The Diplomat
The Secretary of State of the United States, Antony J. Blinken, has granted the Award for Action Against Modern Slavery to the Spanish Rocío Mora Nieto, anti-trafficking activist and director of the Association for the Prevention, Reintegration and Care of Prostituted Women (APRAMP), according to a note issued yesterday by the US Embassy in Madrid.
Rocio Mora Nieto is one of eight awardees from around the world collectively recognised as Anti-Trafficking Heroes 2021. Blinken announced the names of the Heroes during Thursday’s event to release the Department’s Human Trafficking Report 2021.
Mora Nieto is the first Spaniard to be honoured as a Hero by the State Department, which has honoured more than 150 individuals.
U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Spain, Conrad Tribble, joins Secretary of State Blinken in congratulating Rocío Mora on this prestigious award and thanking her for her years of service in the fight against human trafficking.
The distinction is awarded to her, considering that “the defence of the victims of trafficking that she has done for more than 26 years has brought about fundamental changes in the landscape of the fight against trafficking in Spain, such as improving coordination between law enforcement and the judiciary”, according to the Embassy.
The note underlines that Rocio Mora “continues to make a valuable contribution through her participation in governmental discussions on trafficking and as director of APRAMP, an association dedicated to the protection of women victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation”.
“Over the past eighteen months, Ms. Mora Nieto and APRAMP have worked tirelessly to draw attention to potential trafficking victims and prevent further vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the note adds.
The State Department annually honours a group of Heroes to coincide with the release of that year’s Human Trafficking Report. The Modern Slavery Action Award honours individuals around the world who have dedicated their lives to the fight against trafficking, including government officials, legislators, law enforcement officials and leaders of non-governmental organisations.
The US report annually assesses the efforts of foreign governments to combat trafficking. The 2021 report includes descriptions and rankings of 188 countries, including Spain. Spain is ranked Tier 1, which indicates that the government fully complies with the minimum standards of the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) for the elimination of trafficking. Spain has been in Tier 1 since 2001.
