U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung addressed Sri Lankan law enforcement officials, prosecutors, immigration officers, and civil society members at the opening of an anti-human trafficking workshop in Colombo on July 31, 2025. The event was organized by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT), with support from the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State.
In her remarks, Ambassador Chung highlighted the importance of collaboration between Sri Lanka and the United States to address human trafficking and related crimes. She noted that recent trends include traffickers forcing victims into criminal activities such as cyber scams under false job offers.
“These are transnational crimes that demand a united, international response. And partnerships like we are seeing from our two countries today. Through international collaboration, we can track, identify and prosecute traffickers while also seeking justice for their victims,” said Ambassador Chung.
She emphasized the evolving nature of trafficking networks, including their use of technology and artificial intelligence to facilitate exploitation. “We also need to keep up with the impact of technology and AI; the criminals are continuously advancing their tools for trafficking and we need to outpace and address challenges through our use of technology too.”
Ambassador Chung thanked American agencies for organizing the workshop: “I would like to thank the Department of Justice, Homeland Security, and Department of State Investigators for their leadership and expertise in organizing this workshop. They bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in this area. But more importantly, they are your law enforcement partners in the fight we take on together, against human trafficking.”
She encouraged participants to engage actively during the workshop: “So please ask questions, offer best practices, and exchange ideas as we are all here to learn from each other. I am confident that together, we can make a meaningful impact.”
The workshop is part of ongoing efforts by both countries to strengthen responses against human trafficking through capacity building among local officials.
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