ATEST Applauds Confirmation of New Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
For Release: October 9, 2015
The Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST) applauds yesterday’s confirmation of Susan Coppedge as Ambassador-at-Large to combat human trafficking and Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking (J/TIP) at the U.S. Department of State. The Ambassador-at-Large serves an instrumental role in advancing U.S. leadership on combating this heinous crime.
“We are excited to finally have Ambassador Coppedge, who joins the State Department at a pivotal time for human trafficking,” said Melysa Sperber, Director of ATEST.
This confirmation comes at a critical moment. Due to widespread criticism of the State Department’s 2015 Trafficking in Person’s Report (produced by the J/TIP office), the Ambassador will need to work to improve the State Department’s reputation in combating human trafficking around the world. The report’s credibility was questioned following the unjustified upgrades of several key countries including Malaysia, Cuba, and Uzbekistan. At the time of the report’s release, the J/TIP office was without a confirmed Ambassador.
“Ambassador Coppedge has the knowledge of how to hold traffickers to account and is capable of meeting the challenges that will start from day one,” said Sperber. “We look forward to working with her to ensure the U.S. government continues its comprehensive approach that includes prevention and protection efforts that address sex and labor trafficking of both children and adults.”
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About ATEST The Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST) is a U.S. based coalition that advocates for solutions to prevent and end all forms of human trafficking and modern slavery around the world. ATEST member organizations include: Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST), Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), ECPAT-USA, Free the Slaves, Futures Without Violence (FUTURES), International Justice Mission, National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), National Network for Youth (NN4Y), Polaris, Safe Horizon, Solidarity Center, Verité, Vital Voices Global Partnership, and World Vision. ATEST is a project of Humanity United.