Press Releases

U.S. Embassy Statement on the Release of the 2007 Trafficking in Persons Report

June 13, 2007

On Tuesday June 12, 2007, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice released the seventh annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report in the State Department’s Press Briefing Room in Washington, D.C.

The report covers 164 countries and is the most comprehensive worldwide report on the efforts of governments to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons, a modern-day form of slavery.  Its findings are intended to raise global awareness and spur countries to take effective actions to counter trafficking in persons.  The assessment includes reports on countries, including Mauritius, determined to have a significant number of victims of severe forms of human trafficking.  The United States estimates that each year, approximately 800,000 people are trafficked across national borders, which does not include millions trafficked within their own countries.

In the 2007 report, Mauritius is rated as Tier 2, which is defined as countries not fully complying with minimum standards of the 2000 Trafficking Victims Protection Act, but making significant efforts to meet these standards.  The scope of TIP in Mauritius is limited to the commercial sexual exploitation of children within the country.  According to the report, the government recognizes the presence of child prostitution in Mauritius and is actively working to curb the problem.  The government’s efforts include law enforcement training, social services, community outreach, and support for NGOs providing assistance to victims.

The Government of the United States encourages Mauritius to continue its anti-trafficking efforts.  The U.S. urges the Government of Mauritius to complete the prosecution of suspected traffickers apprehended in 2006, expand anti-trafficking training to law enforcement officials force-wide, and pass comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation.  The Government of the United States looks forward to working with the Government of Mauritius to support its ongoing anti-trafficking efforts.

The full text of the TIP Report is available on the State Department's website, www.state.gov/g/tip.  The Mauritius country report is also available from the “Country Reports” feature box on the homepage of the Embassy website, http://mauritius.usembassy.gov.