Trafficking in persons is a global scourge that enslaves hundreds of thousands of people every year, forcing people to work without pay and submit to sexual predation. The related offense of human smuggling exploits the poorest and most vulnerable among us, taking advantage of people fleeing from poverty and violence. Fortunately, there are people who dedicate their lives to combatting these crimes and helping survivors rebuild their lives. On Friday, February 16 an international group of front-line professionals fighting human trafficking and smuggling visited the University of South Carolina Rule of Law Collaborative (ROLC) to share experiences and discuss anti-trafficking legal mechanisms with ROLC senior staff, co-Deputy Director Steve Austermiller and Senior Rule of Law Expert Scott Ciment.

The anti-trafficking group – brought to the United States by the U.S. State Department as part of their International Visitor Leadership Program – came from countries all over the world, including Bosnia and Herzegovina,  Israel, Nepal, Tanzania, and Vietnam. Ms. Kranti Tamang (Shanti Foundation – Nepal) and Aida Cosic (Center of Women’s Rights – Bosnia and Herzegovina) described their critical support work with survivors of trafficking and how they advocate for improving their country’s legal frameworks to ratchet up sanctions and enforcement. The visitors to ROLC also included Mr. Ezra Goldstein, the Head of Investigations and Intelligence Division of the Israel National Police, Mr. Chrysostom Ndunguru, an immigration officer from Tanzania, and Ms. Thi Minh Giang Phan, Head of International Migration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Vietnam.