are forced, defrauded, or coerced into labor or sexual exploitation.
The International Labor Organization (ILO), the UN agency charged
with addressing labor standards, employment, and social protection
issues, estimates that 12.3 million people worldwide are enslaved in
forced labor, bonded labor, forced child labor, sexual servitude,
and involuntary servitude at any given time. Human trafficking is a
multi-dimensional threat, depriving people of their human rights and
freedoms, risking global health, promoting social breakdown,
inhibiting development by depriving countries of their human
capital, and helping fuel the growth of organized crime. In 2000,
the US Congress passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act
(TVPA), reauthorized in 2003 and 2005, which provides tools for the
US to combat trafficking in persons, both domestically and abroad.
One of the law's key components is the creation of the US Department
of State's annual Trafficking in Persons Report, which assesses the
government response (i.e., the current situation) in some 150
countries with a significant number of victims trafficked across
their borders who are recruited, harbored, transported, provided, or
obtained for forced labor or sexual exploitation. Countries in the
annual report are rated in three tiers, based on government efforts
to combat trafficking. The countries identified in this entry are
those listed in the 2008 Trafficking in Persons Report as Tier 2
Watch List or Tier 3 based on the following tier rating definitions:
Tier 2 Watch List countries do not fully comply with the minimum
standards for the elimination of trafficking but are making
significant efforts to do so, and meet one of the following criteria:
1. they display high or significantly increasing number of victims,
2. they have failed to provide evidence of increasing efforts to
combat trafficking in persons, or,
3. they have committed to take action over the next year.
Tier 3 countries neither satisfy the minimum standards for the
elimination of trafficking nor demonstrate a significant effort to
do so. Countries in this tier are subject to potential
non-humanitarian and non-trade sanctions.
Country
Trafficking in persons
Albania
current situation: Albania is a source country for women and
girls trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation
and forced labor; it is no longer considered a major country of
transit; Albanian victims are trafficked to Greece, Italy,
Macedonia, and Kosovo, with many trafficked onward to Western
European countries; children were also trafficked to Greece for
begging and other forms of child labor; approximately half of all
Albanian trafficking victims are under age 18; internal sex
trafficking of women and children is on the rise
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Albania is on the Tier 2 Watch List
for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat
trafficking in persons in 2007, particularly in the area of victim
protection; the government did not appropriately identify
trafficking victims during 2007, and has not demonstrated that it is
vigorously investigating or prosecuting complicit officials (2008)
Algeria
current situation: Algeria is a transit country for men and
women trafficked from sub-Saharan Africa to Europe for the purposes
of commercial sexual exploitation and involuntary servitude;
Algerian children are trafficked internally for the purpose of
domestic servitude or street vending
tier rating: Tier 3 - Algeria did not report any serious law
enforcement actions to punish traffickers who force women into
commercial sexual exploitation or men into involuntary servitude in
2007; the government again reported no investigations of trafficking
of children for domestic servitude or improvements in protection
services available to victims of trafficking; Algeria still lacks
victim protection services, and its failure to distinguish between
trafficking and illegal migration may result in the punishment of
victims of trafficking (2008)
Argentina
current situation: Argentina is a source, transit, and
destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the
purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; most
victims are trafficked within the country, from rural to urban
areas; child sex tourism is a problem; foreign women and children,
primarily from Paraguay, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic, are
trafficked to Argentina for commercial sexual exploitation;
Argentine women and girls are also trafficked to neighboring
countries, Mexico, and Western Europe for sexual exploitation; a
significant number of Bolivians, Peruvians, and Paraguayans are
trafficked into the country for forced labor in sweatshops,
agriculture, and as domestic servants
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - despite some progress, Argentina
remains on the Tier 2 Watch List for the third consecutive year for
its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat human
trafficking, particularly in terms of providing adequate assistance
to victims and curbing official complicity with trafficking
activity, especially on the provincial and local levels; the
Argentine Congress has demonstrated progress by enacting much-needed
and first-ever federal anti-trafficking legislation (2009)
Armenia
current situation: Armenia is primarily a source country for
women and girls trafficked to the UAE and Turkey for the purpose of
commercial sexual exploitation; Armenian men and women are
trafficked to Turkey and Russia for the purpose of forced labor
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Armenia is placed on the Tier 2
Watch List for a fourth consecutive year; its efforts to increase
compliance with the minimum standards were assessed based on its
