Venezuela is a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Venezuelan women and girls, including some lured from poor interior regions to urban and tourist centers, are subjected to sex trafficking within the country. NGOs continue to report Venezuelan women are subjected to forced prostitution in Caribbean islands, particularly Aruba, Curacao, and Trinidad and Tobago. Venezuelan children are exploited, frequently by their families, in domestic servitude in areas such as cooking, cleaning, and childcare within the country. Venezuelan officials and international organizations have reported identifying sex and labor trafficking victims from South American, Caribbean, Asian, and African countries within Venezuela. Ecuadorian children and women residing in Venezuela are subjected to forced labor in the informal sector and domestic servitude. Reports indicate some of the estimated 30,000 Cuban citizens, particularly doctors, working in Venezuela on government social programs in exchange for the Venezuelan government’s provision of resources to the Cuban government may have experienced treatment indicative of forced labor. Indicators of forced labor reported by some Cubans participating in the program include chronic underpayment of wages, mandatory long hours, and threats of retaliatory actions to the citizens and their families if they leave the program.
Human Trafficking
September 13, 2016
Human Trafficking - Venezuela
September 06, 2016
Human Trafficking - Uruguay
Uruguay is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children exploited in forced labor and sex trafficking. Uruguayan women and girls—and to a more limited extent transgender and male youth—are exploited in sex trafficking within the country. Uruguayan women are forced into prostitution in Spain, Italy, Argentina, and Brazil, though numbers of identified Uruguayan victims exploited abroad have decreased in recent years. Women from the Dominican Republic, and to a lesser extent from South American countries, are exploited in sex trafficking in Uruguay. Foreign workers in domestic service, agriculture, and lumber processing are vulnerable to forced labor. Some foreign fishermen aboard foreign-flagged commercial boats that have docked in Uruguay have reported indicators of forced labor, such as nonpayment of wages and physical and verbal abuse. Uruguayan officials have identified citizens of other countries, including China and the Dominican Republic, transiting Uruguay en route to other countries, particularly Argentina, as potential victims of sex and labor trafficking.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking T-Z
August 23, 2016
Human Trafficking - Suriname
Suriname is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to sex trafficking and men, women, and children subjected to forced labor. Reported trafficking cases in Suriname’s remote jungle interior—which constitutes approximately 80 percent of the country—increased in recent years; limited government presence in the interior renders the full scope of the problem unknown. Women and girls from Suriname, Guyana, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic are subjected to sex trafficking in Suriname—including in remote and illegal gold mining camps in Suriname’s interior. Migrant workers in agriculture and on fishing boats off Suriname’s coast are highly vulnerable to forced labor, as are children working in gold mines and informal urban sectors. Chinese immigrants are subjected to sex and labor trafficking in Suriname, including in the mining, service, and construction sectors. Surinamese women in neighboring countries and territories engage in prostitution and may be vulnerable to sex trafficking. Traffickers from Suriname exploit victims in the Netherlands. Trafficking victims may transit Suriname’s remote interior to bypass official checkpoints. Government corruption and possible local official complicity in trafficking crimes impede anti-trafficking efforts.
US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking N-S 2015
August 16, 2016
Human Trafficking - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. NGOs and government officials report some adults pressure local children under the age of 18 to engage in sex acts with men in exchange for money or gifts; third-party prostitution of children under 18 is a form of human trafficking. Local officials and NGOs have also raised concerns about foreign women engaged in prostitution or foreign workers from South America and the Caribbean subjected to forced labor in or while transiting through the country. Foreign workers employed by small, foreign-owned companies are particularly vulnerable to labor trafficking. Men, women, and children are vulnerable to forced labor in the country, primarily in agriculture.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking N-S 2015
August 09, 2016
Human Trafficking - Saint Lucia
St. Lucia is a source and destination country for persons subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Legal and illegal immigrants from the Caribbean and South Asia, especially those working in domestic service, are the groups most vulnerable to human trafficking. There are indications internal prostitution of St. Lucian children occurs; third-party prostitution of children under 18 is a form of human trafficking. Foreign women in prostitution are also vulnerable to sex trafficking. According to police and NGOs, pimps, strip club operators, and brothel owners are the most likely sex trafficking perpetrators in the country. St. Lucian citizens are subjected to trafficking in the United Kingdom and other Caribbean countries. Off duty police officers sometimes provided security for sex trade establishments.
US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking N-S 2015
July 19, 2016
Human Trafficking - Paraguay
Paraguay is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Paraguayan women and girls are subjected to sex trafficking within the country, and transgender Paraguayans are vulnerable to sex trafficking. An estimated 47,000 Paraguayan children work as domestic servants in exchange for food, board, and occasionally education or a small stipend in a system called criadazgo; many of these children are trafficking victims. NGOs report child domestic workers are highly vulnerable to sex trafficking. Indigenous persons are particularly at risk for forced labor and sex trafficking, and in the Chaco region some indigenous Paraguayans are reportedly subject to forced labor and exploitation on cattle ranches and in agriculture. Children engaged in street vending and begging and working in agriculture, mining, brick making, and ranching are vulnerable to human trafficking. An armed group recruits adolescent Paraguayans, two of whom died in combat with Paraguayan forces in 2014. Paraguayan victims of sex trafficking and forced labor are found in Argentina, Spain, Brazil, and other countries. Foreign victims of sex and labor trafficking in Paraguay are mostly from other South American countries. In January 2015, Paraguayan authorities identified approximately 80 Taiwanese citizens who were allegedly forced to work for online gambling
sites catering to clients in China. Lawyers for the potential victims reported police officers had robbed the victims during a raid. Prosecutors report Paraguayan women are recruited as couriers of illicit narcotics to Europe and Africa, where they are subsequently coerced into forced prostitution. Paraguayan children, as well as men and boys from Brazil, are reportedly subjected to forced labor in the cultivation and sale of illicit drugs. Bolivian labor trafficking victims transit Paraguay en route to Brazil, and press reports indicate Chinese labor trafficking victims transit Paraguay en route to Argentina. NGOs and authorities reported government officials—including police, border guards, judges, and public registry employees—facilitated human trafficking, including by taking bribes from brothel owners in exchange for protection, extorting suspected traffickers to prevent arrest, and producing fraudulent identity documents.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking N-S 2015
July 12, 2016
Human Trafficking - Panama
Panama is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor.
Most Panamanian trafficking victims are exploited in sex trafficking in the country. Panamanian women are also vulnerable to sex trafficking in other countries, including one known case in Guyana. The majority of foreign trafficking victims in Panama are women from Colombia, neighboring Central American countries, and the Dominican Republic. Most of these women migrate voluntarily to Panama for employment—including in the sex trade—but are subsequently exploited in sex trafficking or, to a lesser extent, in domestic servitude. Colombian refugee women are particularly vulnerable to sex trafficking. Within the last five years, authorities have identified Eastern European women working in nightclubs as potential sex trafficking victims. Nicaraguan, and to a lesser extent, Colombian men are subjected to labor trafficking in construction, agriculture, mining, and other sectors. Men and women from China are subjected to debt bondage, including in supermarkets, laundries, and other small businesses operated by Chinese citizens. Authorities have reported cases of traffickers subjecting men from Colombia to forced labor in restaurants, and an international organization has identified cases of debt bondage of Indian men in door-to-door peddling. Men from the United States have been investigated as child sex tourists in Panama. Panamanian and European officials reported some men and women from other countries, who transit Panama en route to the Caribbean or Europe, are subsequently subjected to sex or labor trafficking in their destinations. Immigration officials have been investigated for labor trafficking offenses.
