The US government has launched a $10 million, five-year partnership to help stop human trafficking in the Marshall Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Tonga.
The move, which is linked to the July 30 World Day Against Trafficking, is being implemented through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with The Asia Foundation (TAF).
The project, known as the Pacific Regional Initiative and Support for More Effective Counter Trafficking in Persons (Pacific RISE CTIP), aims to engage government, civil society and the private sector.
On July 19, the US State Department released the 2022 annual trafficking in persons report, in which the Marshall Islands improved its ranking this year from Tier 2 Watch List to Tier 2. This means that while RMI does not fully meet the minimum standards in the elimination of tracking, there are significant efforts being made to bring the nation into compliance with the standards.
US Ambassador to the RMI, Roxanne Cabral said in a release: “The US government commends our partners in the Republic of the Marshall Islands for their hard work to combat trafficking in persons in the country as seen in the country’s upgrade in the 2022 TIP report. The Unites States will continue to partner with and support the RMI in its commitment to protect vulnerable people against this modern form of slavery.”
This was supported in the release by Sandra Kraushaar, TAF’s regional representative in RMI: “Strong and robust relationships are essential to making lasting impact in a way that meets national priorities and values community leadership.”
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