The Government of Rwanda today described the characterisation of Rwanda’s efforts to tackle the issue of human trafficking affecting our region contained in this year’s State Department’s report on Trafficking in Persons (TIP) as a gross misrepresentation of the reality.
The report, released by the US State Department on Thursday, placed Rwanda under the Tier 2 Watch List that features it as a transit and destination country for men and women subjected to forced labor and, to a much lesser extent, forced prostitution.
“What this report says about my country has nothing to do with reality or facts on the ground. It has much more to do with politics serving some purpose, played by some known groups and interests,” declared Rwanda’s Ambassador in Washington, Mathilde Mukantabana, this morning.
Vague and subjective standard of “lack of continuing improvement” has been used to downgrade Rwanda, despite ample evidence to the contrary, some of which the report itself documents.
More than any government in similar circumstances, the Government of Rwanda has deployed significant means to protect and ensure the well-being of refugees.
“Our efforts to provide for our brothers and sisters from the region who sought refuge in various parts of Rwanda are based on our long-standing values rather than any external reports,” added Ambassador Mukantabana.
The Government of Rwanda has similarly exerted serious efforts to protect its citizens from this menace against human trafficking.
“This announcement is a deliberate misrepresentation of how these issues are being addressed in Rwanda. It ultimately damages the international effort, to which Rwanda is no less committed than the United States, to protect people especially women and girls from human trafficking and sexual exploitation. I categorically reject this report, its conclusions and the false allegations to support them,” concluded Ambassador Mathilde Mukantabana.
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