The US State Department's 2014 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking N-S 2015
June 28, 2016
Human Trafficking - Mexico
Mexico is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Groups considered most vulnerable to human trafficking in Mexico include women, children, indigenous persons, persons with mental and physical disabilities, migrants, and LGBT Mexicans. Mexican women and children, and to a lesser extent men and transgender Mexicans, are exploited in sex trafficking within Mexico and the United States. Mexican men, women, and children are exploited in forced labor in agriculture, domestic service, food processing, construction, the informal economy, begging, and vending in both the United States and Mexico. Press reports state some Mexican citizens have wages systematically withheld, are held in debt bondage in agriculture, and are indebted to recruiters or to company stores. Residents at some substance addiction rehabilitation centers and women’s shelters have been subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. The vast majority of foreign victims of forced labor and sex trafficking in Mexico are from Central and South America. Victims from other regions have also been identified in Mexico, some en route to the United States. Child sex tourism persists, especially in tourist areas and in northern border cities. Many child sex tourists are from the United States, Canada, and Western Europe. Organized criminal groups profit from sex trafficking and force Mexican and foreign men, women, and children to engage in illicit activities, including as hit men; lookouts; and in the production, transportation, and sale of drugs. Trafficking-related corruption among public officials, especially local law enforcement, judicial, and immigration officials, is a significant concern. Some officials extort bribes and sexual services from adults and children in prostitution; extort irregular migrants, including trafficking victims; falsify victims’ documents; threaten victims with prosecution if they will not file official complaints against their traffickers; accept bribes from traffickers; facilitate movement of victims across borders; operate or patronize brothels where victims are exploited; or fail to respond to trafficking crimes, including in commercial sex locations.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking J-M 2015
June 23, 2016
Human Trafficking - Jamaica
Jamaica is a source and destination country for adults and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Sex trafficking of Jamaican women and children reportedly occurs on streets and in night clubs, bars, massage parlors, and private homes, including in resort towns. Jamaican citizens have been subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor abroad, including in other Caribbean countries, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Communities vulnerable to sex trafficking and forced labor include residents of Jamaica’s poverty-stricken areas ruled by criminal “dons,” who remain effectively outside of the government’s control, and workers in the informal sector, particularly on family farms and in markets and shops. A high number of children are reported missing in Jamaica; some of these children are likely subjected to forced labor or sex trafficking. Foreign nationals are subjected to forced labor in Jamaica and aboard foreign-flagged fishing vessels operating in Jamaican waters. NGOs and other local observers report child sex tourism is a problem in Jamaica’s resort areas. Jamaican police officers may be complicit in prostitution rings, some of which are alleged to recruit children and coerce adults into the sex trade.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking J-M 2015
June 13, 2016
Human Trafficking - Honduras
Honduras is principally a source and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor; to a much lesser extent, it is a destination for women and girls from neighboring countries subjected to sex trafficking. Honduran women and children are exploited in sex trafficking within the country and in other countries in the region, particularly Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and the United States. LGBT Hondurans are particularly vulnerable to sex trafficking. Honduran men, women, and children are subjected to forced labor in agriculture, street vending, and domestic service in Honduras and forced labor in other countries, particularly in Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States. Indigenous Miskito boys from Honduras are vulnerable to forced labor; there has been at least one case in recent years of forced labor on a fishing vessel. NGOs report criminal organizations, including gangs, exploit girls in sex trafficking, force children into street begging, and coerce and threaten young males in urban areas to transport drugs, commit extortion, or act as hit men. During the year, there were increasing reports of children being subjected to sex trafficking on the streets of large cities, particularly the economic center of San Pedro Sula, under the guise of street begging. Honduras is a destination for child sex tourists from Canada and the United States. Some migrants to the United States are subjected to forced labor, forced criminal activity, or sex trafficking en route or upon arrival. Latin American migrants transit Honduras en route to northern Central America and North America; some are subsequently exploited in sex trafficking and forced labor. Prosecutors reported some local police provided protection to brothel owners or tipped them off about impending raids, and security officials have been investigated for purchasing commercial sex acts from child trafficking victims. There was one media report of a child sex trafficking ring in Tegucigalpa that allegedly operated with police and high-level government protection.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking D-I 2015
June 08, 2016
Human Trafficking - Haiti
Haiti is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. Most of Haiti’s trafficking cases consist of children in domestic servitude vulnerable to beatings, sexual assaults, and other abuses by individuals in the homes in which they are residing. A significant number of dismissed and runaway child domestic servants end up in prostitution or are forced into begging or street crime. Citizens of the Dominican Republic are exploited in sex trafficking and forced labor in Haiti. Other vulnerable populations include: low-income Haitians; children working in construction, agriculture, fisheries, and street vending; women and children living in camps for internally displaced persons set up as a result of the 2010 earthquake; female-headed or single-parent families; children in unscrupulous private and NGO-sponsored residential care centers; and Haitians without documentation, including those returning from the Dominican Republic or The Bahamas. Haitians are vulnerable to fraudulent labor recruitment abroad. Haitian children are exploited in prostitution, domestic servitude, agriculture, construction, and forced begging in the Dominican Republic. Haitian adults and children are exploited in forced labor primarily in the Dominican Republic, other Caribbean countries, South America, and the United States. Deficiencies and corruption in the judicial system impair efforts to prosecute criminals, including traffickers.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking D-I 2015
May 31, 2016
Human Trafficking - Haiti
Haiti is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. Most of Haiti’s trafficking cases consist of children in domestic servitude vulnerable to beatings, sexual assaults, and other abuses by individuals in the homes in which they are residing. A significant number of dismissed and runaway child domestic servants end up in prostitution or are forced into begging or street crime. Citizens of the Dominican Republic are exploited in sex trafficking and forced labor in Haiti. Other vulnerable populations include: low-income Haitians; children working in construction, agriculture, fisheries, and street vending; women and children living in camps for internally displaced persons set up as a result of the 2010 earthquake; female-headed or single-parent families; children in unscrupulous private and NGO-sponsored residential care centers; and Haitians without documentation, including those returning from the Dominican Republic or The Bahamas. Haitians are vulnerable to fraudulent labor recruitment abroad. Haitian children are exploited in prostitution, domestic servitude, agriculture, construction, and forced begging in the Dominican Republic. Haitian adults and children are exploited in forced labor primarily in the Dominican Republic, other Caribbean countries, South America, and the United States. Deficiencies and corruption in the judicial system impair efforts to prosecute criminals, including traffickers.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking D-I 2015
May 24, 2016
Human Trafficking - Guyana
Guyana is a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Women and children from Guyana, Venezuela, Suriname, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic are subjected to sex trafficking in mining communities in the interior and in urban areas. Victims are subjected to forced labor in the mining, agriculture, and forestry sectors, as well as in domestic service and shops. Children are particularly vulnerable to sex trafficking and forced labor. Limited government presence in the interior renders the full scope of trafficking crimes unknown. Guyanese nationals are subjected to sex and labor trafficking in Suriname, Jamaica, and other countries in the Caribbean region. Some police officers are complicit in trafficking crimes, and corruption impedes anti-trafficking efforts.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking D-I 2015
May 17, 2016
Human Trafficking - Guatemala
Guatemala is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Guatemalan women, girls, and boys are exploited in sex trafficking within the country and in Mexico, the United States, Belize, and other foreign countries. Foreign child sex tourists, predominantly from Canada, the United States, and Western Europe, and Guatemalan men, exploit children in prostitution. Women and children from other Latin American countries and the United States are exploited in sex trafficking in Guatemala. Guatemalan men, women, and children are subjected to forced labor within the country, often in agriculture or domestic service, and in agriculture, the garment industry, small businesses, and domestic service in Mexico, the United States, and other countries; domestic servitude in Guatemala sometimes occurs through forced marriages. Indigenous Guatemalans are particularly vulnerable to labor trafficking. Guatemalan children are exploited in forced labor in begging and street vending, particularly within Guatemala City and along the border area with Mexico. Child victims’ family members are often complicit in their exploitation. Criminal organizations, including gangs, exploit girls in sex trafficking and coerce and threaten young males in urban areas to sell or transport drugs, commit extortion, or be hit men. Some Latin American migrants transiting Guatemala en route to Mexico and the United States are subjected to sex trafficking or forced labor in Mexico, the United States, or Guatemala. Media sources have reported allegations of widespread sexual violence committed by staff in a government psychiatric facility; some of this abuse may comprise sex trafficking. Police, military, and elected officials have been investigated for paying children for sex acts, facilitating child sex trafficking, or protecting venues where trafficking occurs.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking D-I 2015
