Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking at the University of Nebraska

 

Date of this Version

2006

Comments

Published by the U.S. Government Printing Office, June 2006.

Abstract

And it is a pleasure for us to join with the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations to hear testimony on the Department of Defense efforts to implement a zero tolerance policy for human trafficking. Let me just very briefly, I hope, say that as a way of background, in December 2002, President Bush issued a national security Presidential directive which established a zero tolerance policy for United States government employees and contractor personnel representing the United States overseas who engage in trafficking of human persons. Subsequently, the Department of Defense (DOD) issued policy directives that make it clear that human trafficking will not be facilitated in any way by members of the military, by DOD civilian employees or by DOD contract personnel. Further, the directives clearly state DOD’s opposition to prostitution and outline specific objectives of DOD efforts to combat trafficking. And I strongly commend the Department of Defense for seizing the momentum set by the President, and I am encouraged by the aggressive approach the department has taken to combat trafficking.

At the same time, I believe there is more work, and frankly probably much more work, to be done and this has been communicated to the department by report language included in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007. And during this hearing today, I hope we can focus on, first, the implementation by the Department of Defense and the individual military services of the guidance that was given by then-Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz and Secretary Rumsfeld regarding trafficking in persons; second, the investigation and prosecution of crimes of human trafficking by the military services; third, the DOD response to human trafficking violations by contractors and subcontractors in Iraq; and, last, the coordination between the DOD and the State Department to ensure that we are doing everything we can to combat human trafficking.

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