www.state.gov as soon as possible after the briefing on Tuesday, June 12. Photos of human trafficking are available on the State Department's Web site, http://www.state.gov/g/tip . Human trafficking B-roll and sound bites with Ambassador Lagon will be available on newsmarket.com and on the AVOC (audio visual circuit exchange).

ENDS

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