Speeches

CONFERENCE ON CHILD TRAFFICKING AND EXPLOITATIVE CHILD LABOR

 

KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY

AMBASSADOR THOMAS N. HULL

BINTUMANI HOTEL, FREETOWN,

SIERRA LEONE

MAY 24, 2007

 

Honorable Ministers,  Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen:

Four years ago we would not have been having this conference.  The number of people concerned about the issue of Trafficking in Persons, or TIP, at that time would have been very few.  I make note of this to remind ourselves of the progress that we have made on TIP in just a few years.   At the same time, as with many issues in Sierra Leone since the conflict, we must temper our satisfaction with the realization of the lost opportunities and of the challenges that lie ahead.

When the American Embassy issued its 2003 Trafficking in Persons Report in June 2004, a few months ahead of my arrival here, it highlighted the neglect of this problem in this country.   Although we had established our Integrated Diamond Management Project to address the exploitation of diamond producing communities, which was a cause of the war, even the American Embassy had not focused specifically on children in that environment.  When the U.S. State Department placed Sierra Leone in what we call Tier 3, the worst category of TIP, American aid to Sierra Leone faced suspension in accordance with our Anti-Trafficking law.   This mobilized both the American Embassy and the Government of Sierra Leone to begin to address the trafficking situation is this country.

Within a few months of my arrival, we succeeded in raising Sierra Leone out of Tier 3 to the Tier 2 watch list, and subsequently Sierra Leone has risen to the straight Tier 2 level, which is as high as most sub-Saharan African countries have reached.  Nevertheless, we must strive to do better.

Over the past two years, the U.S. Government has funded some anti-trafficking efforts in Sierra Leone.  In criticizing the situation in Sierra Leone, we have also recognized our responsibility to help improve it by increasing public awareness and understanding of the problem, by strengthening capacity to address the problem especially in the criminal justice system, by building mechanisms to prevent trafficking and child labor, by encouraging families and communities to deal with the problems, and by engaging policy makers and civil society.

The State Department gave a grant last year from its Global Trafficking-in-Persons Fund to UNICEF specifically for a Child Protection Program in Sierra Leone.  The Embassy used some of its human rights funds to finance a local theatre troupe to promote TIP awareness throughout the country. The U.S. Department of Labor funded the International Rescue Committee, or IRC, in 2005 to work with civil society organizations and the Government of Sierra Leone to assess and monitor the exploitative child labor situation in Freetown, Kono, and Tongo Fields and to provide some relief and remedy through education and community mobilization.   Our Department of Labor is also funding Winrock International to work with local NGO’s to address child trafficking and exploitative child labor in Freetown and Bo, in Hastings and Segbwema, and in Bendugu and Skorogbema Chiefdoms among others.  Today’s conference by the Rehabilitation and Development Agency in Sierra Leone is another activity funded from the grant to Winrock International.

These contributions by the U.S. Government have been matched in other areas by the Government of Sierra Leone and by other international donors.  I want to applaud UNICEF, the IOM, and the FAITH Consortium for your good work on these issues, as well as the Sierra Leone Police for your improved performance through the Family Support Units, training of personnel, and law enforcement.   His Excellency the President of Sierra Leone and the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights provided critical support for the Trafficking-in-Persons legislation that passed in 2005.  Various Government ministries and entities, UNICEF and other international agencies, and NGO’s are to be congratulated as well for the National Action Plan on Trafficking-in-Persons.

I expect that the U.S. State Department will again recognize this progress when it issues the 2006 Report on Trafficking-in-Persons in Sierra Leone next month.  Despite these accomplishments, I am concerned about the future.  Sierra Leone cannot rest on its laurels.  TIP and exploitative child labor remain serious problems that obstruct your own efforts to overcome extreme poverty in addition to being human rights concerns.  Progress on TIP must be sustained, otherwise Sierra Leone risks sliding to a lower Tier next year.

The highest priority now should be the implementation of the National Action Plan.  It is also vitally important that all stakeholders in the National Action Plan participate actively in the National Task Force to ensure a well-coordinated, non-duplicative effort.

I also see a need to redouble efforts to improve public awareness and understanding of TIP and exploitative child labor.  There is confusion, I believe, between kidnapping and trafficking.  There is also confusion over traditional practices that have benefited many Sierra Leoneans, such as being the wards of relatives for educational purposes, but become exploitative trafficking when children are put to work instead of being educated.  Sierra Leoneans are the most credible exponents on these issues, and I would like to urge more of you, whether you work in Government or NGO’s, to speak out on these issues on the radio and in other media.

There needs to be more action as well on assistance to victims.  There is no Government shelter for TIP victims, although there is one sponsored by an international NGO.  In this respect, I want to call for stronger coordination within the Government, within the NGO community, and between the Government and the NGO’s.

We also need better recordkeeping and tracking of TIP activity and of law enforcement actions against TIP in order to understand better the dimensions of the problems and the progress being made.  From the American side, our evaluation of country performances in fighting TIP is increasingly based on measurable statistics.

I recognize that in an election year it is difficult to focus the country on trafficking and exploitative child labor, but unfortunately these problems do not respect politics.  I also understand the scarcity of resources available to Government to combat these problems with the current budget shortfalls and other pressing needs of the country.  Regardless of these limitations, however, the world will continue to expect progress because trafficking-in-persons and the plight of children are of universal concern.

Sierra Leone has done well, but Sierra Leone must continue to do better.  I am confident that I speak not only for the United States, but also for the wider community of concerned donors and other international stakeholders, when I say that we support your efforts and will continue to assist as long as Sierra Leoneans are committed to helping themselves to overcome the dual scourges of Trafficking-in-Persons and exploitative child labor.

Thank you.