The U.S. State Department is seeking input for inclusion in its global Trafficking in Person (TIP) Report from organizations within the United States and from around the world. Historically, U.S. approaches to the issue have implicitly or explicitly endorsed human rights abuses against sex worker communities in the name of combating human trafficking. When members of BPPP and the Desiree Alliance met with staff at the TIP office last year, they welcomed our input into the forthcoming report. BPPP will send in a short submission and we shall see if any of our perspectives are included. We encourage other groups to do the same, if possible. State Department officials will accept additional documentation until March 6, 2013 and reporting occurs annually . Organizations can report on what is happening in the U.S. as well as what is happening abroad.
From the summary:
The Department of State (“the Department”) requests written information to assist in reporting on the degree to which the United States and foreign governments comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking in persons (“minimum standards”) that are prescribed by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, (Div. A, Pub. L. 106-386) as amended (“TVPA”). This information will assist in the preparation of the Trafficking in Persons Report (“TIP Report”) that the Department submits annually to appropriate committees in the U.S. Congress on countries’ level of compliance with the minimum standards. Foreign governments that do not comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so may be subject to restrictions on nonhumanitarian, nontrade-related foreign assistance from the United States, as defined by the TVPA.
Although we have heard from other groups that they have submitted information in the past that was not included, we are encouraging groups to send in their documentation. Should key issues submitted by organizations working for the health and rights of sex workers and people in the sex trade not emerge in this year’s TIP report we will follow up with inquiries about the reasons for exclusion.
Information can be submitted via email to tipreport@state.gov for submissions related to foreign governments and tipreportUS@state.gov for submissions related to the United States.
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