Trafficking in Persons Office Awards $16.5 Million for 77 Anti-Human Trafficking Programs in 46 Countries

Funds are awarded to support the U.S. Government’s anti-trafficking paradigm, known as the Three “P” approach: Prosecuting criminals who traffic men, women, and children; preventing the crime from occurring; and protecting victims. Projects are awarded that have a real impact not just on the lives of individual victims, but in creating structural change at the national level; helping countries effectively combat modern day slavery.

Victim protection funds support efforts to rescue, assist, rehabilitate, and reintegrate victims. Priority goes to programs that address issues or deficiencies identified in the Secretary of State’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report produced by the TIP Office (www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/rpts ).

Programs typically support a specific aspect of the Three P strategy:

• Prosecution programs aim to assist countries in the areas of international crime and rule of law by strengthening the legal foundation to prosecute this crime and provide victim assistance.
• Prevention programs focus on capacity building of government and civil society to raise public awareness and prevent it from occurring.
• Protection programs create/expand hotlines, train social service providers, expand shelters and comprehensive services for victims, including vocational training, legal advocacy, and counseling.

Fiscal Year 2007 anti-human trafficking programs include:

• Funding for 63 projects in 46 countries totaling approximately $13.55 million.
• Support for six regional projects totaling $1.1 million, located in the East Asia and Pacific, Europe and Eurasia, Near East, South and Central Asia, and Western Hemisphere regions.
• Funds to four global projects totaling roughly $1.3 million.
• Funds to support four research projects totaling about $500,000.

In addition, in Fiscal Year 2007, the U.S. Government spent approximately $74 million to fund 154 projects in about 70 countries as part of the overall commitment to the global abolitionist movement.

According to the U.S. intelligence community, approximately 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year. About 80 percent are female, and up to half are minors. These figures do not include millions who are trafficked into labor and sexual slavery within national borders.

2007/1165