PRESS RELEASES

Nigeria Elevated to Tier 1 Status in U.S. Department of State’s 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report

June 16, 2009

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton today released the Department of State's ninth annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report in a public event in Washington, D.C. The 175-country report is the most comprehensive worldwide report on the efforts of governments to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons, a modern-day form of slavery. Its findings are intended to raise global awareness and spur countries to take effective actions to counter trafficking in persons.

In the 2009 TIP Report, Nigeria was elevated to Tier 1 status – countries assessed as meeting the "minimum standards for the elimination of severe forms of trafficking" –for its increased efforts in 2008 and its cumulative achievements over the past few years to curtail human trafficking. Over the past year, the Government of Nigeria more than doubled the number of trafficking offenders convicted, while it improved assistance given to victims, demonstrated strong awareness-raising efforts, and increased funding to its anti-human trafficking organization, the National Agency for Prevention of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).

The U.S. Mission in Nigeria congratulates the Government of Nigeria and the National Agency for Prevention of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) on this accomplishment and encourages continued progress in the future.

TIP Report Background: The U.S. Congress, through its passage of the 2000 Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), as amended, requires the Secretary of State to submit this Report each year. The goal of this Report is to stimulate action and create partnerships around the world in the fight against modern-day slavery. Within the Report, countries are assigned to one of three tiers: countries assessed as meeting the "minimum standards for the elimination of severe forms of trafficking" as set forth in the TVPA are classified as Tier 1; countries assessed as not fully complying with the minimum standards, but making significant efforts are classified as Tier 2; and countries assessed as neither complying with the minimum standards nor making significant efforts to do so are classified as Tier 3. The 2009 report is available here: www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2009/index.htm

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