May 05, 2016
Human Trafficking - El Salvador
El Salvador is a source, transit, and destination country for women, men, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Women, men, and children, including LGBT persons, are exploited in sex trafficking within the country. Salvadoran adults and children are subjected to forced begging and forced labor in agriculture and domestic service. Some men, women, and children from neighboring countries—particularly Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Honduras—are subjected to sex trafficking, domestic servitude, or forced labor in construction or the informal sector. Gangs subject children to forced labor in illicit activities, including selling or transporting drugs. Salvadoran men, women, and children are subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor in Guatemala, Mexico, Belize, and the United States. Media and government officials report organized criminal groups, including transnational criminal organizations, are involved in trafficking crimes. Some Salvadorans who irregularly migrate to the United States are subjected to forced labor, forced criminal activity, or sex trafficking en route or upon arrival. Some Latin American migrants transiting El Salvador en route to Guatemala and North America are subsequently exploited in sex or labor trafficking. Corruption, particularly among the judiciary, remained a significant obstacle to law enforcement efforts. In 2014, media reported several public officials—including legislators, political party officials, and a mayor—purchased commercial sex acts from trafficking victims. Prison guards and justice officials have been investigated for trafficking-related complicity.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking D-I 2015
April 26, 2016
Human Trafficking - Ecuador
Ecuador is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Ecuadorian men, women, and children are exploited in sex trafficking within the country, as well as in domestic servitude, forced begging, and forced labor, primarily in agriculture, as well as in the informal sector. In some regions, local gangs are involved in sex trafficking. Indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorians, as well as Colombian refugees and migrants, are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking. Traffickers recruit children from impoverished indigenous families under false promises of employment; these children are forced to beg or to work as domestic servants, in sweatshops, or as street and commercial vendors within Ecuador or in other South American countries. Ecuadorian children are subjected to forced labor in criminal activity, such as drug trafficking and robbery. An illegal armed group reportedly has attempted to recruit Ecuadorian children along the northern border with Colombia. Ecuadorian women and children are exploited in forced labor and sex trafficking abroad, including in other South American countries, the United States, and Europe. Ecuador is a destination for Colombian, Peruvian, Paraguayan, and Cuban women and girls exploited in sex trafficking, domestic servitude, and forced begging. Ecuadorian citizens may be vulnerable to forced labor on palm oil plantations. In 2014, U.S. officials arrested a U.S. citizen for attempting to facilitate child sex tourism in Ecuador. Corrupt Ecuadorian officials allegedly alerted traffickers prior to some law enforcement operations and ignored sex trafficking in commercial sex sites, and some local authorities issued falsified business licenses to brothels.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking D-I 2015
April 19, 2016
Human Trafficking - Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Large numbers of Dominican women and children are subjected to sex trafficking throughout the Dominican Republic, the Caribbean, Europe, South and Central America, the Middle East, Asia, and the United States. Commercial sexual exploitation of local children by foreign tourists and locals persists, particularly in coastal resort areas of the Dominican Republic. NGO research indicates sex trafficking of 15- to 17-year-old girls occurs in the street, parks, and on beaches. Traffickers lure Dominican and foreign women to work in night clubs in the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Latin America and subject them to sex trafficking. Dominican officials and NGOs have documented cases of children forced into domestic service, street vending, begging, agricultural work, construction, and moving of illicit narcotics. There are reports of forced labor of adults in construction, agricultural, and service sectors. Vulnerable populations include working children and street children, migrant workers, and undocumented or stateless persons of Haitian descent. NGOs and people in prostitution report police complicity and abuse of people in prostitution, including in areas known for child sex trafficking.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking D-I 2015
April 05, 2016
Human Trafficking - Cuba
Cuba is a source country for adults and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Information on the scope of sex trafficking and forced labor in Cuba is limited. Child sex trafficking and child sex tourism occur within Cuba. Cuban authorities report people from ages 13 to 20 are most vulnerable to human trafficking in Cuba. Traffickers also subject Cuban citizens to forced prostitution in South America and the Caribbean. In the Cuban economy, the government is the dominant employer, including in foreign medical missions, which employ more than 51,000 workers in over 67 countries and constitute a significant source of Cuban government income. Some participants in foreign medical missions as well as other sources allege that Cuban officials force or coerce participation in the program; the Cuban government denies these allegations. Some Cubans participating in these work missions have stated the postings are voluntary and well paid compared to jobs within Cuba. There have also been claims that Cuban authorities coerced participants to remain in the program, including by allegedly withholding their passports, restricting their movement, or threatening to revoke their medical licenses or retaliate against their family members in Cuba if participants leave the program. There are also claims about substandard working and living conditions and the existence of “minders” to monitor victims outside of work. Some medical professionals participating in the missions are in possession of their passports when they apply for and obtain special United States visa and immigration benefits, indicating passport retention is not a consistent practice across all work missions. The government arranges for high school students in rural areas to harvest crops, but claims this work is not coerced.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking A-C 2015
March 29, 2016
Human Trafficking - Costa Rica
Costa Rica is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Costa Rican women and children are subjected to sex trafficking within the country, with those living in the north and central Pacific coast zones being particularly vulnerable. Authorities have identified adults using children to transport or sell drugs; some of these children may be trafficking victims. There are a significant number of transgender Costa Ricans in the commercial sex industry who are vulnerable to sex trafficking. Women and girls from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and other Latin American countries have been identified in Costa Rica as victims of sex trafficking and domestic servitude. Child sex tourism is a serious problem, with child sex tourists arriving mostly from the United States and Europe. Men and children from other Central American countries and from Asian countries, including China, are subjected to conditions of forced labor in Costa Rica, particularly in the agriculture, construction, fishing, and commercial sectors. Nicaraguan men and women transit Costa Rica en route to Panama, where some are subsequently subjected to forced labor or sex trafficking. Indigenous Panamanians are also reportedly vulnerable to forced labor in agriculture in Costa Rica. Government officials, including a mayor, have been investigated for suspected involvement in sex trafficking.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking A-C 2015
March 22, 2016
Human Trafficking - Costa Rica
Costa Rica is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Costa Rican women and children are subjected to sex trafficking within the country, with those living in the north and central Pacific coast zones being particularly vulnerable. Authorities have identified adults using children to transport or sell drugs; some of these children may be trafficking victims. There are a significant number of transgender Costa Ricans in the commercial sex industry who are vulnerable to sex trafficking. Women and girls from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and other Latin American countries have been identified in Costa Rica as victims of sex trafficking and domestic servitude. Child sex tourism is a serious problem, with child sex tourists arriving mostly from the United States and Europe. Men and children from other Central American countries and from Asian countries, including China, are subjected to conditions of forced labor in Costa Rica, particularly in the agriculture, construction, fishing, and commercial sectors. Nicaraguan men and women transit Costa Rica en route to Panama, where some are subsequently subjected to forced labor or sex trafficking. Indigenous Panamanians are also reportedly vulnerable to forced labor in agriculture in Costa Rica. Government officials, including a mayor, have been investigated for suspected involvement in sex trafficking.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking A-C 2015
March 16, 2016
Human Trafficking - Columbia
Colombia is a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex and labor trafficking. Groups at high risk for trafficking include internally displaced persons, Afro-Colombians, Colombians with disabilities, indigenous Colombians, and Colombians in areas where armed criminal groups are active. Sex trafficking of Colombian women and children occurs within the country and Colombian women and children are found in sex trafficking around the world, particularly in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia. Authorities reported high rates of child prostitution in areas with tourism and large extractive industries, and sex trafficking in mining areas sometimes involves organized criminal groups. Transgender Colombians and Colombian men in prostitution are vulnerable to sex trafficking within Colombia and in Europe. Colombian labor trafficking victims are found in mining, agriculture, and domestic service. Colombian children working in the informal sector, including as street vendors, are vulnerable to labor trafficking. Colombian children and adults are exploited in forced begging in urban areas. Illegal armed groups forcibly recruit children to serve as combatants and informants, to cultivate illegal narcotics, or to be exploited in prostitution. Organized criminal groups and other individuals force vulnerable Colombians, including displaced persons, into prostitution and criminal activity—particularly to sell and transport illegal narcotics and serve as lookouts and assassins. Colombian men and women
are exploited in forced labor abroad, particularly within Latin America. To a more limited extent, foreign victims are subjected to sex and labor trafficking in Colombia. Colombia is a destination for foreign child sex tourists, primarily from North America and Europe.