commitments to undertake future actions, particularly in the areas
of improving victim protection and assistance; while the government
elevated anti-trafficking responsibilities to the ministerial level,
adopted a new National Action Plan, and drafted a National Referral
Mechanism, it has yet to show tangible progress in identifying and
protecting victims or in tackling trafficking complicity of
government officials; the Armenian Government made some notable
improvements in its anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts, but it
failed to demonstrate evidence of investigations, prosecutions,
convictions, and sentences of officials complicit in trafficking
(2008)
Azerbaijan
current situation: Azerbaijan is primarily a source and
transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the
purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; women
and some children from Azerbaijan are trafficked to Turkey and the
UAE for the purpose of sexual exploitation; men and boys are
trafficked to Russia for the purpose of forced labor; Azerbaijan
serves as a transit country for victims from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan,
Kazakhstan, and Moldova trafficked to Turkey and the UAE for sexual
exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Azerbaijan is on the Tier 2 Watch
List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to
combat trafficking in persons, particularly efforts to investigate,
prosecute, and punish traffickers; to address complicity among law
enforcement personnel; and to adequately identify and protect
victims in Azerbaijan; the government has yet to develop a
much-needed mechanism to identify potential trafficking victims and
refer them to safety and care; poor treatment of trafficking victims
in courtrooms continues to be a problem (2008)
Bahrain
current situation: Bahrain is a destination country for men
and women trafficked for the purposes of involuntary servitude and
commercial sexual exploitation; men and women from Africa, South
Asia, and Southeast Asia migrate voluntarily to Bahrain to work as
laborers or domestic servants where some face conditions of
involuntary servitude such as unlawful withholding of passports,
restrictions on movements, non-payment of wages, threats, and
physical or sexual abuse; women from Thailand, Morocco, Eastern
Europe, and Central Asia are trafficked to Bahrain for the purpose
of commercial sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Bahrain is on the Tier 2 Watch List
for failing to show evidence of increased efforts to combat human
trafficking, particularly efforts that enforce laws against
trafficking in persons, and that prevent the punishment of victims
of trafficking; during 2007, Bahrain passed a comprehensive law
prohibiting all forms of trafficking in persons; the government also
established a specialized anti-trafficking unit within the Ministry
of Interior to investigate trafficking crimes; however, the
government did not report any prosecutions or convictions for
trafficking offenses during 2007, despite reports of a substantial
problem of involuntary servitude and sex trafficking (2008)
Burma
current situation: Burma is a source country for women,
children, and men trafficked for the purpose of forced labor and
commercial sexual exploitation; Burmese women and children are
trafficked to East and Southeast Asia for commercial sexual
exploitation, domestic servitude, and forced labor; Burmese children
are subjected to conditions of forced labor in Thailand as hawkers,
beggars, and for work in shops, agriculture, fish processing, and
small-scale industries; women are trafficked for commercial sexual
exploitation to Malaysia and China; some trafficking victims transit
Burma from Bangladesh to Malaysia and from China to Thailand;
internal trafficking occurs primarily from villages to urban centers
and economic hubs for labor in industrial zones, agricultural
estates, and commercial sexual exploitation; military and civilian
officials continue to use a significant amount of forced labor;
ethnic insurgent groups also used compulsory labor of adults and
unlawful recruitment of children; the military junta's gross
economic mismanagement, human rights abuses, and its policy of using
forced labor are the top causal factors for Burma's significant
trafficking problem
tier rating: Tier 3 - Burma does not fully comply with the minimum
standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making
significant efforts to do so; military and civilian officials remain
directly involved in significant acts of forced labor and unlawful
conscription of child soldiers (2008)
Burundi
current situation: Burundi is a source country for children
trafficked for the purposes of child soldiering, domestic servitude,
and commercial sexual exploitation; a small number of Burundian
children may be trafficked internally for domestic servitude or
commercial sexual exploitation; in early 2008, Burundian children
were allegedly trafficked to Uganda, via Rwanda, for agricultural
labor and commercial sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Burundi is on the Tier 2 Watch List
for the second consecutive year for its failure to provide
sufficient evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in
persons in 2007; the government's inability to provide adequate
protective services to children accused of association with armed
groups and to conduct anti-trafficking law enforcement activities
continue to be causes for concern; Burundi has not ratified the 2000
UN TIP Protocol (2008)
Cameroon
current situation: Cameroon is a source, transit, and
destination country for women and children trafficked for the
purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; most
victims are children trafficked within country, with girls primarily
