(Kyodo) - The United States praised Cambodia on Tuesday for efforts to improve anti-human trafficking and upgraded the country from its Tier 3 to Tier 2 Watch List, according to a statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh.
The statement said U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced the upgrade in her address on the State Department's 2006 Trafficking in Persons Report.
A Tier 2 designation is used to indicate governments that do not fully comply with the minimum standards laid out in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.
Tuesday's statement said the U.S. Embassy "commends the Cambodian authorities" on progress they have made in combating trafficking in persons over the past year, including intensified efforts to prosecute and convict traffickers, progress on a new Anti-Trafficking Law that meets international standards, continuing cooperation with the United States on PROTECT Act cases of U.S. citizens who commit sex crimes against minors in Cambodia, and implementation of a nationwide anti-trafficking plan by the Ministry of Interior.
Embassy charge Mark C. Storella said, "Today's announcement by Secretary Rice reflects my government's recognition of the improved efforts by Cambodian officials in the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Women's Affairs and the Ministry of Justice, who are working in concert with courageous Cambodian and international NGO partners."
"The record over the past year demonstrates the high-level commitment by the (government) and the prime minister to improve the government's performance in fighting trafficking in persons," he said.
Khieu Sopheak, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, told Kyodo News that Cambodia welcomed the report as "a reflection of a reality."
"It is good news. We welcome such fair and positive assessment based on the fact that we are committed to fighting against human trafficking in persons," he said.
While praising Cambodia for the efforts made, the U.S. government also noted Cambodia still has much work to do.
"In terms of recommended areas for improvement, the State Department report notes that the Cambodian government should make greater efforts to prosecute and convict public officials who profit from or are involved in trafficking and should also pass and enact comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation," the statement said.
The U.S. government added that as a result of the new ranking, all non-humanitarian and non-trade sanctions levied on Cambodia as a Tier 3 country will be lifted.
The U.S. placed Cambodia on Tier 3 last year.
Last month, governments of six Greater Mekong Sub-region countries met in Cambodia and promised to bolster cooperation in the fight against human trafficking in the region.
The six said that while significant achievements from the past year were highlighted, the governments in the region also acknowledged the challenges that they encountered and that human trafficking continues to prevail.
Neither the U.S. report and nor the governments of the six Greater Mekong Sub-region countries made any figure available on human trafficking, but unofficial estimates are that the number may reach the thousands, possibly the millions, per year.
The statement said U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced the upgrade in her address on the State Department's 2006 Trafficking in Persons Report.
A Tier 2 designation is used to indicate governments that do not fully comply with the minimum standards laid out in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.
Tuesday's statement said the U.S. Embassy "commends the Cambodian authorities" on progress they have made in combating trafficking in persons over the past year, including intensified efforts to prosecute and convict traffickers, progress on a new Anti-Trafficking Law that meets international standards, continuing cooperation with the United States on PROTECT Act cases of U.S. citizens who commit sex crimes against minors in Cambodia, and implementation of a nationwide anti-trafficking plan by the Ministry of Interior.
Embassy charge Mark C. Storella said, "Today's announcement by Secretary Rice reflects my government's recognition of the improved efforts by Cambodian officials in the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Women's Affairs and the Ministry of Justice, who are working in concert with courageous Cambodian and international NGO partners."
"The record over the past year demonstrates the high-level commitment by the (government) and the prime minister to improve the government's performance in fighting trafficking in persons," he said.
Khieu Sopheak, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, told Kyodo News that Cambodia welcomed the report as "a reflection of a reality."
"It is good news. We welcome such fair and positive assessment based on the fact that we are committed to fighting against human trafficking in persons," he said.
While praising Cambodia for the efforts made, the U.S. government also noted Cambodia still has much work to do.
"In terms of recommended areas for improvement, the State Department report notes that the Cambodian government should make greater efforts to prosecute and convict public officials who profit from or are involved in trafficking and should also pass and enact comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation," the statement said.
The U.S. government added that as a result of the new ranking, all non-humanitarian and non-trade sanctions levied on Cambodia as a Tier 3 country will be lifted.
The U.S. placed Cambodia on Tier 3 last year.
Last month, governments of six Greater Mekong Sub-region countries met in Cambodia and promised to bolster cooperation in the fight against human trafficking in the region.
The six said that while significant achievements from the past year were highlighted, the governments in the region also acknowledged the challenges that they encountered and that human trafficking continues to prevail.
Neither the U.S. report and nor the governments of the six Greater Mekong Sub-region countries made any figure available on human trafficking, but unofficial estimates are that the number may reach the thousands, possibly the millions, per year.
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