Press Releases
Ambassador Tefft's statement on the Global Trafficking in Persons Report 2008
June 4, 2008
Today the United States Government released the 2008 Global Trafficking in Persons Report. This year Georgia has again achieved Tier 1 status, due to sustained, significant effort that the Government of Georgia has made in the global fight against Trafficking in Persons (TIP). In the past year, the Government of Georgia recorded numerous accomplishments in combating trafficking, with noteworthy successes achieved through the following mechanisms:
- Enforcing the comprehensive law against trafficking that was enacted in 2006. This law prescribes penalties up to 20 years imprisonment for convicted traffickers.
- Enacting a new law that punishes those who exploit the services of a trafficking victim.
- Further strengthening protection and assistance to victims of trafficking crimes, using the national victim referral program, and establishing a second trafficking victims’ shelter to serve the Capital and eastern Georgia.
- Continuing implementation of the National Action Plan for 2007-2008 to increase public awareness about trafficking and promote its prevention.
- Training numerous Georgian soldiers and military personnel on TIP, prior to their deployments overseas, in order to serve in multi-national peacekeeping efforts.
We congratulate the Government of Georgia, Parliament, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on this designation, which acknowledges the positive steps the Government has taken to eradicate this scourge which preys on men, women and children from Georgia and other nations.
In order to build on the momentum generated by these recent acts, we encourage the Government of Georgia to continue efforts to prosecute traffickers by furthering opportunities for law enforcement cooperation with regional governments, enhance procedures to identify, protect, and assist victims through the national referral system, and continue public outreach program on the dangers of TIP to the regions.
As always, the United States is eager to cooperate with the Government and NGOs on these points, and we look forward to our continued partnership in the fight against Trafficking in Persons.
Ambassador John F. Tefft
United States Embassy Tbilisi, Georgia