trafficked for domestic servitude and sexual exploitation; both boys
and girls are also trafficked within Cameroon for forced labor in
sweatshops, bars, restaurants, and on tea and cocoa plantations;
children are trafficked into Cameroon from neighboring states for
forced labor in agriculture, fishing, street vending, and
spare-parts shops; Cameroon is a transit country for children
trafficked between Gabon and Nigeria, and from Nigeria to Saudi
Arabia; it is a source country for women transported by
sex-trafficking rings to Europe
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Cameroon is on the Tier 2 Watch
List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to
combat human trafficking in 2007, particularly in terms of efforts
to prosecute and convict trafficking offenders; while Cameroon
reported some arrests of traffickers, none of them were prosecuted
or punished; the government does not identify trafficking victims
among vulnerable populations nor does it monitor the number of
victims it intercepts (2008)
Central African Republic
current situation: Central African Republic
is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and
children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual
exploitation; the majority of victims are children trafficked within
the country for sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, street
vending, and forced agricultural, mine, market and restaurant labor;
to a lesser extent, children are trafficked from the Central African
Republic to Cameroon, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo;
rebels conscript children into armed forces within the country
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Central African Republic is on the
Tier 2 Watch List for the third consecutive year for its failure to
show evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in 2007;
efforts to address trafficking through vigorous law enforcement
measures and victim protection efforts were minimal, though
awareness about trafficking appeared to be increasing in the
country; the government does not actively investigate cases, work to
identify trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, or rescue
and provide care to victims; the government has not taken measures
to reduce demand for commercial sex acts (2008)
Chad
current situation: Chad is a source, transit, and destination
country for children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and
commercial sexual exploitation; the majority of children are
trafficked within Chad for involuntary domestic servitude, forced
cattle herding, forced begging, forced labor in petty commerce or
the fishing industry, or for commercial sexual exploitation; to a
lesser extent, Chadian children are also trafficked to Cameroon, the
Central African Republic, and Nigeria for cattle herding; children
may also be trafficked from Cameroon and the Central African
Republic to Chad's oil producing regions for sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Chad is on the Tier 2 Watch List
for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat
human trafficking in 2007; Chad was destabilized during 2007 by
civil conflict leading to a declared state of emergency in February
2008, and a steady influx of refugees fleeing Sudan and the Central
African Republic; the government demonstrated insufficient overall
efforts to combat trafficking; Chad has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP
Protocol (2008)
China
current situation: China is a source, transit, and destination
country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of
sexual exploitation and forced labor; the majority of trafficking in
China occurs within the country's borders, but there is also
considerable international trafficking of Chinese citizens to
Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and North
America; Chinese women are lured abroad through false promises of
legitimate employment, only to be forced into commercial sexual
exploitation, largely in Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan;
women and children are trafficked to China from Mongolia, Burma,
North Korea, Russia, and Vietnam for forced labor, marriage, and
prostitution; some North Korean women and children seeking to leave
their country voluntarily cross the border into China and are then
sold into prostitution, marriage, or forced labor
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - China is on the Tier 2 Watch List
for the fourth consecutive year for its failure to provide evidence
of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking, particularly in
terms of punishment of trafficking crimes and the protection of
Chinese and foreign victims of trafficking; victims are sometimes
punished for unlawful acts that were committed as a direct result of
their being trafficked, such as violations of prostitution or
immigration/emigration controls; the Chinese Government continued to
treat North Korean victims of trafficking solely as economic
migrants, routinely deporting them back to horrendous conditions in
North Korea; additional challenges facing the Chinese Government
include the enormous size of its trafficking problem and the
significant level of corruption and complicity in trafficking by
some local government officials (2008)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
current situation: Democratic
Republic of the Congo is a source and destination country for men,
women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and
sexual exploitation; much of this trafficking occurs within the
country's unstable eastern provinces and is perpetrated by armed
groups outside government control
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Democratic Republic of the Congo is
on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of
increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons in 2007; while
some significant initial advances were noted, the government's
capacity to apprehend, convict, or imprison traffickers remained
weak; the government lacks sufficient financial, technical, and
human resources to effectively address not only trafficking crimes,
but also to provide basic levels of security in some parts of the
country (2008)
Congo, Republic of the
current situation: Republic of the Congo is a
source and destination country for children trafficked for the
purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; girls
are trafficked from rural areas within the country for commercial
sexual exploitation, forced street vending, and domestic servitude;
children are trafficked from other African countries for domestic
servitude, forced market vending, and forced labor in the fishing
industry
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Republic of the Congo is on the
Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show evidence of increasing
efforts to combat trafficking in persons in 2007; struggling to
recover from six years of civil conflict that ended in 2003, the
Republic of the Congo's capacity to address trafficking is
handicapped; the government neither monitors its borders for
trafficking activity nor provides specialized anti-trafficking
training for law enforcement officials; the government does not
encourage victims to assist in trafficking investigations or
prosecutions, and has not taken measures to reduce demand for
commercial sex acts in the Republic of the Congo (2008)
Costa Rica
current situation: Costa Rica is a source, transit, and
destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the
purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; women
and girls from neighboring states, Russia, Uzbekistan, and the
Philippines are trafficked into the country for sexual exploitation;
Costa Rica also serves as a transit point for victims trafficked to
North America and Europe; the government identifies child sex
tourism as a serious problem; men, women, and children are also
trafficked within the country for forced labor in fishing and
construction, and as domestic servants
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Costa Rica is on the Tier 2 Watch
List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to
combat human trafficking, particularly in terms of its failure to
improve its inadequate assistance to victims; while Costa Rican
officials recognize human trafficking as a serious problem, the lack
of a stronger response by the government is of concern (2008)
Cote d'Ivoire
Cote d'Ivoire is a source, transit, and destination
country for women and children trafficked for forced labor and
commercial sexual exploitation; trafficking within the country is
more prevalent than international trafficking and the majority of
victims are children; women and girls are trafficked from northern
areas to southern cities for domestic servitude, restaurant labor,
and sexual exploitation; boys are trafficked internally for
agricultural and service labor and transnationally for forced labor
in agriculture, mining, construction, and in the fishing industry;
women and girls are trafficked to and from other West and Central
African countries for domestic servitude and forced street vending
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Cote d'Ivoire is on the Tier 2
Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts
to eliminate trafficking in 2007, particularly with regard to its
law enforcement efforts and protection of sex trafficking victims;
in addition, Ivoirian law does not prohibit all forms of
trafficking, and Cote d'Ivoire has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP
Protocol (2008)
Cuba
current situation: Cuba is principally a source country for
women and children trafficked within the country for the purpose of
commercial sexual exploitation and possibly for forced labor; the
country is a destination for sex tourism including child sex
tourism, which is a problem in many areas of the country; some Cuban
nationals willingly migrate to the United States but are
subsequently exploited for forced labor by their smugglers; Cuba is
also a transit point for the smuggling of migrants from China, Sri
Lanka, Bangladesh, Lebanon, and other nations to the United States
and Canada
tier rating: Tier 3 - Cuba does not fully comply with the minimum
standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making
significant efforts to do so; exact information about trafficking in
Cuba is difficult to obtain because the government does not
acknowledge or condemn human trafficking as a problem in Cuba;
tangible efforts to prosecute offenders, protect victims, or prevent
human trafficking activity do not appear to have been made during
2007; Cuba has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)
Cyprus
current situation: Cyprus is primarily a destination country
for a large number of women trafficked from Eastern and Central
Europe, the Philippines, and the Dominican Republic for the purpose
of sexual exploitation; traffickers continued to fraudulently
recruit victims for work as dancers in cabarets and nightclubs on
short-term "artiste" visas, for work in pubs and bars on employment
visas, or for illegal work on tourist or student visas
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Cyprus is on the Tier 2 Watch List
for a third consecutive year for failure to show evidence of
increasing efforts to combat human trafficking during 2007; although
Cyprus passed a new trafficking law and opened a government
trafficking shelter, these efforts are outweighed by its failure to
show tangible and critically needed progress in the areas of law
enforcement, victim protection, and the prevention of trafficking
(2008)