The US State Department's 2014 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking A-C 2015
March 09, 2016
Human Trafficking - Chile
Chile is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Chilean women and children are exploited in sex trafficking within the country, as are women and girls from other Latin American countries and possibly from Asia. Men, women, and children—primarily from other Latin American countries, as well as Asia—are exploited in forced labor in mining, agriculture, construction, street vending, the hospitality and restaurant sectors, the garment sector, and in domestic service. Authorities report that Chinese immigrants may also be vulnerable to both sex trafficking and forced labor. Chilean authorities identified 90 children involved in illicit activities in 2014, including drug trafficking and robbery; some of these children may have been trafficking victims. Chilean officials report that Chile is a transit country for trafficking victims from other countries, including possibly to Europe, and that some Chilean women may be exploited in sex trafficking in other countries. NGOs report brothels in small towns are often frequented by police officers, dissuading potential trafficking victims from reporting their exploitation.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking in Chile: Download Human Trafficking A-C 2015
March 02, 2016
Human Trafficking - Canada
Canada is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Canadian girls, boys, and women are exploited in sex trafficking across the country; women and girls from Aboriginal communities and girls in the child welfare system are especially vulnerable. Foreign women, primarily from Asia and Eastern Europe, are subjected to sex trafficking in Canada. Law enforcement officials report some local street gangs and transnational criminal organizations are involved in sex trafficking. Labor trafficking victims include foreign workers from Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa who enter Canada legally, but are subsequently subjected to forced labor in a variety of sectors, including agriculture, construction, food processing plants, restaurants, the hospitality sector, or as domestic servants, including in diplomatic households. Canada is a source country for tourists who travel abroad to engage in sex acts with children. Canadian trafficking victims have been exploited in the United States.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking A-C 2015
February 23, 2016
Human Trafficking - Canada
Canada is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Canadian girls, boys, and women are exploited in sex trafficking across the country; women and girls from Aboriginal communities and girls in the child welfare system are especially vulnerable. Foreign women, primarily from Asia and Eastern Europe, are subjected to sex trafficking in Canada. Law enforcement officials report some local street gangs and transnational criminal organizations are involved in sex trafficking. Labor trafficking victims include foreign workers from Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa who enter Canada legally, but are subsequently subjected to forced labor in a variety of sectors, including agriculture, construction, food processing plants, restaurants, the hospitality sector, or as domestic servants, including in diplomatic households. Canada is a source country for tourists who travel abroad to engage in sex acts with children. Canadian trafficking victims have been exploited in the United States.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking A-C 2015
February 16, 2016
Human Trafficking - Brazil
Brazil is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Brazilian women and children are exploited in sex trafficking within the country, and federal police report higher child prostitution rates in the north and northeast regions. Brazilian women are found in sex trafficking abroad, often in Western Europe. Women and girls from other South American countries, including Paraguay, are exploited in sex trafficking in Brazil. Transgender Brazilians are forced into prostitution in Brazil. Brazilian men and transgender Brazilians have been exploited in sex trafficking in Spain and Italy. Child sex tourism remains a problem, particularly in resort and coastal areas; many child sex tourists are from Europe. Brazilian law defines trabalho escravo, or slave labor, as forced labor or labor performed during exhausting work days or in degrading work conditions. While not all individuals in trabalho escravo are forced labor victims, many are. Some Brazilian men, and to lesser extent women and children, are subjected to trabalho escravo and debt bondage in rural areas, including in ranching, agriculture, charcoal production, logging, and mining. Exploitation of workers is sometimes linked to environmental damage and deforestation, particularly in the Amazon region. Brazilians are also found in trabalho escravo in urban areas in construction, factories, and the restaurant and hospitality industries. Labor inspectors have identified trabalho escravo used by sub-contractors constructing subsidized housing for a government program. Brazil is a destination for men, women, and children from other countries—including Bolivia, Paraguay, Haiti, and China—exploited in forced labor and debt bondage in many sectors, including construction; the textile industry, particularly in Sao Paulo; and small businesses. Brazilian women and children—250,000 children are employed as domestic workers in Brazil—as well as girls from other countries in the region are exploited in domestic servitude. Some Brazilian trafficking victims are forced to engage in criminal activity in Brazil and neighboring countries, including drug trafficking. Brazilian forced labor victims have been identified in other countries, including in Europe. NGOs and officials report some police officers tolerate child prostitution, patronize brothels, and rob and assault women in prostitution, impeding proactive identification of sex trafficking victims. Government officials and former officials have been investigated and prosecuted for trabalho escravo.
The US State Department's 2014 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking A-C 2015
February 10, 2016
Human Trafficking - Bolivia
Bolivia is principally a source country for men, women, and children exploited in sex trafficking and forced labor within the country and abroad. To a more limited extent, women from neighboring countries, including Brazil and Paraguay, have been identified in sex trafficking in Bolivia. Rural and poor Bolivians, most of whom are indigenous, are particularly vulnerable to sex and labor trafficking. LGBT youth are also particularly vulnerable to sex trafficking. Bolivian women and girls are found in sex trafficking within Bolivia and in neighboring countries such as Argentina, Peru, and Chile. Within the country, Bolivian men, women, and children are found in forced labor in domestic service, mining, ranching, and agriculture. Press report cases of children forced to commit crimes, such as robbery and drug production, and others exploited in forced begging. A significant number of Bolivians are found in forced labor in Argentina, Brazil, and other countries in sweatshops, agriculture, domestic service, and the informal sector. Authorities and an international organization report some foreign nationals engage in child sex tourism, and some migrants transiting to neighboring countries are vulnerable to human trafficking. Some law enforcement officers reportedly frequent brothels, which may serve as a disincentive for sex trafficking victims to report their exploitation.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking A-C 2015
February 03, 2016
Human Trafficking - Belize
Belize is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. The UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons reported Belizean women and girls were subjected to sex trafficking by family members, but the government has not arrested family members engaged in this form of trafficking. Child sex tourism, involving primarily U. S. citizens, is an emerging trend, concentrated in areas where tourism is important to the local economy. Sex trafficking and forced labor of Belizean and foreign women, girls, and LGBT persons, primarily from Central America, occurs in bars, nightclubs, brothels, and domestic service. Underage girls are reportedly present in bars that function as brothels. Foreign men, women, and children—particularly from Central America, Mexico, and Asia—migrate voluntarily to Belize in search of work; some may fall victim to forced labor in restaurants, shops, agriculture, and fishing. Traffickers often recruit through false promises of relatively high-paying jobs and subsequently subject victims to forced labor or sex trafficking. Trafficking-related complicity by government officials, including allegations of involvement of high-level officials, remains a problem.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking A-C 2015
January 26, 2016
Human Trafficking - Barbados
Barbados is a source country for children subjected to sex trafficking and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Authorities and NGOs report foreign women have been forced into prostitution in Barbados. Foreigners are subjected to forced labor in Barbados, most notably in domestic service, agriculture, and construction. Legal and undocumented immigrants from Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Guyana are especially vulnerable to trafficking. Child sex trafficking occurs in Barbados. Authorities and NGOs also report parents or caregivers subject local and foreign children of both sexes to commercial sex.
The Government of Barbados does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government acceded to the 2000 UN TIP Protocol in October 2014, drafted amendments to its anti-trafficking law to prohibit all forms of human trafficking, and began developing a government-wide anti-trafficking manual. The government did not identify any new trafficking victims, but assisted previously identified trafficking victims during the reporting period. The government did not convict any traffickers; however, police investigated a government official for alleged complicity in sex trafficking crimes.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking A-C 2015
January 19, 2016
Human Trafficking - The Bahamas
The Bahamas is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children from other Caribbean countries, South and Central America, and Asia subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor, including in domestic servitude and construction. Vulnerable populations include migrant workers who arrive voluntarily to work as domestic employees and laborers, children born in The Bahamas to foreign-born parents who do not automatically receive Bahamian citizenship, girls exploited in prostitution, and foreign nationals in prostitution and exotic dancing. Traffickers lure victims with false promises and fraudulent recruitment practices, and maintain victims in sex trafficking and forced labor by confiscating passports and restricting movements.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking A-C 2015.
