[inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] may i have your attention [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] we will now begin to resume. The subcommittee will not resume. Think you very much, again, that was an Inspiring Panel of leaders, including survivors. So the hearing has reconvened. I do want to thank our panel for the administration for not only the work that you are doing but for your patience. We did want to hear first from does amazing survivors and, normally, the administration goes first. We were kind and courteous to extend that to them as well, thank you. We have to distinguish witnesses, beginning with the honorable sydney dire, the ambassador at large to monitor trafficking, leaving the United StatesGlobal Engagement to combat trafficking and support anti trafficking efforts across the u. S. Government. Ambassador dire, from galatians on her confirmation, ambassador dire is a human rights advocate and lawyer with decades of experience working at the local, national and International Levels to respond to sexual trafficking and assault. She was the Vice President of human rights at vital voices global partnership. She worked with theresa glor, to whom i went to high school with. During the clinton administration. After that administration, i guess, time wise. You served on that for 12 years. Where she worked with local government on Civil Society leaders and more than 25 countries, after that did work in europe on issues related to Human Trafficking. Prior to that, she served as the director at the office of violence against women in the department of justice under president george w. Bush. Ambassador dyer began her career serving as a specialized domestic and Sexual Violence prosecutor in texas for more than 13 years, and she earned her bachelor degree from texas a m and her ged from yell or law school. Beside her is miss walz, from the agency of human development. Walls oversees the department of they shun center for democracy and human rights and government. He was most recently an expert at the u. S. Institute for peace from 2017 to 2021. He previously served in government in a range of Foreign Policy bills, including as the u. S. Mission to do and Senior Adviser policy, in the middle east, southeast to the adviser on afghanistan Peace Process and tourism duty and iraq and afghanistan, no easy places to work. I yield the floor to our extinguished the ambassador at large, and i thank you for being here. Thank you so much, chairman smith, Ranking Member wild, distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the United State Department to combat Human Trafficking. Thank you also for the opportunity to hear the amazing testimony at the panel before me. I hung on every word. Time flew by, and it was an honor to get to really listen to them. Thank you for that opportunity. You mentioned fishing is a crime that exist in every country and affects people of every age, ethnicity and gender, with historically and systemically marginalized groups often at greatest risk. The last few years have been particularly challenging, as he discussed earlier and seeing a new trend and trafficking. The covid19 pandemic, inflation, russias war on ukraine and disruption caused by Climate Change have excessive baited entrenched challenges such as poverty and economic inequality, highend job and security and many sectors, diminished access to justice and services, disrupted Global Supply chains and contributed to new ways of risky migration. All of these factors and others have high in the risk of trafficking around the world. In recent years, we have seen increased on recruiting and exploitation of trafficking victims, especially online Sexual Exploitation of children. More forced criminality and forced begging cases and rapidly growing forced labor in scam centers in Southeast Asia to exploit victims. The scale of trafficking is fast. The challenge we face immense, but we are not helpless, and we are using all the tools at our disposal to face these challenges head on. Today, more than ever, the United States sustained leadership and commitment to combatting Human Trafficking in all its forms is critical. As secretary blinken stated during last years trafficking and persons report launch ceremony, it will continue to take relentless diplomacy, coordination, advocacy and commitment if we are going to stop it, and as you noted, the United States is committed to fighting because trafficking destabilizes society, undermines economies, harms workers, enriches those who exploit them, undercuts legitimate business and most fundamentally, because it is so profoundly wrong. The state Departments Office to monitor, combat trafficking, which i have the honor to lead, is advancing the United States global efforts to combat Human Trafficking through a three peak framework. The prosecution of traffickers, the protection of victims and the prevention of Human Trafficking. We address the threepiece collectively in strategic bilateral and multilateral diplomacy targeted foreign assistance to build capacity of foreign governments and Civil Society and advancing the federal antitrafficking policy through interagency coordination. We also partner with international and Civil Society organizations, Human Trafficking survivors and private sector to advance the fight against Human Trafficking. It is a partnership that strengthens the effectiveness in the fight against Human Trafficking. We recognize that all countries can and should do more to prosecute traffickers, provide justice and protection for victims and actively work to prevent Human Trafficking. We are focused on implanting key actions to advance an effective antitrafficking response including addressing Human Trafficking in the context of the impact of russias war in ukraine, decrying Human Trafficking in the peoples republic of china, especially the prcs built and road initiative, highlighting cubas coercive Labor Export Program and supporting diplomatic engagement with countries hosting these works to mitigate their exploitation. Engaging with survivors in underserved communities and preventing Human Trafficking and Global Supplychain tenuous Government Procurement of goods and services. We recognize combating Human Trafficking cannot be done alone. We must continue to work collectively across the Us Government with bilateral and multilateral partners and local government and Civil Society to further advance antitrafficking efforts. Thanks to sustained support from congress in particular through the groundbreaking trafficking victims protection act of 2000 and subsequent reauthorization. The department has wellestablished set of tools to draw upon in the fight against Human Trafficking. For 20 years the trafficking and persons report continues to be the worlds most comprehensive resource on governmental antitrafficking efforts, and dip omatic tools to guide relations with foreign governments. Our most recent chp report included narratives for 188 countries and territories and its introduction focused on the importance of engagement for survivors of Human Trafficking. The tip report is one of the most powerful tools to encourage government around the world to improve their antitrafficking efforts, ensuring it remains accurate, objective and effective is among my highest priorities for the tip office. That targeted us foreign assistance resources we bring to bear to strengthen the capacity of government and Civil Society is an important element of our approach, since 2001 the tip office has leveraged 700 million in foreign assistance funding to support antitrafficking project in 90 countries to address sex trafficking and labor trafficking worldwide. Through bilateral projects and innovative programmings like Child Protection