News Tip: Human Trafficking Report Hampered By Ambassador Vacancy, Expert Says

The U.S. Department of State is scheduled to release its annual “Trafficking in Persons” (TIP) report on Thursday, June 28, at 2 p.m. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo will release the report with Kari Johnstone, acting director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, and presidential adviser Ivanka Trump.
 

Quotes:

“Once again we are in a situation where we have no permanent ambassador in charge of the office that issues the TIP report. This is hugely detrimental to the credibility of the report,” said Judith Kelley, a Duke University public policy professor and author of a book that details the influence of the TIP Report. “This is a bi-partisan issue and the report carries such weight around the world that it is disappointing that this office lacks a permanent ambassador. Don’t pull people out until you have someone to put in.”

Bio:

Judith Kelley, incoming dean of Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy, studies international relations with a focus on human rights and democracy. Her most recent book, “Scorecard Diplomacy: Grading States to Influence Their Reputation and Behavior,” details how the TIP Report influences nations to take action to combat human trafficking. She is the principal investigator of a National Science Foundation backed project on human trafficking.

https://sanford.duke.edu/people/faculty/kelley-judith

Archive Interviews:

Podcast Policy 360: What WikiLeaks Reveals About Human Trafficking

Podcast Ways & Means Show: Robots, Wikileaks and the Fight Against Human Trafficking

For additional comment, contact Judith Kelley at:
Judith.kelley@duke.edu