Celebrating Shared Hope International 

Mohamed Y. Mattar

Adjunct Professor of Law and

Executive Director 

The Protection Project of The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)

Sharing the Hope 2005

Shared Hope International 

Hyatt Hotel

November 11-13, 2005 
 

Today is November 12, 2005 and it is Saturday. So I will try to be less formal and less academic, although I am still wearing a tie.  

Back in January 2001, that means almost 5 years ago, I had the honor and the pleasure to know for the first time congresswoman Linda Smith.  

At that time, she founded the War Against Trafficking Alliance and The Protection Project, that I represent today, was part of the alliance. 

Linda had a vision and idea to do something about combating trafficking in persons, especially sex trafficking. 

And the idea was to bring together concerned individuals and agencies and galvanize efforts to eliminate this horrible crime.   

And the vision was materialized in: 

• The World Summit that took place in February 2003.

• A design of strategies in the global fight against sex trafficking.

• A follow up or some kind of monitoring the status of the anti-trafficking movement in many countries, especially in six – Moldova, Dominican Republic, India, Indonesia, South Africa, and Singapore.

And I was a part of all these events that Linda organized.  

And now Linda has established another coalition. 

And that is the War Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Alliance.  

And this Alliance will try to monitor the United States government efforts to combat the four evils of commercial sexual exploitation of children: 

• Child prostitution
• Child pornography
• Child sex tourism
• Child trafficking

And again, I am really honored to be part of that Alliance. 

And I think that this five year effort on the part of Shared Hope International and the good work of my good friend, reliable partner, and natural leader Linda Smith can be studied as a model for what I was invited to talk about today.  

And that is the principle of participation in a 5Ps approach to trafficking in persons.  

And that is why I asked a student of mine who was taking the trafficking in persons course that I am teaching at the Johns Hopkins University-SAIS and who is writing a thesis on the role of the civil society in combating trafficking in persons to contact Linda Smith and study the Shared Hope International Model.  

Everybody talks about 3Ps:  

• Prevention,
• Protection
• Prosecution.

And of course, this is a fine strategy. 

But it happened that I have more time than others to add 2 more Ps. 

We all agree that prevention is a key.  

• We should conduct public awareness campaigns and warn women not only against the danger of trafficking, but the danger of prostitution as well.

Especially that many countries today do not consider prostitution as a bad thing. We have to tell them otherwise.  

Let me refer here to Linda’s congressional testimony before the House International Relations Committee on June 19 th 2002.  And I am quoting:  

“I encourage the administration to consider countries with legalized or tolerated prostitution as having law that are insufficient efforts to eliminate trafficking. Studies now show that where there is a strong adult sex industry, the commercial sexual exploitation of children and sex slavery increases…” 

• We should do something about the customer, the purchaser of sexual services, perhaps tell him that sex is good, sex with a women in prostitution is bad, sex with a women in prostitution who is a victim of trafficking is very bad. Sex with a child is awful.

In 1999: 94 clients were charged with the crime.

In 2000: 22 clients were charged with the crime.

In 2001: 86 clients were charged with the crime.

In 2002: 110 clients were charged with the crime.

And in 2003: the number of clients charged is more than tripled: in 2003, 300 clients were charged with the crime of buying sex.

“Dear Mr. Mattar: 

In regards to you request for information on the application of Article 418 of the criminal code of Macedonia. I can provide you the following statistical data: 

• In year 2002: 12 persons indicted; 1 person charged; no  person convicted;
• In year 2003: 19 persons indicted; 5 persons charged; 5  persons convicted;
• In year 2004: 45 persons indicted; 9 persons charged; 9 persons convicted; 

Should you have any questions I will be glad to be of your assistance.” 

I also distinguish between:

• Protection
• Provision.

Protection would include witness protection, victims, immigration status, and civil compensation   

Provision means providing services for victims of trafficking, especially medical care, job training, legal counseling, and shelters. 

You can put all these services together under the term “effective rehabilitation programs” and this is the term, that you Linda, used in the March 9 th 2005 congressional testimony and I like this term. 

And we all agree that we have to prosecute and convict and impose serious sanctions.  

But the missing P here is participation, public participation, and the role of non-governmental organizations, such as Shared Hope International.  

And these are the 5 Ps. But I cannot leave without mentioning also the 5 Vs, 3 REs, the 4 Ps, and the 3 EXs.  

And because of time limitation, I will just mention them without explanation.  

The five 5 Vs: 

• Victim
• Derivative Victim
• Vulnerable victim
• Potential Victim
• Presumed Victim

The 3 REs: 

• Rescue, that includes identification of victim of trafficking, raid operations, and repatriation;

• Rehabilitation, including restoration, ensuring availability of shelters and housing, providing access to psychological care, providing access to medical care, and providing access to training and employment opportunities;

• Reintegration, including addressing stigma of prostitution, addressing cultural vulnerabilities, and taking necessary measures to ensure that victim is not re-victimized.

The 4 Ps: 

• Natural person, including demand, liability of the purchaser, and criminalization of the use of service provided by victims of trafficking;

• Legal person, including liability of corporations, civil, criminal and administrative sanctions;

• Private person, such as individuals and organized criminal group;

• Public person, including the role of corruption, misuse of office as illegal means, and enhancing criminal sanctions.

The 3 EXs: 

• Exchange of information between countries of origin, transit, and countries of destination;

• Extradition, meaning the recognition of trafficking in persons as an extraditable offence;

• Extraterritoriality, meaning the application of the domestic law regardless of the place where the act was committed.

But before I leave, let me celebrate with you an important date in the month of November, November 3 rd , when the United States ratified the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children.   

Thank you.  

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