January 12, 2016
Human Trafficking - Argentina
Argentina is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Argentine women and children are subjected to sex trafficking within the country, as are women and children from other Latin American countries. To a more limited extent, Argentine men, women, and children are subjected to sex and labor trafficking in other countries. Transgender Argentines are exploited in sex trafficking within the country and in Western Europe. Men, women, and children from Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, and other countries are subjected to forced labor in a variety of sectors, including sweatshops, agriculture, street vending, charcoal and brick production, domestic work, and small businesses. Chinese citizens working in supermarkets are vulnerable to debt bondage. Argentine officials report isolated cases of foreign victims recruited in Argentina and subjected to trafficking in third countries. Some officials, mainly at the provincial level, including police officers and mayors, protect brothels where trafficking occurred. NGOs and officials report that judges receive bribes from traffickers or do not adequately investigate signs of official complicity. A government
entity has reported police were complicit in 40 percent of sex trafficking cases either as purchasers of commercial sex or as personal contacts of brothel owners; this serves as a disincentive for victims to report exploitation.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking A-C 2015
December 29, 2015
Human Trafficking - Yemen
Yemen is a country of origin and, to a lesser extent, transit and destination, for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor, and women and children subjected to sex trafficking. Yemen’s deteriorating security situation, weakened rule of law, and deepening poverty in 2014 increased trafficking activities. As a result of Houthi expansion and eventual seizure of government institutions in late 2014, the number of child soldiers utilized by armed groups greatly increased. Checkpoints operated by Houthi militias and government forces are often manned by armed boys who appear to be as young as 10 years old. Some Yemeni children, mostly boys, migrate to the cities of Aden and Sana’a or to Saudi Arabia and, to a lesser extent, Oman—where they are subjected to forced labor in domestic service, small shops, or as beggars. Some of these children are forced into prostitution by traffickers, security officials, and their employers upon arrival in Saudi Arabia, while others are forced to smuggle drugs into Saudi Arabia.
The US State Department's 2014 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking T-Z
December 15, 2015
Human Trafficking - United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a destination and transit country for men and women predominantly from South, Southeast, and Central Asia and Eastern Europe who are subjected to labor and sex trafficking. Migrant workers, who comprise over 95 percent of the UAE’s private sector workforce, are recruited primarily from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Iran, and East, South, and Southeast Asia; some of these workers face forced labor in the UAE. Women from some of these countries travel willingly to the UAE to work as domestic workers, secretaries, beauticians, and hotel cleaners, but some are subjected to forced labor through unlawful passport withholding, restrictions on movement, nonpayment of wages, threats, and physical or sexual abuse. Restrictive sponsorship laws for foreign domestic workers give employers power to control domestic workers’ movements, threaten them with abuse of legal processes, and make them vulnerable to exploitation. Men from South Asia are recruited to work in the UAE in the construction sector; some are subjected to forced labor through debt bondage to repay recruitment fees. In some cases, employers declare bankruptcy and flee the country, abandoning their employees in conditions that leave them vulnerable to further exploitation. Some source-country labor recruitment companies hire workers with false employment contracts, where the terms and conditions are never honored or are changed, such that workers are forced into involuntary servitude and debt bondage once in the UAE. Some women from Eastern Europe, Central Asia, East and Southeast Asia, East Africa, Iraq, Iran, and Morocco are subjected to forced prostitution in the UAE. In 2014, media attention focused on reports alleging official complicity with the exploitation of workers on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, including passport withholding, abuse, detention, and deportation of about 500 workers after their attempt to strike.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking T-Z
December 08, 2015
Human Trafficking - Tunisia
Tunisia is a source, destination, and possible transit country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. According to a baseline study conducted in 2012, Tunisian youth are subjected to various forms of trafficking which appear to be consistent with previously reported patterns. According to the study, Tunisian girls, mainly from the northwest, work as domestic servants for wealthy families in Tunis and major coastal cities. Some child domestic workers experience restrictions on movement, physical and psychological violence, and sexual abuse. International organizations have reported an increased presence of street children and rural children working to support their families in Tunisia since the 2011 revolution; according to the baseline study, these children are vulnerable to forced labor or sex trafficking. Tunisian women have reportedly been forced into prostitution under false promises of work both within the country and elsewhere in the region, such as Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan. Women from West and East Africa may be subjected to forced labor as domestic workers. Migrants fleeing unrest in neighboring countries continue to be vulnerable to trafficking. Security officials report organized gangs force street children to serve as thieves and beggars and to transport drugs.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking T-Z
December 01, 2015
Human Trafficking - Syria
The situation in Syria continues to deteriorate as the civil war continues and sub-state armed groups of varying ideologies control wide swathes of the country’s territory. Incidents of human trafficking have increased and trafficking victims remain trapped in Syria, particularly as the designated terrorist organization, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)—also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the Islamic State (IS), or Daesh in Arabic—took control of the eastern governorates of Raqqa and Dayr al-Zawr. Approximately half of Syria’s pre-war population has been displaced; nearly four million have fled to neighboring countries and roughly 7.6 million are internally displaced. Syrians, including those that remain in the country and refugees in neighboring countries, remain highly vulnerable
to trafficking.
Syria is a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. Syrian children displaced within the country continue to be subjected to forced labor, particularly by organized begging rings. Multiple sources report ISIL continues to force local Syrian girls and women in ISIL-controlled areas into marriages with its fighters. ISIL has also abducted thousands of Yezidi women and girls from Iraq and forcibly brought them to Syria to sell in human trafficking rings or to provide to fighters where they experience forced marriage, domestic servitude, systematic rape, and sexual violence. Following the February 2015 ISIL incursion into Assyrian villages in the northwestern province of Hasaka, ISIL captured up to 30 Assyrian Christian women and forced them into sexual slavery. In December 2014, ISIL publicly released guidelines on how to capture, forcibly hold, and sexually abuse female slaves, including girls. Pro-government forces, armed opposition groups,
and ISIL continue to forcibly recruit and use Syrian children as soldiers, human shields, and executioners, as well as in support roles. The Syrian army and its pro-regime militias forcibly recruit boys, some as young as 6 years old; in Aleppo, government forces used children as part of coordinated military operations to locate armed groups prior to attacks; children are paid to act as informants, exposing them to retaliation and extreme punishment. ISIL actively deploys children in hostilities, including coercing children to behead Syrian regime soldiers and using them in combat roles during the assault on Kobane in late 2014; it has deliberately targeted children for indoctrination and used schools for military purposes, endangering children and preventing their access to education. ISIL has established training camps where it instructs children, nicknamed “Cubs of the Caliphate,” to operate weapons and be deployed as suicide bombers. Armed groups, including Ahrar Al-Sham and Jabhat Al-Nusra, have targeted women and children to be taken as hostages for use in prisoner exchanges. Kurdish Yekineyen Parastina Gel (YPG) forces are reported to have abducted children and accepted them into its ranks to be used in active hostilities, despite an international commitment to the contrary. Kurdish Democratic Union Party (or PYD, using its popular acronym)-affiliated Kurdish “asayish” security forces reportedly captured unknown numbers of men and women between the ages of 18 and 30 at checkpoints and from residences in Darbasiyah and other Kurdish areas and compelled them to fight for the YPG, and all female YPJ forces, under duress. The media reported instances in which the Iranian government recruited primarily Shia men from the Afghan expatriate community in Iran to fight in Syria, ostensibly to defend Shia shrines, in exchange for $500 a month, Iranian residency, and in some cases, dismissal of criminal sentences in Iran. Migrant workers and undocumented migrants in Iran are often subject to harsh treatment with few or no legal remedies, which can make them vulnerable to trafficking. Some foreigners, including migrants from Central Asia, children, and western women, are reportedly forced, coerced, or fraudulently recruited to join extremist fighters, including ISIL in Syria; some of these foreigners may willingly join militants but are subsequently forced to remain in Syria against their will.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking N-S 2015
November 24, 2015
