A Note from Ambassador Luis CdeBaca - Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons

Dear Friends:

Below you'll find a message from Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Traffiicking in Persons. It is very encouraging to read of his support for efforts to combat demand, as well as to learn of his outreach efforts to school officials/administrators/teachers who can play a vital role in primary prevention of child trafficking.

Abolition!

Lisa

Dear Colleagues in the Fight Against Modern Slavery:

I am writing briefly to update you on some of the activities of the Office to Monitor & Combat Trafficking in Persons (G/TIP) in the months since Secretary Clinton and I unveiled the annual Trafficking in Persons Report.

Since the rollout, my staff and I have met with over 50 foreign dignitaries and outgoing senior State Department officials on their way to postings overseas. I have been to Africa and back, encouraging governments to take effective action and to intensify their efforts. My trip built on President Obama's comments to the Ghanaian Parliament, where he lauded two of G/TIP’s international heroes' anti-trafficking activities as examples of the democratic spirit that can change Africa. And, during her trip to Africa this week, Secretary Clinton raised the need for partnership to fight this heinous crime.

In Washington, I have had the privilege of meeting with many of you, listening to your insights from years of experience in the field, seeing old friends, and making welcome new acquaintances. I am pleased to report that as of this week we have gained another strong voice against modern slavery in the person of Maria Otero, sworn in on Tuesday as the Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs. Under Secretary Otero has declared her commitment to "elevating and integrating the issues surrounding human trafficking into all facets of our foreign policy and diplomacy." I have pasted below the announcement from the White House with more information about Under Secretary Otero

I am struck how, in contrast to many countries where trafficking and other ills result from intractable ethnic rivalries, the United States has transformed itself in just a generation from a country where Hispanic children had their mouths washed out with soap as punishment for speaking Spanish on the playground to a country that in one week has seen the confirmation of both the first Latina Supreme Court Justice and the highest ranking Hispanic diplomat in U.S. history. We are all well-served by the diversity of experience and background that this Administration is bringing to bear. An economist with impeccable development credentials, we are grateful that someone of Maria Otero's caliber and expertise will be championing slavery issues within the State Department and around the world.

In parting, I’d also like to share with you my remarks from the 2009 Department of Education Conference: The Power of Change: Healthy Students, Safe Schools, Engaged Communities (attached). With NCMEC Director Ernie Allen, I was able to raise trafficking issues with over 2,000 principals, teachers, and security staff from around the country. I urged them to look for the signs of vulnerability among their students, to recognize the warning signs -- especially in child prostitution and domestic servant cases -- and to not view at-risk children as disposable or incorrigible.

The 13th Amendment’s living promise of freedom calls us all to work toward a slavery-free world. We must meet the scourge of human trafficking head-on through raising cultural awareness, attacking demand and other root causes of trafficking, ensuring that victims are protected, and insisting that governments punish those who would commit the heinous crimes of slavery.

2009 Department of Education Conference

Thank you for being partners in this fight.

Sincerely,

Ambassador Luis CdeBaca
Director
Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons