Trafficking in Persons Report

Public Release of the 2005 "Trafficking in Persons Report"

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will release the fifth annual Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report on Friday, June 3, at 11:45 a.m. in the State Department’s Press Briefing Room (Room 2209). Following Secretary Rice’s opening remarks, Ambassador John R. Miller, the Secretary’s Senior Advisor on Trafficking in Persons, will brief the press on the report and respond to questions.

The 150-country report is the most comprehensive worldwide report on the efforts of governments to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons, or modern-day slavery. Its findings will raise global awareness and spur countries to take effective actions to counter trafficking in persons. The assessment includes reports on countries determined to have a significant number of victims of severe forms of human trafficking.

This year, there will be an added focus on forced labor trafficking including involuntary servitude and debt bondage. This type of slavery, involving millions of people every year, happens most frequently in an individual’s own country and is often based on culture, heritage or economic well-being.

This on-the-record, on-camera briefing is open for press coverage. Members of the press who do not have a State Department building pass should arrive at the 23rd Street entrance by 11:30 a.m. for clearance through security and access to the briefing room.

Media representatives may attend this briefing upon presentation of one of the following: (1) a U.S. Government-issued identification card (Department of State, White House, Congress, Department of Defense, or Foreign Press Center), (2) a media-issued photo identification card, or (3) a letter from their employer on letterhead verifying their employment as a journalist, accompanied by an official photo identification (driver’s license or passport).
Advance Copies of the Embargoed Report

Embargoed copies of the report will be available on Friday, June 3 at 9:00 a.m. in the State Department Press Office (Room 2109). The report will be distributed in hard copy and CD-ROM format on a first-come, first-served basis – one copy per media organization. Copies will not be reserved, mailed, faxed or delivered to a building entrance. The entire report is EMBARGOED until the end of the press briefing at approximately 12:30 a.m. on June 3.
Electronic Access to the Report via Internet

The full text of the report will be available for downloading from the State Department website at state.gov at the conclusion of the press briefing.

Reporters who wish to schedule an interview with Ambassador Miller after the report is released may contact Public Affairs Specialist Caroline Tetschner at (202) 312-9648.

2005/577 Released on June 1, 2005 Notice to the Press Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC June 1, 2005