Country: United States

Organization: Retired from the U.S. Department of State since 2002

Innovation: The United States recognized that trafficking is a very serious problem when it enacted the Trafficking Victims Protection Act in 2000. Now traffickers can be arrested and prosecuted for human trafficking per se. Also, the U.S. is assisting many countries to prevent trafficking, protect its victims, and prosecute the traffickers. The State Department publishes an annual Trafficking In Persons report which rates countries on their efforts to combat trafficking. The U.S. works with both other governments and international NGOs that are close to the scene and know how to fight it. What is needed is better information collection and better information sharing. A global website dedicated to this end is essential and doable.

Impact: A partial website exists at www.humantrafficking.org, but further work is needed to enlarge it to one that covers the global problem more completely. This website's database will assist all who are involved in combating trafficking by providing key information and governmental and private sector contacts of those most closely involved around the world. The exchange of information will improve official policy implementation and support the work of NGOs as well in their educational campaigns, advocacy of stronger legislation, and program implementation. Combined with other resources, the global website will improve existing efforts to prevent, protect and prosecute. Tougher laws, honest police and judges, and dedicated NGOs are also vital.

Tipping Point: Tbe partnership and funding that I forged between the U.S. Department of State and the Academy for Educational Development (AED) in 2001 is about to run out, with only the East Asia region completed. Further governmemental or private funding is needed to continue to develop the global project. More important than the funding, which is a relatively small amount, is the collection of information about trafficking from the governmental officials and NGOs operating in each country. The information on the U.S. and the East Asian countries is fairly complete, but the other geographical regions have not been touched so far. This website will help those fighting trafficking worldwide to do a better job by supplying current information as needed.

Replication: The website's format by geographical regions (see www.humantrafficking.org) lends itself to replication for other regions until it becomes a global resource of important information to prevent trafficking, protect the victims, and prosecute the traffickers. Using the East Asia region as a model will allow the other regions to be completed easier, cheaper, and faster. This website was constructed as a response to the major recommendation of the the Asian Regional Initiative Against Trafficking in Women and Children (ARIAT), for which I led the organizing team and participated as a U.S. delegate. This precedent- setting meeting included more than 20 countries and international organizations and was held in Manila, the Philippines, in 2000.

Sustainability: The Academy for Educational Development's (AED) regional antitrafficking website project is funded through 2006 by the U.S. government. Other governments, especially in destination countries, would be willing to continue the funding once the usefulness of such a global website is realized. Sharing best practices alone in such a convenient form makes it an invaluable asset for governmental officials and NGOs doing research on any aspect of trafficking in persons. The more it is used, the more it will receive financial support from thoughtful donors.

Position in the Human Trafficking Mosaic of Solutions:

Factor: Corruption and Inadequate Government Policy

Principle: Ensuring Law for All