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Human Rights
Documents & Texts from America.gov
Trafficking In Persons 2008 - Key Facts
Related:
• Trafficking In Persons 2008 - United Kingdom
The U.S. Congress, through its passage of the 2000 Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), as amended, requires the Secretary of State to submit this Report by June 1 of each year. The goal of this Report is to stimulate action and create partnerships around the world in the fight against modern-day slavery. Countries determined to have a significant number of trafficking victims are assigned to one of three tiers. Countries assessed as meeting the "minimum standards for the elimination of severe forms of trafficking" set forth in the TVPA are classified as Tier 1. Countries assessed as not fully complying with the minimum standards, but making significant efforts to meet those minimum standards are classified as Tier 2. Countries assessed as neither complying with the minimum standards nor making significant efforts to do so are classified as Tier 3.
The TVPA also requires the Secretary of State to provide a "Special Watch List" to Congress later in the year. Anti-trafficking efforts of the countries on this list are to be evaluated again in an Interim Assessment that the Secretary of State must provide to Congress by February 1 of each year. In addition to tracking countries that move up in "tier" ratings - from 3 to 2 or from 2 to 1 - the Special Watch List also effectively established a new, fourth tier - Tier Two Watch List. This tier consists of Tier Two countries determined: (1) not to have made "increasing efforts" over the past year; (2) to have avoided Tier 3 status based on commitments of anti-trafficking reforms over the next year, or (3) to have a very significant number of trafficking victims or a significantly increasing victim population.
Countries classified as Tier 3 are subject to statutory restrictions for the subsequent fiscal year on non-humanitarian and non-trade-related foreign assistance or, in some circumstances, withholding of funding for participation by government officials or employees of such countries in educational and cultural exchange programs. In addition, the President could instruct the U.S. executive directors to international financial institutions to oppose loans or other utilization of funds (other than for humanitarian, trade-related or certain types of development assistance) with respect to countries on Tier 3.
Countries classified as Tier 3 that take strong action within 60 days of the Report's release to show significant efforts against trafficking in person, and thereby warrant a reassessment of their Tier classification, may be able to avoid such sanctions.
A December 2005 amendment to the TVPA noted that the 2005 TIP Report ranked as Tier 3 several countries "in which the trafficking involved forced labor, including the trafficking of women into domestic servitude." The 2005 amendment called on the Department of State's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons to increase its focus on forced labor in the Tier 3 countries mentioned, as well as "other countries in which forced labor continues to be a serious human rights concern."
The 2005 amendment also revised the forth minimum standard by expanding existing criteria that "should be considered" beginning in January 2008, in evaluating whether a country is making "serious and sustained efforts" to eliminate trafficking. Therefore, the 2008 TIP Report assesses whether each country has adopted measures to (1) "reduce the demand for commercial sex acts and for participation in international sex tourism by nationals of the country"; (2) "ensure that its nationals who are deployed abroad as part of a peacekeeping or other similar mission do not engage in or facilitate severe forms of trafficking in persons or exploit victims of such trafficking"; and (3) "prevent the use of forced labor or child labor in violation of international standards." The amendment further mandates that, commencing in 2008, the TIP Report evaluate whether countries take law enforcement action against nationals "deployed abroad as part of a peacekeeping or other similar mission" who participate in or facilitate severe forms of trafficking in persons.
The text of the TVPA and amendments can be found on the following website: www.state.gov/g/tip.
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| — Related — |
Trafficking In Persons 2008
• The United Kingdom.
04 June 2008
Rice Remarks at Release of Annual Trafficking in Persons Report
Ambassador Lagon Briefs on Release of Trafficking in Persons Report
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