10 Most Interesting Parts of the 2010 TIP Report

This week the U.S. State Department released its 2010 Trafficking in Persons Report, which has become almost biblical in its role in the anti-trafficking movement. This year, the report clocks in at a hefty 372 pages (with additional inserts available), and is quite possibly the most detailed treatise on the state of human trafficking in the world yet. But if almost 400 pages of raw, uncensored government report doesn't sound like your idea of of a good beach read, I've compiled the ten most interesting parts. Consider it my summer reading gift to you.

1. The U.S. graded itself on anti-trafficking efforts for the first time ever, and it got an A. After ten years of giving other countries grades on how well they conform to the standards of an American law, we yanks finally decided to grade ourselves. And yes, we gave ourselves an A, but it was arguably pretty well-deserved. Despite the high mark, the report did not shy away from going into detail about all the trafficking which does take place in the U.S. and what we need to do to improve. Next year, we strive for A+.

2. Guns-a-blazin', "yee-haw" style law enforcement raids are a no-no. The report pushes for more "smart raids," where law enforcement and government agents do research about whether or not trafficking victims are being held somewhere before they charge mightily into a brothel/home/worksite and start making arrests. If this seems like a "well, duh" moment to you, you've got the right outlook. But enough "blind sweeps" like that were happening, the topic got a full color page.

3. Some surprising countries improved and some even more surprising ones backslid. Hard work paid off for three Middle East countries -- Egypt, the UAE, and Pakistan -- who jumped a Tier in the rankings and improved the overall score of their region. How do you say "good job" in Arabic? But several countries also backslid in the rankings, including (surprisingly!) Switzerland, who was apparently just too neutral when it came to standing against slavery.

4. Statistics are back. Kinda. For the past several years, the State Department has treated publishing statistics in the TIP Report like trying to slip frilly underpants on a dozing grizzly bear. But this year, almost magically, the stats are back! In fact, they appear a little too magically, with absolutely no indication of where they came from. Can we at least get a footnote so we know these estimates/counts (which are they?) weren't just conjured by the White House Wizard, Harry Policy?

5. Organ trafficking doesn't count as human trafficking. It's bad, but it's just a different issue. Sorry.

6. The alphabet soup served with the report is becoming a stew. For years, the mantra of the TIP report and the anti-trafficking movement as a whole has been the 3 Ps -- prevention, prosecution, and protection. This year Secretary Clinton added a 4th P: partnerships. Plus, the report threw in the 3 D's -- detention, deportation, and disempowerment -- as don't dos. Okay, fine, but I'm starting to get a little tongue-tied. Just remember that it's okay to advocate actions that don't fit neatly into a little alliterative list. I'd hate to miss an effective strategy that started with "Q" just because we're all focusing on the Peculiar Purple Pieman of Porcupine Peak project.

7. Immigration policy is important, even when its controversial.The controversy over immigration in the U.S. and abroad has left many anti-trafficking advocates reluctant to broach such a sensitive subject. But this year's TIP report is pretty clear: we can't ignore immigration and fight human trafficking at the same time. Bad immigration policies are bad for trafficking victims, including deportation masked as "consensual repatriation."

8. There is more labor trafficking than sex trafficking in the U.S. Really? Looking at media reports, you'd think the vast majority of human trafficking cases involved sex trafficking. Looking at prosecution data, you'd think that many more cases were sexual exploitation than labor exploitation. But apparently, that's because we're getting a skewed picture. While more sex trafficking cases make it to trial and press, more labor trafficking cases are identified. Sounds like a disparity that needs to be fixed.

9. Companies better start looking for slavery in their supply chains. Because if they aren't, the government, consumers, NGOs, advocates, and just about everyone else will be. And I'm crossing all my fingers that the State Department will eventually be willing to name names of companies who are the worst users of human trafficking. I'm crossing my fingers, but not holding my breath.

10. The first ever American TIP Hero is honored. For the first time, the State Department honored an American as a TIP Report Hero. The award went to Laura Germino, who heads up the anti-slavery campaign for the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, and her work has freed over 1000 workers in the U.S. Congratulations, Laura, on your much deserved honor.

You can check out the whole report here, or check out a different, but also awesome list on the Polaris Project blog. And now that I've taken this off your summer reading list, go grab yourself a good novel.

Photo credit: orinrobertjohn