2006 Press Releases
Latvia is Placed on Tier 2 in the 2006 Trafficking in Persons Report Released by the U.S. State Department
The 2000 Trafficking Victims Protection Act requires the Secretary of State to release annual Trafficking in Persons reports to stimulate action and create partnerships around the world in the fight against modern-day slavery. The 2006 Trafficking in Persons Report was released on June 5 by the U.S. Secretary of State.
As in the previous years, Latvia is placed on Tier 2 in the 2006 Trafficking in Persons Report. While the report states that the government of Latvia is making significant efforts to comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, it acknowledges that Latvia does not yet fully comply with those minimum standards. While, according to the report, the government has continued to implement the provisions of Latvia’s National Program to Combat Trafficking in Persons, a lack of resources has constrained Latvia’s overall progress in addressing trafficking. Convicted traffickers continued to receive low sentences and the assistance provided to victims by institutions of the government of Latvia in the last year was inadequate. The report recommends that more judges and prosecutors should continue receiving training to become better aware of the severe nature of this crime.
Full text of the 2006 Trafficking in Persons Report is publicly available on-line at www.state.gov/g/tip. More information about anti-trafficking projects supported by the U.S. government in Latvia can be found in the home page of the U.S. Embassy in Riga at http://www.usembassy.lv.
U.S. Embassy, Riga, Public Affairs Section
Smilšu iela 7
Rīga, LV 1050
Phone: 371 750-9022
Internet: www.usembassy.lv
Media specialist’s e-mail: ruklisk@state.gov