compact, partnership and the program to end modern slavery, our investments produced tangible results. Our assistance helped thousands of Human Trafficking survivors receive vital assistance including repatriation, Psychosocial Support and counseling to rebuild their lives. We have also helped dozens of governments to build crucial legal, policy and Regulatory Infrastructure to care for victims and traffickers to justice. Those who are particularly vulnerable to trafficking like southeast, south asia, many parts of africa, our assistance is helping identify victims of trafficking and ensuring they receive the trafficking and services they need. Chairman smith and Ranking Member wild, thank you again for holding todays hearing and the committees commitment to combating Human Trafficking as the subcommittee considers legislation for the 118th congress, i look forward to working closely with you and your staff on legislative efforts to reauthorize the International Provisions of the tdpa which are a cornerstone of global efforts to combat trafficking. Ensuring Congress Continues to provide appropriate tools and authorities we need to tackle International Trafficking challenges day today and tomorrow is essential. Thank you for your testimony and leadership. I would like to turn to johnny walsh. Thank you, chairman smith, Ranking Member wild and established members of the subcommittee. Thank you for your leadership on combating Human Trafficking all these years. I have to acknowledge the first panel which is unbelievably powerful. All of us in the gallery were feeling emotion rising within us but also feeling inspired by how much courage these folks show. They are more than horrible stories many of them have gone through. There is smart, strategic, and if you will allow me i want to thank staff at the state department, who work on counter trafficking, who are so smart and accomplished, they have done immense amounts to help against this terrible scourge. In 2001 the passing of the tdpa, assistance and 88 countries to support counter trafficking efforts in 35 and in many more are larger body of Department Work that contribute in one way or another, to unpack to the trafficking sites. In fiscal year 22, we obligated 32. 5 million into counter trafficking activities globally, 3 million above our earmark which is an indicator of how important our missions around the world very organically considerably. And between counter Trafficking Program, very large fraction of International Development work helps in one way or another by addressing root causes of trafficking, conflict or corruption or poverty or violence, natural disasters, lack of opportunity or by Building Local capacity in ways that are relevant to the fight against trafficking. For example by supporting stronger judicial systems and will apply. Usaids effective relies on strong presence through the mission and these allow us to design and monitor intervention informed by local context and adapted to local context. Our counter trafficking work can follow in terms of four ps, invention, protection, prosecution and partnership. Briefly, first, on prevention, we work 2 oh raise awareness of trafficking particularly with the most vulnerable groups and high Risk Communities by promoting Public Information and education campaigns. By way of example, in colombia, usaid is working to protect the rights of venezuelan migrants who are vulnerable to trafficking. This program is raising awareness about different methods of exploitation and we complement it with tools like training almost 4,000 Service Providers how to address trafficking issues. Second, on protection, when we think about protecting trafficking survivors, usaids approaches survivor centered, trauma informed. Everything that was said in the first panel resonates deeply with us. We support around the world reintegration assistance for survivors, that means psychosocial and medical services, legal assistance, it means providing safe and secure accommodations, providing access to employment and business opportunities, whatever survivors need. Third, on prosecution which is especially in state department claims, we help with the develop of antitrafficking laws in many countries with real penalties for traffickers and protections for victims. We provide victim centered training and Technical Assistance for Law Enforcement, prosecutors, judges, so they are maximally effective in what they do. If a Regional Program across the caribbean region to improve the prosecution of such cases, helping countries to develop or strengthen National Referral mechanisms to screen, identify and investigate trafficking. On partnerships, there is no way to do this alone, work across government and Civil Society and faithbased organizations, advocacy organizations, we are all in it together. It takes an all hands on deck approach as one panelist said. In senegal, for instance, we bring together all of these constituencies to work on the problem of force child begging, which i cant imagine a more vulnerable population to this problem but a multistakeholder approach is the way we cover most of it in the country. Briefly to close, in december of 2,020 one, usaid revived our trafficking policy to align with the Us Governments new National Action plan to combat Human Trafficking. Among other things, the usaid policy emphasizes consumer centric approaches partnering across all these groups that are referred to, government and otherwise, that are coordinated in our own governments. So chairman, Ranking Member thank you for calling this hearing. We showed believes we are all in it together. We do not have no monopoly on good ideas. Through this exchange we can dance the fight against this issue. Thank you. So much for your testimony and leadership. I do have a number of questions and hopefully we do a second round cycad you to my colleagues. In opening i did mention ambassador dyer the importance of getting it right. I had three hits about how we got sarong in 2015 and i would say that kerry johnstonoehler testified in one of those hearings and information provided in the tip report itself was right on. Was are accurate and but when the recommendations went up the chain of command for other reasons totally disassociate with Human Trafficking three countries are upgraded to either watch list or to know who went to tier two but they were upgraded. China, oman as a mentioned, malaysia was, because they thought theyre going to get into tpp at the time which is making its way through congress, but it was just like these are not chips be given away. This is all about speaking truth to power in absolutely honest way to the best of all our abilities. I want to think kerry because she did a great job but went up the chain of command that we did lose and as a said before reuters with one to broke the story after doing anonymous interviews with the tip office that things got change. Yesterday make the final call the under secretary, secretary of especially but they should just be what you do and we did this when he wrote the original law a special with the lag between bindings in tip and what action might be taken pursuant to sanctions. That is all at Administration Call and then they wanted to go things into consideration. I hope they wouldnt at the tip report has to be sacrosanct. I remote talked to a number of countries who were so angry because they were tier three and they said others were elevated to watch lists and, therefore, nonsanctionable and the records were worse. So the argument isnt really against the tip office or you. It is really against what happens when it comes up the chain of command. If they do it again i will have them or try to come and give an accounting for that. I remember i asked secretary curry, who made the deci