DeLauro Statement On State Department's Human Trafficking Report

Statement

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) released the following statement today on the State Department's Trafficking In Persons Report. Earlier this month, DeLauro led a bipartisan group of 160 Members of Congress in calling on U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to not upgrade Malaysia in the report. Unfortunately that is exactly what the Department did today.

"Human trafficking is nothing less than the modern-day slave trade and one of the worst crimes there is. Human trafficking is rife in Malaysia, with the Global Slavery Index showing that 140,000 people are enslaved there. Malaysia was downgraded to Tier 3 in last year's report because of these serious problems and because of what the State Department called its "limited efforts to improve its flawed victim protection regime.'

"Human trafficking advocates like United to End Genocide say that Malaysia has made little or no improvement and, if anything, has gotten worse. Malaysia is being upgraded, at least in part, to ease passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. I am outraged that the State Department is rewarding nations that fail to improve their human rights record."

Source