Today in this post I'm to analyze and summarize the United States, Department of State Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report. Just like I did last year focusing on the movement of States in the Tier classification, those who moved up and those who moved down, and those who are stuck in Tier 3. I will organize the info in a particular way to make it simple to understand and easy to summarize: With the Good, which would be the positive steps the State has taken over the past year. The Bad, the negative things that have happened or the State has neglected to do over the past, year relative to human trafficking. And finally, the Ugly, particular issues that affected the specific country that make the human trafficking their worse relative to other countries.
Before I commence with the individual countries, I must note how these reports always tries not to totally shit on a country, no matter how bad the situations is in that State, it patronizing as hell. For example, the report would mention for example that they found two victims or that one possible trafficker has been accused.
Algeria: Tier 2 Watch List, from Tier 3.
The Good
|
The Bad
|
The Ugly
|
· + Investigation & Prosecution.
· Identification of 65 potential victims.
· Gov. provides housing, medical assistance, and migrant transit services.
· More budget and governments institutions to fight Trafficking.
|
· Victims are criminalized as Illegal Immigrants.
· Lack of proper cooperation with NGOs.
|
· Trafficking corridors are still an issue in this country.
|
Bangladesh: Tier 2 Watch List from Tier 2.
The Good
|
The Bad
|
The Ugly
|
· General lack of effort by the government.
· No formal mechanism to refer victims to protective services.
· No rehabilitation Programs.
|
· Systematic Corruption and Complicity by government officials.
· Due to the lack of protection many victims are re-trafficked.
· Travel Agencies with high service Fee, promise fake jobs and the person arrive they subjected to forced labor.
|
Observation:
- For human trafficking to prevail there must be a certain level of corruption and complicity by government officials or the lack of the presence of the State, so obviously, this isn't exclusive to Bangladesh.
- Has an association called BIARA (Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies), which groups together more than 700 work agencies, but there have been issues with the high recruitment fees and contract switching among some of its member agencies.
Belarus Tier 3
The Good
|
The Bad
|
The Ugly
|
· Government repealed a 2012 decree that prevented State Worker in the lumber industry from leaving their jobs without employers approval.
|
· Government sponsored forced labor; literally it is illegal to be unemployed.
· Four years in a row with no conviction to any Traffickers.
· Forced labor on alcoholics and drug addicts in special medical labor centers, for periods that go from 12 month to 18.
|
Belize Tier 3:
The Good
|
The Bad
|
The Ugly
|
· Country has identified two trafficking victims.
· Investigating 10 cases.
|
· No investigation has been opened against any public official.
· Lack of proper procedures to identify trafficker or victims.
|
· Families sell the children into the sex trade.
|
Burkina Faso Tier 2 Watch List from Tier 2
The Good
|
The Bad
|
The Ugly
|
· 20 child miners have been freed.
· Government working on procedures to combat this crime.
|
· General lack of effort to fight Trafficking in general.
· Lack of funding for victim protection programs and shelters.
|
· Have not addressed the problem of the Marabouts and Quranic schools that exploit their students forcing their students to work and beg.
|
Burundi Tier 3
The Good
|
The Bad
|
The Ugly
|
· General lack of effort to fight trafficking in general.
· Government unwilling to fight internal corruption.
|
· It Calculated that 60.000 Internally Displaced People (IDP) are in the country, 60% are minors that are at high risk in being trafficked.
|
Central African Republic Tier 3:
The Good
|
The Bad
|
The Ugly
|
· No Report of any prosecution or conviction of any traffickers.
· No protection for victims.
· No anti-trafficking campaigns by the government.
|
· No actions in stopping the recruitment of child soldiers.
· The Ba'aka (Pygmy) people are vulnerable to traffickers.
· 402.000 IDP
|
Chad Tier 2 Watch List from Tier 2:
The Good
|
The Bad
|
The Ugly
|
· Country was able to able to Identify 2 trafficking victims.
· Step to stop recruiting child soldier like asking for a ID.
|
· - investigation, prosecutions and convictions.
· No specialized services for victims
|
· Children sent t live with other family members or other intermediaries, to get a education or be a apprentice, but end up totally subjugated into forced labor.
|
China Tier 3 from Tier 2 Watch List:
The Good
|
The Bad
|
The Ugly
|
·
|
· China's legal definition of Human Trafficking defers from the internationally accepted definition.
· Not clear if some their prosecution and conviction s can be defined as human trafficking.
· Some forms of Trafficking are not deemed illegal in China.
· - Convictions of traffickers in general.
|
· Cases of Government forced labor programs for drug addicts, poeple of the Uighur ethnic group and North Koreans.
· In the case of North Koreans when not needed any more they are forcibly repatriated.
· Common practice that employer with hold personal documents or property from employs.
· Work Study programs take advantage of students and subject them to forced labor.
|
Observation: It isn't the first time that China has been in this category in the past 6 years, it had been Tier 3 in 2013.
Comoros Tier 3:
The Good
|
The Bad
|
The Ugly
|
· The State did not investigate, prosecute or obtain any convictions.
|
· Women trafficked to the Middle East.
· Poor families abandon their children that end up being exploited.
· Children in Quranic schools are forced to work.
|
Congo, Democratic Republic of the Tier 3 from Tier 2 watch list:
The Good
|
The Bad
|
The Ugly
|
· Lack of cooperation with NGOs.
· Lack of anti-trafficking legal framework.
· Lack of funding and widespread corruption.
|
· Child Soldiers.
· Government arrests victims.
· Execution of unarmed child soldiers of rebel groups.
· Children forced to steal or loot for their captors.
· Children that escape from being soldier have no institution to go to for protection and are at risk at being re-trafficked.
|
Republic of Congo Tier 3 from a Tier 2 Watch List:
The Good
|
The Bad
|
The Ugly
|
· Did not take any steps to fight trafficking.
· Never has convicted a trafficker.
|
· Polices do not allow people to publicly protest against human trafficking.
|
