Developing Countries Take a Stand Against Trafficking

The following is excerpted from the third annual "Trafficking in Persons Report," a comprehensive worldwide study by the U.S. State Department on the efforts of governments to combat trafficking in persons. The following section on "best practices" describes specific, inexpensive anti-trafficking measures being taken in many developing countries.

International Engagement: Sharing Best Practices

A number of innovative anti-trafficking efforts came to light during the preparation of the TIP Report and through the Trafficking Office's engagement with foreign governments and international and non-governmental organizations throughout the year. Many of these efforts are particularly notable because they demonstrate low or no-cost anti-trafficking measures that are sustainable. Many developing countries have high percentages of working children and a problem with trafficking for forced labor or forced commercial sexual exploitation. In response, several have established local vigilance or watchdog committees to assist authorities in rescuing children, catching traffickers, and preventing trafficking. Some cash-poor governments are educating residents in trafficking-prone areas of the dangers of trafficking through meetings with local traditional, religious, ethnic, or community leaders; establishing child rights clubs in schools; running nationwide public awareness campaigns that include radio and television spots, cartoons, talk shows, dramas, and debates; and reaching bilateral and regional agreements to combat trafficking in persons. After listening to victims and then mobilizing community participation, many are now strengthening partnerships with non-governmental and international organizations, which are well placed to assist victims.

"Red Card Against Child Labor." African governments, the ILO, and the Federation for International Football Associations teamed up with airlines, popular African soccer players, music personalities, and television and radio stations throughout Africa to launch a continent-wide anti-child labor campaign during the Africa Cup of Nations Soccer tournament. Television and radio stations broadcast songs and public service announcements throughout the month-long tournament. In this campaign, airlines gave "red cards" to fans traveling to these matches indicating their support to "eject" or end the worst forms of child labor. This campaign is being replicated for other regions of the world and will be included in the next World Cup tournament. Some African countries, such as Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana, continue to use these anti-child labor broadcasting spots during national and local soccer matches.

Targeting Transporters. The Government of Benin educated transporters and the transport unions as well as taxi and lorry drivers on the dangers of trafficking through meetings, briefings, and road signs. In addition, local vigilance committees use chiefs and respected local women to help legitimize the importance of enforcing penalties against traffickers.

Discouraging Sex Tourism. The Government of Brazil is fighting sex tourism by asking hotels to be active in discouraging child prostitution on their premises. Hotels participating in the program receive an extra "star" in their quality rating. Brazil also distributes brochures to visiting tourists making them aware of the penalties associated with exploiting minors. The Government of The Gambia asks visitors to give information to the police about sex tourists and the sexual exploitation of children through a special tip system. The government requires fingerprints before residence permits are issued to foreigners in order to check criminal records to prevent known exploiters from operating in the country. The Tourism Bill before the National Assembly provides protective measures for children against sex tourists. The Gambian Government and the Government of The Netherlands set up a special police unit to monitor and track Dutch pedophiles in The Gambia.

Public Awareness. The Government of Mozambique has joined forces with non-governmental and international organizations to creatively utilize festivals, nationwide youth debates, dances, dramas, and posters to raise public awareness about child prostitution. They have saturated radio and television with key anti-child exploitation messages. The government also has conducted seminars for police emphasizing their role in protecting children.

Mass Mobilization. The Government of Bangladesh and international donors organized a month-long road march campaign throughout the country to highlight trafficking in persons and other crimes against women. Bangladeshis and government officials participated in the marches that educated communities about how to reintegrate, assist, and accept trafficking victims back into their home communities.

Mobilizing Children. The Government of Tanzania is educating children on the importance of watching out for one another. When children see one of their friends being abused or about to be trafficked, they blow wooden whistles that they have been taught to make, to identify the child in need. Community members, hearing the distress whistles being blown, then come to the child's rescue.

Listening to Exploited Children. The Government of Sierra Leone provides broadcast time for a "Voice of the Children" radio program run for and by children to assist in the psychological recovery process from the civil war.

Ban on Child Camel Jockeys. The government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the first to enforce a ban on the use of underage, underweight camel jockeys. DNA testing is used to determine the parentage of children coming into UAE for work as camel jockeys and hand-bone x-rays are used to determine the age of camel jockey applicants. These practices prevent reliance on potentially fraudulent identity documents.

Source-Destination Cooperation. UAE police and Uzbek non-governmental organizations are working together on the rescue and repatriation of victims. The UAE also is working with the Government of Bangladesh to sensitively repatriate child camel jockeys. The Government of Saudi Arabia has opened an information center in Sri Lanka, a major source country for foreign labor, to provide briefings for foreign workers on their rights and responsibilities and on cultural mores in Saudi Arabia. This is done in an attempt to better acquaint potential workers -- especially women -- with the lifestyle they will be expected to lead in the Kingdom and helps prevent misunderstandings with employers. Separate entry lines for foreign workers at airports in Saudi Arabia are used to give workers information on rights and responsibilities and points-of-contact should they need assistance. The United Kingdom has appointed prosecutors as liaison magistrates in source countries as well as in Spain, Italy, and France.

Rewarding Law Enforcement. In Andhra Pradesh, India, a law enforcement officer's performance appraisal is linked to his or her efforts to apprehend and investigate human traffickers.

Victim Assistance. The Government of Morocco provides social workers to facilitate the repatriation of child maids to families. Moroccan diplomats in destination countries are trained about trafficking and actively go into Moroccan expatriate communities to look for victims. The Government of Sri Lanka assigns welfare officers to its embassies in countries in the Middle East to assist trafficking victims. The Kyrgyz Republic has labor offices to identify vulnerable nationals working in Russia. Police officers in Ukraine work closely with an active network of non-governmental organizations to assist victims.

Border Monitoring. In Nepal, former victims work alongside Nepalese border officials to identify traffickers and victims at key crossing points. The former victims are able to spot potential victims and provide assistance. The Government of Colombia has sent officials to the airports to identify and talk with likely trafficking victims as they are sitting and waiting to fly out. In many cases, they have succeeded in educating women about the dangers of traffickers and many potential victims elected not to leave. The Government of Romania facilitates cross-border law enforcement cooperation and assists in the coordinated anti-trafficking, joint law enforcement operation throughout the region.

Witness Protection. The Government of Sri Lanka encourages the use of video-taped testimony from children and other victims as evidence in trials of traffickers to decrease the trauma of the victims.

Government-NGO Cooperation on Law Enforcement. The Government of Thailand brings together government and NGO officials in an interagency working group to develop and implement comprehensive anti-TIP strategies. NGOs work to identify victims, pass that information along to the government, which can raid brothels, then refers victims' names and addresses to the NGOs for shelter and assistance. NGOs uncover information, such as the traffickers' names and addresses, from the victims and then pass that information back to the government to assist police work. The process makes for a regular exchange of information at a tactical level. A similar law enforcement Task Force exists in Edo State, Nigeria.

Shining A Light on Patrons. In addition to closing brothels that employ trafficking victims, South Korean police have threatened to publish the names of brothel owners and patrons. Many of the owners are prominent citizens and this strategy has proven to be a real deterrent.

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