The offical mouthpiece of the State Department: on human trafficking.

I read something today in a blog concerning State Magazine, the US State Department issued magazine, which is always blamed for being the "State Department's official mouthpiece". Maybe.

Yet, this same magazine does present stories that are eye-openers. Witness this month's expose on human trafficking, and what the US government has been able to accomplish through the State Department's small office (comprised of 23 Civil Service personnel, 3 Presidential management Fellows, 4 contractors and 1 Foreign Service Officer):

In part because of the [Trafficking in Persons] report,
• Cambodia shut down a red-light district where 10-year-olds were openly sold and prostituted and “cheap girls” were advertised onthe Internet.
• Japan slashed the number of entertainment visas issued to certified Filipina dancers, singers or other entertainers because traffickers were forcing many of these women into prostitution.
• The United Arab Emirates eliminated the exploitation of South Asian boys as camel-racing jockeys and paid for the repatriation of more than 1,000 boys to their home countries.

Go read the whole article here, even if it is a State Department "official mouthpiece".

Tags: state department slaves human trafficking