The cover of the 2010 Trafficking in Persons Report is seen June 14, 2010 in Washington, DC. The State Department released the 10th annual report on human trafficking, which for the first includes the United States.GETTY IMAGES, GETTY IMAGES
via Khmer NZ News Media
Published: June 17, 2010
By BRIAN ROSENTHAL
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
WASHINGTON – A State Department report released this week should renew attention on human trafficking locally and internationally, say two Orange County members of Congress.
The Trafficking in Persons Report, which ranks countries on their efforts to fight slavery, involuntary servitude, child labor and sex trafficking, drew both criticism and praise from Reps. Ed Royce and Loretta Sanchez.
Royce, R-Fullerton, blasted the report for removing Cambodia from its trafficking "watch list," which will make it harder for Congress to level sanctions. But Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, applauded it for adding Vietnam to the list.
Royce said a congressional hearing is set for next month to discuss the report and Cambodia, saying it appeared the country had "gotten a pass."
The 10th annual report put countries in four categories: 30 fully complied with international anti-trafficking regulations; 72 didn't comply but were improving; 58 went on the watch list because they were improving but not fast enough and 13 made no progress. Nations in the last category risk losing U.S. foreign aid.
Taking Cambodia off of the watch list doesn't make sense because its trafficking problem is getting worse, Royce said.
Most other countries in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines were on the watch list. It was the first time Vietnam has scored so low since 2004.
"It should have been downgraded even more," said Sanchez, who met with trafficking victims in four Southeast Asian countries in April. "The Vietnamese government is in cahoots with the people that do these things."
For the first time, the 2010 report included the United States, which placed in the top category.
"Unless we take a realistic look at the U.S.'s role in the global human trafficking crisis, we won't know what steps to take to effectively combat the problem," said Sanchez, adding sex victims are often taken to the U.S.
The Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force has handled about 90 cases since it was formed in 2004.
Everyday citizens have a role in fighting trafficking, Sanchez said.
"We have to keep our eyes open," she said. "If see strange things going on, people always being left alone – we have to stay vigilant in our own neighborhoods."
In all, the report found that 12.3 million adults and children were trafficked last year in an industry now worth $32 billion annually. However, trafficking prosecutions sharply increased.
Contact the writer: (202) 628-6381 or brosenthal@ocregister.com
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