Human Trafficking - Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is a destination country for men and women subjected to forced labor and, to a lesser extent, forced prostitution. Men and women primarily from South and East Asia, the Middle East, and Africa voluntarily migrate to Saudi Arabia as domestic workers or low-skilled laborers; many of these workers subsequently face involuntary servitude. Non-payment of wages is the most common complaint from foreign workers in the Kingdom, while employers’ withholding of workers’ passports remains widespread. The foreign worker population is the most vulnerable to trafficking in Saudi Arabia, particularly female domestic workers due to their isolation inside private residences. The ILO estimated in 2013 that Saudi Arabia is one of the largest employers of domestic workers in the world, a sector with the highest average working hours. Some foreign nationals who have experienced indicators of trafficking have been placed on death row. Although many migrant workers sign contracts, some report work conditions substantially different from those described in the contract, while other workers never see a contract at all. Some migrant workers voluntarily enter into illegal arrangements and pay a Saudi national
to sponsor their residence permit while they seek freelance work, thus becoming vulnerable to possible extortion by their sponsors. Due to Saudi Arabia’s requirement that foreign workers obtain an exit visa from their employers to legally leave the country, some are forced to work for months or years beyond their contract term because their employers will not grant them an exit permit. Some women, primarily from Asia and Africa, are believed to be forced into prostitution in Saudi Arabia. After running away from abusive employers, some female domestic workers are kidnapped and forced into prostitution. Children from South Asia, East Africa, and Yemen are subjected to forced labor as beggars and street vendors, facilitated by criminal gangs. A government study conducted in 2011 reported most beggars in Saudi Arabia are Yemenis between the ages of 16 and 25. Migrants from Yemen and the Horn of Africa enter Saudi Arabia illegally—sometimes with the help of smugglers—via the Yemeni border; some of them may be trafficking victims. Some Saudi nationals engage in sex tourism in various countries worldwide. The Saudi government did
not report efforts to address child sex tourism by Saudi nationals abroad through any law enforcement efforts. Some Saudi men used legally contracted “temporary marriages” to sexually exploit young girls and women—including Syrian refugees—overseas.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking N-S 2015
November 17, 2015
Human Trafficking - Qatar
Qatar is a destination country for men and women subjected to forced labor and, to a much lesser extent, forced prostitution. Approximately 94 percent of the country’s workforce is comprised of men and women from South and Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East who voluntarily come to work as low- and semiskilled workers, primarily in construction, oil and gas, service, transportation, and domestic work, but some subsequently face forced labor. Female domestic workers are particularly vulnerable to trafficking due to their isolation in private residences and lack of protection under Qatari labor laws. Qatar is also a destination country for women who migrate for employment purposes and become involved in prostitution; some of these women may be runaway domestic workers forced into prostitution by traffickers who exploit their illegal status. In 2014, reports by an international organization alleged Nepali and other migrant workers in Qatar died primarily due to poor working conditions.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking N-S 2015
November 10, 2015
Human Trafficking - Oman
Oman is a destination and transit country for men and women, primarily from South Asia and East Africa, subjected to forced labor and, to a lesser extent, sex trafficking. Most migrants travel willingly and legally to Oman with the expectation of employment in domestic service or as workers in the country’s construction, agriculture, and service sectors; some are subsequently subjected to forced labor. Labor source-country officials report domestic workers seeking assistance experience excessive working hours, passport confiscation, and physical and mental abuse. Unscrupulous labor recruitment agencies and their sub-agents in South Asia, and labor brokers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, and Iran deceive some workers into accepting work that constitutes forced labor. Many agencies provide false contracts with fictitious employers or wages and charge workers high recruitment fees at usurious rates of interest, leaving workers vulnerable to trafficking. Some Omani employers obtain foreign domestic workers at the porous border crossing between Buraimi, Oman and Al Ain, UAE. Employers typically secure a labor permit for domestic workers to legally work in Oman; however, some female domestic workers often leave Emirati families and are not aware they are being taken to Oman for domestic work, rendering them further vulnerable to exploitation. Women working in Oman as domestic workers from countries without a diplomatic presence in Oman, such as Ethiopia and Vietnam, are especially vulnerable to forced labor. Government sources previously noted domestic workers who run away from their employers are also susceptible to forced prostitution. Male Pakistani laborers and other workers from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and East Asia transit Oman en route to the UAE; some of these migrant workers are exploited in situations of forced labor upon reaching their destination. Oman is a destination and transit country for women from Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa who are forced into prostitution, typically by nationals of their own countries.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking N-O 2015
November 03, 2015
Human Trafficking - Morocco
Morocco is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children who are subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. Some rural Moroccan girls as young as 6 years old are recruited to work in domestic service in cities and become victims of forced labor, experiencing nonpayment of wages, threats, restrictions on movement, and physical, psychological, or sexual abuse; however, an NGO reported the incidence of child domestic work has decreased since 2005. Some Moroccan boys endure forced labor while employed as apprentices in the artisanal and construction industries and in mechanic shops. Some men, women, and children, primarily from sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, enter Morocco voluntarily, but illegally, with the assistance of smugglers; upon arrival, some of the women and older girls are coerced into prostitution or, less frequently, domestic service. International organizations and local NGOs report unaccompanied children and women from Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Nigeria are highly vulnerable to sex trafficking and forced labor in Morocco. Some women from the Philippines and Indonesia are recruited for employment as domestic workers in Morocco; upon arrival, some are subjected to forced labor, experiencing nonpayment of wages, withholding of passports, and physical abuse at the hands of their employers. A local NGO noted in 2014 that the lack of a Philippine embassy or consulate in Morocco puts Philippine nationals, particularly domestic workers, at additional risk of trafficking and makes it more difficult for them to receive protection services. Criminal networks operating in Oujda, on the Algerian border, as well as in the northern coastal town of Nador, force undocumented foreign migrant women into prostitution and begging; these networks in Oujda also reportedly force children into begging. Some female migrants who transit Oujda, particularly Nigerians, are forced into prostitution once
they reach Europe. In 2014, Morocco experienced a notable increase in the number of Syrian migrants and refugees, though no information about their vulnerability to trafficking in Morocco was available.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking J-N
October 27, 2015
Human Trafficking - Libya
Due to large-scale violence driven by militias, civil unrest, and increased lawlessness in Libya that worsened in 2014, accurate information on human trafficking became increasingly difficult to obtain—in part due to the withdrawal of most diplomatic missions, international organizations, and NGOs from the country. Trafficking victims or those vulnerable to trafficking, such as migrant workers, who remain in the country may be vulnerable to increased violence. In February 2015, the media reported 15,000 Egyptian migrant laborers had fled Libya following the beheadings of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians by militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Libya is a destination and transit country for men and women from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia subjected to forced labor and forced prostitution. Migrants seeking employment in Libya as laborers or domestic workers or who transit Libya en route to Europe are vulnerable to trafficking. In 2014, an international organization reported Syrian nationals temporarily residing in Sudan preferred to travel through Libya en route to Italy with the use of smugglers; these Syrians are at risk of trafficking. In February 2015, the media reported a Russian trafficking network brought hundreds of Bangladeshi nationals via Libya to Italy, where they subsequently endured forced labor. Prostitution rings reportedly subject sub-Saharan women to sex trafficking in brothels, particularly in southern Libya. Nigerian women are at heightened risk of being forced into prostitution, while Eritreans,
Sudanese, and Somalis are at risk of being subjected to forced labor in Libya. Trafficking networks reaching into Libya from Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, and other sub-Saharan states subject migrants to forced labor and forced prostitution following fraudulent recruitment, confiscation of identity and travel documents, withholding or nonpayment of ages, and debt bondage. One 2014 account indicated criminal groups recruited Sudanese migrants to Libya through false job offers and subsequently forced them to work in agriculture with little or no pay. Private employers in Libya mobilize detained migrants—from prisons and detention centers, including some under the control of the previous interim government—for forced labor on farms or construction sites; when the work is completed or the employers no longer require the migrants’ labor, employers return them to detention. In previous years, migrants paid smuggling fees to reach Tripoli, often under false promises of employment or eventual transit to Europe. Once these victims crossed the Libyan border, they were sometimes abandoned in southern cities or even the desert, where they were susceptible to severe forms of abuse and human trafficking. Since 2013, numerous reports indicate militias and irregular armed groups, including some affiliated with the government, conscript Libyan children under the age of 18.
