Trafficking in the Pacific

Crackdown on Human Trafficking in the Pacific

January 2016 marked the beginning of National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, a proclamation signed by President Barack Obama in December 2015. The Governor of Guam and the Governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) also proclaimed the month of January as “National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month,” calling for the protection of human rights and encouraging the community to be vigilant and compassionate to victims and their families.

The Guam Human Trafficking Task Force (HTTF) and the NMI Human Trafficking Intervention Coalition (HTIC) organized and held events during National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, including a proclamation signing in Guam and Saipan, NMI, a community wave by Skinner Plaza in Hagatna, the capital of Guam, and a human trafficking awareness workshop for employees at the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services. Outreaches were also held at high schools in Saipan, NMI.

U.S. Attorney Alicia Limtiaco and members of the Guam HTTF and the NMI HTIC attended the 13th Hawaii International Summit: Preventing Assessing & Treating Trauma Across the Lifespan in March 2016, where U.S. Attorney Limtiaco was a speaker and facilitator at the Human Trafficking Track Pre-Summit 2016 Pacific Train the Trainer Course. The goal of the course was to support the creation of a network of professionals in the Pacific region working to build peace within our communities.

In April 2016, U.S. Attorney Limtiaco was invited to American Samoa to participate in a series of meetings with the American Samoa Human Trafficking Task Force, Samoa Victim Support Group (SVSG), American Samoa Pacific Women Indigenous Network (PacWIN), American Samoa Attorney General’s Office, American Samoa Department of Homeland Security, American Samoa Department of Health and Human Services, American Samoa Domestic Violence Shelter, and American Samoa Legal Services. She also conducted trainings with the American Samoa Attorney General’s Office, the American Samoa Legal Services, and the principals of the American Samoa School System.

U.S. Attorney Limtiaco was a keynote speaker at the 2016 kNOw MORE Conference, Celebrating Diversity in Micronesia: Empowering and Developing Communities Together, held at the Westin Hotel in Tumon, Guam in May 2016. Her topic was “Preventing Human Trafficking in the Pacific Region,” and she shared information on the Pacific Regional Response to Combat Human Trafficking initiative, a collaborative effort among federal and local partners, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Districts of Guam and the NMI, the U.S. Department of State, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs, the U.S. Department of Labor, the Guam HTTF, the NMI HTIC, and other community partners.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office continues to work collaboratively on the Pacific Regional Response to Combat Human Trafficking initiative, employing a multidisciplinary model that includes participation, coordination, and collaboration among law enforcement, prosecution, victim service providers, social services, medical, mental and public health professionals, faith-based organizations, and educational institutions.