Public Remarks

Remarks to the Second National Assembly of Anti-trafficking NGOs

William J. Burns, U.S. Ambassador to Russia

Moscow, March 16, 2006

Thank you for the warm welcome.

I am delighted to have the opportunity to address such an impressive group of leaders in the anti-trafficking movement. The work you and your organizations do makes a difference in the lives of countless men, women and children. I urge you to take advantage of this conference to share experiences, and to learn how your colleagues have solved problems they have encountered.

You all have a better understanding of what the problems are than I – but trafficking is something that affects us all. Trafficking is a threat to global health and security, undermining the very fabric of our society. This problem affects most countries in the world, including my own; it is estimated 45 to 50 thousand people are trafficked annually to the United States.

NGOs are the vanguard in the war against trafficking. You provide critical services that police and prosecutors cannot, such as shelter, psychological assistance, and help in preparing a victim to cooperate with the police. NGOs can be a vital source of information for the police regarding potential human trafficking cases. International experience shows that, where NGOs work in tandem with the police, trafficking investigations are more successful and victims more likely to get the assistance they need.

A greater awareness of the dangers posed by trafficking and resolve to do something about it have been growing. For example, in 2002, no laws in Russia prohibited trafficking and few people even knew what human trafficking meant. Four years later, criminal statutes forbid both human trafficking and forced labor; last year alone, a witness protection program sheltered over 500 witnesses; today the Ministry of Interior investigates and prosecutes trafficking cases – including in cooperation with many other countries.

The Ministry of Interior is to be applauded for its anti-trafficking training courses and its efforts to develop a cadre of officers to investigate and prosecute trafficking cases. The government of Russia continues to show strong political will to address this problem: most recently President Putin promised that Russia will leave no stone unturned to eradicate trafficking and called upon the Procuracy to "thoroughly deal" with this problem.

This is impressive progress in a short period of time – but more needs to be done. No one country has all the answers, and all of us – not just Russia and the United States – but every country in the world has a stake in pooling knowledge, experiences, and resources.

Particularly in the field of victim protection and assistance, there is room for improvement. Russia lacks comprehensive trafficking referral mechanisms and victim assistance programs. There are few shelters for trafficking victims, nor are there mechanisms to assist victims with the host of medical, social and economic problems victims face after they are rescued and work to re-enter society.

While Russia has undertaken trafficking public awareness programs, typically in coordination with NGOs on a local level, these programs must be expanded to reach potential victims all over Russia. Russia needs a central authority to oversee the many different agency, governmental and private anti-trafficking initiatives taking place within the country. The comprehensive anti-trafficking in persons legislation that is being drafted by the Duma Legislative Working Group on Human Trafficking is a very important step.

The U.S. has experience in dealing with human trafficking and we welcome the opportunity to share the knowledge we have gained through trial and error. What has worked for us may not work for you, but we know joint cooperation is the only way to combat this horrible crime – a crime that knows no borders.

I wish you good luck and a successful conference. Thank you.