The Government of Libya does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; therefore Libya is placed on Tier 3. The government’s capacity to address human trafficking was significantly hindered during the reporting period as it struggled to consolidate control over its territory and counter militia and extremist violence. Courts in major cities throughout the country ceased to function
in 2014, preventing efforts to investigate trafficking crimes or bring trafficking offenders to justice. The government did not identify or provide protection services to victims of trafficking, while authorities continued to punish victims for unlawful acts that were committed as a direct result of being subjected to human trafficking. As in previous years, the government did not address reports of detained foreign migrants being sold into forced labor with the complicity of prison and detention center guards. It failed
to prevent and provide protection to children under the age of 18 who were recruited and used by militia groups, some of which are affiliated with the government.
Download the US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking J-N
October 20, 2015
Human Trafficking - Lebanon
Lebanon is a source and destination country for women and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking and a transit point for Eastern European women and children subjected to sex trafficking in other Middle Eastern countries. Women and girls from South and Southeast Asia and an increasing number from East and West Africa experience domestic servitude in Lebanon with the assistance of recruitment agencies that at times engage in fraudulent recruitment. A highly publicized case of an Ethiopian domestic worker publicly beaten by a Lebanese recruitment agent in March 2012 exemplifies the abuse suffered by domestic workers in Lebanon. Under Lebanon’s sponsorship system, workers who leave their employers’ houses without permission forfeit their legal status, putting them at risk of re-trafficking. Women from Eastern Europe, North Africa, and Dominican Republic enter Lebanon through the artiste visa program to work in the adult entertainment industry. In 2014, approximately 3,400 women entered Lebanon under this program—a substantially lower number than in 2013—which sustains a significant sex trade and enables forced prostitution. Some women from East and West Africa also endure forced prostitution in Lebanon. Lebanese children are reportedly victims of forced labor in street begging and commercial sexual exploitation facilitated by male pimps, husbands, and boyfriends, and, at times, through early marriage. Small numbers of Lebanese girls may be subjected to sex trafficking in other Arab countries. Syrian refugee men, women, and children in Lebanon are at risk of sex trafficking and forced labor. There is a reported increase in Syrian children engaged in forced street begging. Syrian girls are brought to Lebanon for prostitution, sometimes through the guise of early marriage. Some Syrian women may be forced to engage in street prostitution, and Syrian LGBT refugees are forced or coerced into prostitution by Lebanese pimps. In 2014, NGOs reported an increase in Syrian refugees forced to work in agriculture or conduct criminal activity. Syrian gangs force Syrian refugee men, women, and children to work in the agricultural sector in Beqaa Valley.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking J-N
October 17, 2015
150+ Arrested in Nationwide Child Trafficking Bust
by Christine Rousselle Article
The FBI announced on Wednesday that more than 150 pimps were arrested as part of Operation Cross-Country, and that 149 children were rescued from sex work over the past week. Pimps were arrested in dozens of cities on both coasts.
According to the FBI, this was the largest operation to date to rescue underage victims of sex trafficking.
The FBI, in partnership with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), conducted the annual action—the ninth and largest such enforcement to date—as part of the Bureau’s Innocence Lost National Initiative.
“Our mission is to protect the American people—especially our children—from harm,” said FBI Director James Comey.” When kids are treated as a commodity in seedy hotels and on dark roadsides, we must rescue them from their nightmare and severely punish those responsible for that horror. We simply must continue to work with our partners to end the scourge of sex trafficking in our country.”
It's scary to think that human trafficking is happening in this country. Very young girls, often runaways already fleeing tough lives, are forced into this dangerous world and exploited. Nobody should be in that kind of situation, ever.
October 13, 2015
Human Trafficking - Kuwait
Kuwait is a destination country for men and women subjected to forced labor and, to a lesser degree, forced prostitution. Men and women migrate from South and Southeast Asia, Egypt, the Middle East, and increasingly throughout Africa to work in Kuwait, mainly in the domestic service, construction, and sanitation sectors. While Filipino, Indian, and Sri Lankan women continue to represent a significant percentage of Kuwait’s domestic worker population, in the last few years, there has been a reported increase in migrants from Ethiopia, Uganda, and Madagascar. Though most migrants enter Kuwait voluntarily, upon arrival some sponsors subject migrants to forced labor, including through nonpayment of wages, long working hours without rest, deprivation of food, threats, physical or sexual abuse, and restrictions on movement, such as confinement to the workplace and the withholding of passports. Many of the migrant workers arriving in Kuwait have paid exorbitant fees to labor recruiters in their home countries or are coerced into paying labor broker fees in Kuwait which, according to Kuwaiti law, should be paid by the employer—a practice making workers highly vulnerable to forced labor, including debt bondage. Some labor recruiting companies have been complicit in trafficking with their use of deceptive recruiting techniques to bring in migrant workers on the basis of unenforceable contracts and nonexistent positions, while promising employers workers who are well-trained but turn out to be unskilled. Kuwait’s sponsorship law, which ties a migrant worker’s legal residence and valid immigration status to an employer, restricts workers’ movements and penalizes them for “running away” from abusive workplaces; as a result, domestic workers are particularly vulnerable to forced labor inside private homes. While Kuwait requires employers to use a standard contract for domestic workers delineating some basic rights, Kuwait lacks a domestic labor law to govern the relationship between domestic workers and sponsors. Thus, many workers report experiencing work conditions substantially different from those described in the contract; some workers never see the contract at all and others receive Arabic- or English-language contracts that they are unable to read. In addition, sources report runaway domestic workers are sometimes exploited in forced prostitution by agents or criminals who manipulate their illegal status.
The US State Department's 2015 report on Human Trafficking: Download Human Trafficking J-N
October 06, 2015
Human Trafficking - Jordan
Jordan is a source, destination, and transit country for adults and children subjected to forced labor and, to a lesser extent, sex trafficking. Women from Southeast Asia and East Africa voluntarily migrate to Jordan for employment among the estimated 50,000 foreign domestic workers in the country; some domestic workers are subjected to forced labor. Many of these workers are unable to return to their home countries due to pending criminal charges against them or due to their inability to pay overstay penalties or plane fare home. Some migrant workers from Egypt—the largest source of foreign labor in Jordan—experience forced labor in the construction, service, and agricultural sectors. Syrians may face forced labor in the agricultural sector, while some refugee children are subjected to the worst forms of child labor. Men and women from throughout Asia migrate to work in factories in Jordan’s garment industry where some workers experience forced labor.
