Trafficking In Persons Report

Trafficking In Persons Report

On Thursday 20 June 2013 the United States Department of States will release its 13 th edition of the Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report). The Report is the U.S. Government’s principal diplomatic tool to engage foreign governments on human trafficking. It represents an updated, global look at the nature and scope of trafficking in persons and the broad range of government actions to confront and eliminate it. Worldwide, the report is used by international organizations, foreign governments, and nongovernmental organizations alike as a tool to examine where resources are most needed. Freeing victims, preventing trafficking, and bringing traffickers to justice are the ultimate goals of the report and of the U.S Government's anti-human trafficking policy.

The New Zealand Network Against People Trafficking (NZNAPT), a coalition of agencies set up to prevent people trafficking in New Zealand states ” There will be considerable interest in this Report. On the release of previous Reports there has been discussion and debate about the findings for the New Zealand situation. One things is for sure regardless of the reaction to the Report is that it will draw attention to the awful reality of people trafficking as one of the worst forms of criminal activity and human slavery that still exists around the world today.”

The Government of New Zealand fully complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking in Tier 1 – the most compliant group of countries according to the Report. However in 2012 the Report described New Zealand as a source country for underage girls subjected to internal sex trafficking and a destination country for foreign men and women subjected to forced labour.

It went on to state that a small number of girls and boys, often of Maori or Pacific Islander descent, are trafficked domestically to engage in street prostitution while some are victims of gang controlled trafficking rings.

The 2012 Report recommended that New Zealand continued to make proactive efforts to identify victims of labour trafficking, particularly among populations of vulnerable foreign labourers; and implement an on-going anti-trafficking awareness campaign directed at clients of both the legal and illegal sex trades.

NZNAPT says “There has been an increased profiling of people trafficking during the last twelve months and some progress has been made so it will be of interest to learn how the US Department of State perceive the New Zealand efforts in this regard in their latest Report.”

ENDS

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