Ambassador-at-Large Luis CdeBaca from Office To Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons today cited that sex trafficking of women and children has not abated and may in fact be increasing in places.
In his statement before Before the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. CdeBaca the annual “Trafficking in Persons Report” tells the world that no country is immune to the human trafficking scourge, and that no government is doing a perfect job combating it.
“The two regions like East Asia and the Pacific, and South and Central Asia-are hit particularly hard by this crime.” -Mr. CdeBaca
“Our findings continue to show that it is local populations, more than Western “sex tourists,” that fuel the demand for sex trafficking, and law enforcement needs to address both sectors for prevention to be truly successful. Widening gender gaps in China and India are fueling the demand for young girls as forced brides or for commercial sexual exploitation.” -Mr. CedeBaca
He reported that around the world, forced labor is highly prevalent among migrant populations, and that Asia has the world’s largest share of labor migration. Migrants from both the East Asia and Pacific and South and Central Asia regions are subjected to forced labor in recognized destination countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, and the Persian Gulf.
“More troubling still, much of this abuse takes place under the guise of legal, contractual and temporary work.” -Mr. CdeBAca
According to Mr. CdeBaca, in recent months, concerns over forced labor on fishing fleets have garnered increased attention. He said research suggests that this is a problem with massive geographic scope, spanning fisheries from Indonesia to New Zealand. He added that Asian boats are ranging from the Cape of Good Hope to Central America.
According to Mr. CdeBaca, they continue to push governments to acknowledge that human trafficking is a crime that can involve sex and labor.
“We encourage governments of sending and receiving states to explicitly address modern slavery in labor-related memoranda of understanding (MOUs) and to enforce those provisions in an open and transparent manner.” -Mr. CdeBaca
