Mark Taylor, the Senior Coordinator in the U.S. State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, visited Mongolia September 25-28, to learn about trafficking in persons issues in the country and to discuss efforts to tackle this modern-day form of slavery with Mongolian government officials and NGOs.

He found that clear progress has been made in organizing and coordinating the government of Mongolia’s response to internal and transnational trafficking in persons, particularly the National Plan of Action on Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking of Children and Women, enacted in November 2005.  Efforts are also being made to strengthen international cooperation on the issue.  Taylor stated, “The phenomenon of trafficking in persons is truly global, paying no respect to international borders or lines of bureaucratic responsibilities.”  He added, “For this reason, effective responses are found in well coordinated measures among different government agencies and neighboring countries.”