Mukasey hails work on human trafficking

ATLANTA, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. Attorney Gen. Michael Mukasey addressed the National Conference on Human Trafficking Tuesday in Atlanta, praising the increase in convictions since 2000.

Mukasey, who addressed the conference via video conference, said that since the passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act in 2000, enforcement officials have increased the number of convictions by a factor of seven.

That "figure doesn't even count the child prostitution and sex tourism cases brought by the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and its partners," he said.

The attorney general hailed the 2000 measure as a provision that treated trafficked persons as victims and puts them at the forefront of the enforcement regime in an effort to restore their civil liberties.

"In total, over the last seven years, we have helped more than 1,300 victims from 80 countries. That is the true measure of our success," Mukasey said.

Mukasey praised members of the civil service as well as non-governmental organizations working on prevention and enforcement for raising awareness of the issue of human trafficking and maintaining sharp focus on the issue.

"Human trafficking is a big and serious problem, and we need all the help we can get, from all of you, and from all around the world," he said.