Philip J. Crowley - Anti-Trafficking Efforts in Haiti

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Anti-Trafficking Efforts in Haiti

<!-- END TITLE -->Philip J. Crowley
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Public Affairs
Washington, DC

January 28, 2010




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The Department of State is actively involved in addressing the potential for trafficking in persons, particularly children, in post-earthquake Haiti.

The disaster in Haiti has displaced many people and separated numerous children from their families, posing great risk and higher vulnerability to human trafficking. The Department has acted swiftly to mobilize coordinated efforts both on the ground in Haiti and here in Washington to prevent and combat trafficking in persons as part of the USG?s emergency response and long-term planning for recovery.

The Department?s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons has been engaged on this issue prior to the earthquake and in its aftermath. While UNICEF has taken the lead role in overall child protection and safety in Haiti since the earthquake, we are working to supplement their efforts in combating child trafficking.

Currently, the Department and its partners are intensifying efforts on five different fronts, including: support for protection of vulnerable children (led by UNICEF with the government of Haiti, the Red Cross, and other international and non-governmental organizations), such as registration of unaccompanied and separated children, tracing, and family reunification; helping remobilize the Haitian Police?s Child Protection Brigades; preventing the trafficking of displaced Haitians; educating Haitians about the risks of giving away children in times of crisis; and, rebuilding the capacity of Haitian NGOs already working to protect child domestic servants, known in Haiti as restaveks.

This is just the first wave of coordinated efforts in the aftermath of the earthquake which builds on existing efforts and expertise on the ground. We are coordinating further action to be announced in the coming days.

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/01/136174.htm

 

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Re: Philip J. Crowley - Anti-Trafficking Efforts in Haiti

Philip J. Crowley
Assistant Secretary
Daily Press Briefing
Washington, DC
January 28, 2010


Excerpts:

"And one of the things that we?re focused on right now is, as we continue to work with the Haitian Government, with the UN in terms of the movement of children out of harm?s way, we are also concerned about the potential for trafficking in persons, particularly children, in the aftermath of the earthquake. Clearly, a number of people, including many, many children, have been displaced, separated from their families. They ? this poses great risk and, particularly for children, a higher vulnerability to human trafficking. So we are working very closely with UNICEF, with the Haitian Government, to try to ? and to alert nongovernmental organizations that are working in Haiti to be on the look for those who might want to try to take advantage of the situation.


QUESTION: Do you have any evidence that that?s taking place?

MR. CROWLEY: Yes.

QUESTION: Could you give us any examples?

I don?t know that I have a lot of particulars, Kirit, on that. But this is something that ? the Haitian police have had child protection brigades in place for some time. Obviously, we?re working with them, but also to try to supplement the capability on the ground. Haiti has a tradition of placing children from rural families with wealthier host families, but it also presents the challenge of bringing children into involuntary domestic servitude, something that the Haitians refer to as restaveks.

But we have seen some indications that ? in people who have come down to help, we have concerns about traffickers, we have concerns about pedophiles. We?ve seen a couple of cases of those in recent days. So this is just something that we?re working collectively with those organizations that are actively trying to help children and the people on the ground to be alert for this kind of danger.

QUESTION: Do you have any numbers of people who have been caught? Can you give us a sense of --

MR. CROWLEY: I?ve given you what I?ve got.

QUESTION: Do you believe ? just one other one on this. You may not know, but do you believe any Haitian children have been trafficked to the United States?

MR. CROWLEY: Not to my knowledge.

QUESTION: Anywhere else? Is there any --

MR. CROWLEY: And again, this is something that we?re just affirmatively putting people in place because we recognize in the dynamic that?s going on now, there is always this risk.

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2010/01/136171.htm