Remarks

Remarks at the launch of the Zero Tolerance Campaign For Gender Based Violence, Including Human Trafficking
Matt Harrington, Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy Windhoek
Oshikango Border Post
July 31, 2009

Good morning and thank you for inviting me to speak at this very important and auspicious occasion.  United States President Barck Obama has said, “Sadly, there are thousands who are trapped in various forms of enslavement here in our country.”   Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently released the Ninth Annual Trafficking in Person Report, and said:  “This is modern slavery, a crime that spans the globe, providing ruthless employers with an endless supply of people to abuse for financial gain.  Human trafficking is a crime with many victims:  not only those who are trafficked, but also the families they leave behind, some of whom never see their loved ones again.”

Therefore, it is fitting and it critically important that we come together today to launch the Zero Tolerance Campaign For Gender Based Violence, Including Human Trafficking.   The United States is proud to partner with Namibia in this endeavor, for we must work together to end the scourges of trafficking in persons and violence against women.

I applaud the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, and the law enforcement agencies of Namibia who have come together to work toward stamping out human trafficking and gender based violenece.

Over the past decade, the United States has worked to raise awareness of this global trade in human beings.  But this is not a new issue.  Almost 150 years ago, the United States prohibited slavery and involuntary servitude, and decreed that people were entitled to freedom as a civil right.  In 2000, the United States updated its laws to cover more comprehensively the concept of involuntary servitude – when a person is maintained in service through force or coercion.  Like U.S. law, the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, advances the notion that for an effective anti-trafficking strategy, victim protection is as important as prosecution.  

The United States and Namibia have been already started working together to end the evils.  In July and August, 2008, the U.S. Embassy brought a U.S. expert on human trafficking to consult with the Ministry and a number of NGOs.  This expert returned in early 2009, through USAID funding, to lead a team of local researchers in producing a Baseline Assessment of Human Trafficking in Namibia on behalf of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare.

This report is instructive in that it lays out important recommendations that the government may take going forward to combat human trafficking.   The experts recommended a coordinated transnational and regional approach with Namibia’s neighbors since trafficking often involves crossing borders and immigration patterns.  But there is also an internal element as trafficking and gender violence are also taking place in Namibia right now.

It is the stories of victimization that make it imperative that we act decisively.  The report identified a small number of cases of human trafficking, though a larger number of suspected or possible cases existed.  These included both labor exploitation and sexual exploitation, such as: a Zambian national trafficking Zambian boys into Namibia for farm work exploitation; in Walvis Bay, a mother trafficking her teenage daughter from Caprivi for sexual exploitation through forced prostitution.  This latter case was turned over to the local authorities for action and response.

Additional cases of suspected or possible trafficking were also found.  For example, when trucks are stopped at border posts and individuals are found hidden in the trucks.  No reliable information was available on the ultimate purpose for which the individuals were being moved but these are potential trafficking cases.

The report urges the government to:  conduct prevention campaigns; improve the legal framework making human trafficking a crime; protect the victims; provide training for all stakeholders – government, NGOs, police, social workers, prosecutors, immigration officials, and the judiciary to name a few; and to conduct research to see how effective these recommendations and policies have been. 

I am very pleased to point out that the government has already started its first prevention campaign with today’s launch, only a few short months after the report was finished.  

In conclusion, I want to applaud the government of Namibia for this launch and I look forward to seeing it follow this bold move with the other recommendations in the Baseline Report.   If it continues along this path, surely we will see a decrease in human trafficking and gender violence in Namibia.

The United States stands ready to continue its partnership with the Namibian government, civil society, international organizations, and the private sector to leverage available resources and collective expertise to strengthen our response to those suffering in bondage.  Their cries for help can no longer go unheeded.  They demand immediate and effective action.  Thank you.