Riga, July 24, 2015 – Secretary of State John F. Kerry will release the 2015 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report at 10:00 a.m. on July 27, 2015, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. Secretary Kerry will also honor this year’s TIP Report Heroes, which include Latvia’s Gita Miruškina, a lawyer at Safe House in Riga.
Ms. Miruškina is one of just eight men and women chosen worldwide for the award, which recognizes the tireless efforts they have made in the global fight against modern slavery. Safe House works directly with sex and labor trafficking victims, assisting them in their recovery and providing vital legal aid. Ms. Miruškina has dedicated her life to assisting victims of human trafficking and enhancing the legal understanding of trafficking in persons in Latvia and the European Union. She is the first Latvian to be named a TIP Report Hero by the U.S. Secretary of State.
Ms. Miruškina also has been instrumental in alerting the EU to the issue of “sham marriages” – brokered marriages between EU passport-holders and third-country nationals. These marriages are arranged so that the latter can become eligible for immigration benefits – a practice that often leads to sex and labor trafficking, especially of women from Eastern Europe.
In the past six years, Ms. Miruškina has assisted more than 150 trafficking victims and acted as their legal representative in nearly 30 trials, including Latvia’s first labor trafficking trial, a landmark case that is still ongoing.
As required by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), the U.S. Department of State’s TIP Report assesses government efforts around the world to combat modern slavery. This year’s report, the 15th installment, includes narratives for 188 countries and territories, including the United States. This year also marks the 15th anniversary of the TVPA.
For more information about the 2015 Trafficking in Persons Report Launch Ceremony, please contact Mai Shiozaki in the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons at shiozakim@state.gov or 202-312-9855. Also, visit http://www.state.gov/j/tip/ and follow @JTIP_State on Twitter.