Jordan’s sponsorship system places a significant amount of power in the hands of employers and recruitment agencies, preventing workers from switching employers or receiving adequate access to legal recourse in response to abuse. Some Sri Lankan women engaged in prostitution in the country may be trafficking victims.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking J-N
September 29, 2015
Human Trafficking - Israel
Israel is a destination country for men and women subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking and, to a much lesser extent, a source country for women subjected to sex trafficking. Low-skilled workers primarily from Asia, Eastern Europe, and West Africa migrate to Israel for temporary contract labor in the construction, agriculture, caregiving, and fishing industries; some of these workers are subjected to forced labor. The average recruitment fee paid by migrants to labor recruiters is $8,400. An international organization reported in 2014 abuses endured by Thai men and women in Israel’s agricultural sector, some of which constitutes forced labor. In 2013, men from the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and India worked under harsh conditions on fishing boats, some of which constitutes human trafficking distinguished by isolation, long working hours, and withheld salaries. Caregivers are highly vulnerable to forced labor due to their isolation inside private residences, high recruitment fees, and their lack of protection under labor law. Women from Eastern Europe, Uzbekistan, China, Ghana, and to a lesser extent South America, as well as Eritrean men and women, are subjected to sex trafficking in Israel; some women arrive on tourist visas to work in prostitution but are subjected to sex trafficking. Some Israeli women and girls may be victims of sex trafficking in Israel. Since 2007, thousands of African migrants have entered Israel irregularly from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. Many of these migrants
were kidnapped along the Eritrea-Sudan border or within Sudan and subjected to severe abuses, including forced labor and sex trafficking, at the hands of criminal groups in the Sinai before reaching Israel. Due to the construction of a fence along the Israel-Egypt border and an aggressive Egyptian military campaign, the flow of these migrants arriving in Israel has nearly ceased—dropping from 10,000 in 2012 to 21 in 2014. The remaining 43,000 Eritrean and Sudanese migrants and asylum seekers, most of who arrived in Israel from the Sinai, are highly vulnerable to trafficking. In 2014,
three Population and Immigration Authority (PIBA) officials were allegedly implicated in visa and passport fraud and suspected labor trafficking involving foreign workers.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking D-I 2015
September 24, 2015
Human Trafficking - Iraq
Iraq is a source and destination country for women and children subjected to sex trafficking, and men, women, and children subjected to forced labor. The escalation of the conflict in 2014 with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) gravely increased the vulnerability of the population to trafficking, in particular women and children. ISIL militants continue to kidnap thousands of women and girls from a wide range of ethnic and religious groups, with a significant focus this past year on the Yezidi community, and sell them to ISIL fighters in Iraq and Syria where they are subjected to forced marriage, sexual slavery, rape, and domestic servitude; there are reports ISIL executes captives if they refuse to marry fighters. Women and girls who escape ISIL captivity and become displaced in the country remain vulnerable to various forms of exploitation, including re-trafficking. ISIL also abducts and forcibly uses children in combat and support roles, including as human shields, informants, bomb makers, and suicide bombers; some of these children are as young as 8 years old and some are mentally disabled. Anecdotal information from international organizations reported Shia militias fighting against ISIL recruited and used children in support roles; however, it was not possible to independently verify these claims.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking D-I 2015
September 16, 2015
Human Trafficking - Iran
Iran is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Accurate information on human trafficking, however, is difficult to obtain. Organized groups reportedly subject Iranian women, boys, and girls to sex trafficking in Iran, as well as in the United Arab Emirates and Europe. In 2013, traffickers forced Iranian women and girls into prostitution in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. From 2009-2015, there was a reported increase in the transport of girls from and through Iran en route to the Gulf where organized groups sexually exploited or forced them into marriages. In Tehran, Tabriz, and Astara, the number of teenage girls in prostitution continues to increase. Organized criminal groups force Iranian and immigrant children to work as beggars and in street vendor rings in cities, including Tehran. Physical and sexual abuse and drug addiction are the primary means of coercion. Some children are also forced to work in domestic workshops. Traffickers subject Afghan migrants, including boys, to forced labor in construction and agricultural sectors in Iran. Afghan boys are at high risk of experiencing sexual abuse by their employers and harassment or blackmailing by the Iranian security service and other government officials. Trafficking networks smuggle Afghan nationals living in Iran to Europe and subsequently force them to work in restaurants to pay off debts incurred by smuggling fees. Pakistani men and women migrate voluntarily to Iran for low-skilled employment, such as domestic work and construction. Organized groups subject some to forced
labor, under which they experience debt bondage, restriction of movement, nonpayment of wages, and physical or sexual abuse. In previous years, there were reports government officials were involved in the sex trafficking of women and girls. Reports also indicated some officials operating shelters for runaway girls forced them into prostitution rings.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking D-I 2015
September 09, 2015
Human Trafficking - Egypt
Egypt is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. Egyptian children, including those among the estimated 200,000 to one million street children, are vulnerable to sex trafficking and forced labor in domestic service, begging, and agricultural work. Individuals from the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait, purchase Egyptian women and girls for “temporary” or “summer” marriages for the purpose of prostitution or forced labor; these arrangements are often facilitated by the victims’ parents and marriage brokers, who profit from the transaction. Child sex tourism occurs primarily in Cairo, Alexandria, and Luxor. In 2011, the government’s National Center for Social and Criminological Research found 40 percent of women in jail charged with crimes of prostitution had been forced or coerced into prostitution. An international organization reported in 2013 some Egyptian women were subjected to sex trafficking in Sri Lanka. Egyptian men are subjected to forced labor in construction, agriculture, and low-paying service jobs in neighboring countries. Syrian refugees who have settled in Egypt are increasingly vulnerable to trafficking.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking D-I 2015
August 27, 2015
Human Trafficking - Algeria
Algeria is a transit and, to a lesser extent, destination and source country for women subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking and, to a lesser extent, men subjected to forced labor. Civil society groups report Algeria is increasingly becoming a destination for both undocumented migration and human trafficking. Criminal networks, which sometimes extend to sub-Saharan Africa and Europe, are involved in human trafficking and smuggling. Sub-Saharan African men and women, often en route to neighboring countries or Europe, enter Algeria voluntarily but illegally and frequently with the assistance of smugglers. Many of these migrants, unable to pay off smuggling fees once they arrive in Algeria, become indebted to traffickers. Female migrants may be forced into prostitution, domestic service, and begging. Diplomatic and NGO sources indicate that Nigerien female migrants begging in Algeria may be forced labor victims and often carry children sometimes rented from their mothers in Niger. Sub-Saharan African men endure domestic servitude; employers often confiscate their identification documents, coercing them to remain in the home to work. Illegal sub-Saharan migrants from Anglophone countries remain particularly vulnerable to forced labor and sex trafficking in Algeria, primarily due to poverty and language barriers. Foreign women and children, primarily sub-Saharan migrants, are forced into prostitution in bars and informal brothels; the traffickers are
often the victim’s co-nationals. Algerian women, and to a much lesser extent children, endure sex trafficking in Algeria. In 2014, the media and an international NGO reported Vietnamese migrants were forced to work on construction sites for Chinese contractors in Algeria.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking A-C 2015
August 19, 2015
Human Trafficking - United Kingdom
The United Kingdom (UK) is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor, including domestic servitude. Most foreign trafficking victims come from Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. The government reported a large increase in the number of identified potential victims from the UK and Eastern Europe in 2014. Albania, Nigeria, Vietnam, Romania, and Slovakia were the top countries of origin for potential victims identified during the year. UK men continue to be subjected to forced labor within the UK and in other countries in Europe. UK children are subjected to sex trafficking within the country. Officials identified two potential transgender sex trafficking victims in 2014. UK and foreign adults and children are forced into criminal behavior, including drug production and sale and theft. Children and men, mostly from Vietnam and China, are compelled to work in cannabis cultivation; many are held in debt bondage. Migrant workers in the UK are subjected to forced labor in agriculture, construction, food processing, factories, domestic service, nail salons, food services, car washes, and on
fishing boats. Children in the care system and unaccompanied migrant children are vulnerable to trafficking. Foreign domestic workers in diplomatic households are particularly vulnerable to trafficking and abuse. An NGO reported Vietnamese victims of forced criminal activity are transiting the UK en route to Ireland.
The US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking T-Z
August 13, 2015
Human Trafficking - Ukraine
Ukraine is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. Ukrainian victims are subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor in Ukraine as well as in Russia, Poland, Turkey, the United States, and other parts of Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East. Ukrainian women and children are subjected to sex trafficking within the country. Some Ukrainian children and vulnerable adults are subjected to forced begging. A small number of foreign nationals, including those from Moldova, Russia, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Cameroon, and Azerbaijan, are subjected to forced labor in Ukraine in a variety of sectors including construction, agriculture, manufacturing, domestic work, the lumber industry, nursing, and street begging. The approximately 82,000-200,000 children institutionalized in state-run orphanages are especially vulnerable to being subjected to trafficking. Officials of several
state-run institutions and orphanages are allegedly complicit or willfully negligent to the sex and labor trafficking of girls and boys under their care.
Download the US State Department's 2015 report on human trafficking: Download Human Trafficking T-Z
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