On Thursday, July 1, 2021, the Secretary of State released the 21st Annual Trafficking in Persons Report. As part of the release of this report, the U.S. Department of State annually honors outstanding individuals around the world who are fighting to end human trafficking.
For the year 2021, Minister Counselor Josiane Lina Bemaka-Soui was honored as a Hero in the Fight Against Human Trafficking.
With this honor, the U.S. Department of State recognizes Ms. Bemaka-Soui’s Herculean efforts to create and lead the Central African Republic’s response to human trafficking. She operationalized the country’s inter-agency committee, led the development of the government’s first national action plan to combat human trafficking, and catalyzed action, even under difficult conditions and often at great personal sacrifice.
In the Central African Republic, “the government demonstrated coordinated efforts to combat trafficking in persons during the reporting period. It has achieved results in terms of protection and has redoubled its efforts to identify victims.”
The 2021 Report assesses the anti-trafficking efforts of 188 countries, including the United States. The report aims to shed light on the nature, scope, and severity of acts that violate the free exercise of universal human rights in order to prevent, suppress, and punish trafficking in persons.
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