Remarks as prepared for delivery
Good morning and thank you for an especially warm
welcome. It is a pleasure to be in
Latvia and a special privilege to join you today in the beautiful city of
Riga. I’d like to thank the Latvian
government for their hospitality – and particularly Minister of Justice
[Dzintars] Rasnačs for accompanying us on our visit this afternoon. I’d also like to thank all of the impressive
staff here at Safe House and recognize their outstanding commitment to public
service. It is an honor to see this
remarkable facility, to witness the all-too-necessary work being done here and
to take inspiration from the hardworking men and women who are committed, each
and every day, to improving the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in
the world. The individuals here are
standing up for those who cannot stand up for themselves; helping to reduce the
toll that human trafficking inflicts on citizens both in Latvia and abroad; and
restoring the promise of a bright future that everyone deserves.
The governments of both the United States and Latvia share a
deep commitment to this work. Promoting
international anti-trafficking efforts is one of my top priorities as Attorney
General and the United States Department of Justice is pursuing a comprehensive
approach to the issue. We are
collaborating with the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of
Labor to create anti-trafficking coordination teams, which have significantly
increased the number and quality of human trafficking investigations and
prosecutions in the cities where we’ve deployed them. The FBI also oversees dozens of federal,
state and local task forces and working groups that have led to hundreds of
arrests and thousands of rescued trafficking survivors. And alongside aggressive criminal enforcement,
we recognize that we must foster an environment in which victims are willing to
speak without fear of reprisal, stigma, or punishment.
We do that in part by educating the community about the
problem and by supporting the organizations and people trying to make a
difference. I have personally seen how
government and civil relief organizations can work together to stem the scourge
of human trafficking. The Safe House
where we gather today and Latvia’s interagency anti-trafficking working group
are some of the shining examples of that approach. It is heartening to see the significant
assistance that Latvia provides to trafficking victims through state-funded
rehabilitation programs and I am especially pleased that the Latvian government
has nearly doubled the funding for such programs in just the last two
years. Dedicated efforts by the
government and civil society organizations are helping victims, both male and
female, to recover and break free from the trauma of sexual abuse, labor
exploitation, coerced marriages and emotional and physical violence that could
have permanently diverted their paths in life.
Through innovative programs like the Safe House, victims are reclaiming
their futures and forging promising paths forward.
Latvia’s efforts to support trafficking victims are vitally
important and they are significantly strengthened as a result of the tireless
work of someone I would like to personally recognize – and to thank –
today. As many of you know, Gita
Miruskina is a lawyer here at the Safe House with a record that speaks volumes
about her unwavering dedication, her uncommon depths of compassion and sympathy
and her well-known talents for constructively assisting those who need her help
the most. Over the past six years, Gita
has helped more than 150 trafficking victims and represented them in nearly 30
cases. She has worked persistently to
hone and expand her victim-centered approach, to lobby for heightened
protection for trafficking victims and stronger penalties for traffickers and
to raise awareness among government officials and the public about emerging
trafficking threats in Latvia and around the world.
That’s why the United States Department of State has chosen
Gita to be formally named as one of its anti-trafficking heroes – an extraordinary
and well-deserved honor that Secretary of State [John] Kerry will personally
bestow in Washington, DC, later this summer.
Gita is the first Latvian to be named an anti-trafficking hero and I
know I speak for President Obama and our entire administration when I tell you
how proud we are of you and how inspired we are by all that you have
accomplished.
The United States is proud not only to recognize Gita’s
achievements, but also to support the broader Latvian efforts to combat human
trafficking that she exemplifies. We
extend that support in a variety of ways, including trainings for law
enforcement officials investigating trafficking and grants for public-awareness
campaigns – like the educational trailer you see here in the courtyard. And we are ready and willing to do more. Prevention and rehabilitation efforts are
essential, but exercising the rule of law through prosecutions and convictions
is a necessary complement. Achieving the
full measure of justice for trafficking victims means rigorously investigating
and diligently prosecuting those who have inflicted their trauma. The United States is prepared to assist any
country, including Latvia, in reviewing its legal procedures for trafficking
cases, in expediting prosecutions and in securing convictions fairly, properly
and efficiently.
I know that the work ahead will not be easy. But when we stand together, work together and
strive together – as people of principle, as leaders of conviction and as
nations of high ideals – no challenge or setback can deter our efforts in
service of this worthy cause. I thank
you all, once again, for your leadership, your collaboration and your
friendship. And I look forward to all
that the United States and the Republic of Latvia will continue to achieve
together in the months and years to come.
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