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Brought to you by the Family Research Council
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 11, 2003 CONTACT: Kristin Hansen, (202) 393-2100 FOR RADIO: Bill Murray
FRC Commends State Department for New Report on Sex Trafficking
"We applaud the administration for responding to those who strongly objected to the past policies of the Clinton administration," said FRC's Connie Mackey.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the 2003 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report was released in a press conference conducted by Secretary of State Colin Powell, Under Secretary of State Paula Dobriansky, and the Director of the Trafficking in Persons office, John Mueller. Family Research Council's (FRC) Vice President for Government Affairs, Connie Mackey, attended the event and commended the State Department for its work on this important issue.
"We applaud the administration for the TIP Report, and for responding to the extraordinary efforts on the part of non-governmental agencies who strongly objected to the past policies of the Clinton administration," FRC's Mackey said. "Today's press conference and the TIP Report reflect months of hard work on the part of many to turn around official policy from one of legalized prostitution as an answer to the trafficking in persons problem throughout the world, to the compassionate policies of helping women and children out of their helpless situations.
"FRC advocates strong sanctions and punitive action against those offending nations that turn a blind eye to the misery forced upon the victims of sex trafficking, and we give kudos to the Bush administration for recognizing the failure of past policies, as well as for demonstrating a compassionate change," said Mackey.
At the State Department event, Secretary Powell said, "The Annual Trafficking in Persons Report is about modern day slavery and slave trading. It is appalling that in the twenty‑first century, hundreds of thousands of women, children and men made vulnerable by civil conflict, dire economic circumstances, natural disasters or just their own desire for a better life are trafficked and exploited for the purposes of sex or forced labor."
"Secretary Powell's comments remind us of the work that remains to be done against sex trafficking," said Mackey. "We will continue to work with the administration to ensure that our government's policies are both compassionate and effective in ending this horrible practice."
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