Peter Covington, of the U.S. Embassy's Political Section, addresses a Zonta seminar in Punta del Este, November 24, 2006.

Peter Covington, of the U.S. Embassy's Political Section in Montevideo, and Thomas Hamm, Public Affairs officer, attended a seminar in Punta del Este on Friday, November 24, organized by Zonta Punta, a branch in Maldonado and Punta del Este of the NGO Zonta International, an organization devoted globally to improving the status of women. At the seminar, Covington spoke about the different types of human trafficking and how the U.S. Government is committed to combating this global problem. He also talked about the State Department's annual Trafficking In Persons report and how it is compiled. (See related article.)

The U.S. Embassy Montevideo is sponsoring a number of efforts to battle the threat of human trafficking in Uruguay, however, Covington explained that such efforts are hampered by the lack of data about the scope of the problem. "There are strong indicators that there is a severe trafficking problem centered in Punta del Este in the summer months," Covington said. As an important first step the embassy is currently funding a study to gain "more information" about the situation. The study is to be completed by the International Organization for Migration in the Punta del Este and Maldonado areas.

Maldonado Police chief, Graciela Lopez and other local officials also spoke at the seminar.

For more information on human trafficking in Uruguay, please refer to the Uruguay Segment of the Trafficking in Persons Report 2006, and the "Trafico de Personas" webliography (Word document, in Spanish) prepared by the U.S. Embassy's Information Resource Center.

 
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