U.S. Department of State
U.S. Department of State
Other State Department Archive SitesU.S. Department of State
U.S. Department of State
U.S. Department of State
U.S. Department of State
U.S. Department of State
U.S. Department of State
U.S. Department of State
Home Issues & Press Travel & Business Countries Youth & Education Careers About State Video
 You are in: Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs > Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons > Releases and Remarks > Other Releases > 2005

Trafficking in Persons: Country Reassessments

Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
Washington, DC
September 22, 2005

On September 21, 2005, the President announced that six countries have avoided possible sanctions under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 because of significant steps their governments have taken to fight trafficking in persons. These governments – Bolivia, Jamaica, Qatar, Sudan, Togo and the United Arab Emirates – moved up from Tier 3 to Tier 2 Watch List in the Department of State’s 2005 Trafficking in Persons Report and deserve recognition for their quick action to address problems noted in the Report. The U.S. is committed to leading the fight to eradicate trafficking in persons, including trafficking for sexual exploitation, forced labor, child soldier and other forms of modern-day slavery. Steps taken by these six governments demonstrate that the U.S.’s intervention on this issue is spurring the international community to action, and most importantly, is yielding results.

These countries took concrete actions to prosecute traffickers, protect victims, and to prevent the crime of trafficking. They increased efforts to identify and rescue trafficking victims, crafted new anti-trafficking legislation and procedures among other significant measures. In several instances, these actions were taken by countries facing resource constraints and/or significant internal political challenges. This demonstrates what can be accomplished when the commitment exists to combat trafficking in persons. We commend these governments for their actions. Sudan was reassessed based in large part on the government’s commitment to implement a plan of action to end sexual violence against women in Darfur. We will look to the Sudanese government to ensure quick and effective implementation of the plan.

The steps taken by these countries stand in contrast to the continuing failure of Burma, Cambodia, Cuba, the DPRK, Ecuador, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela to make significant efforts to comply with the Act’s minimum standards. The President has determined that continued assistance for Ecuador, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia is in the U.S. national interest of promoting democratic reform, combating terrorism and drug trafficking and cooperating under the auspices of the middle East Partnership Initiative. Sanctions will therefore not be imposed on these countries, but we will continue our aggressive bilateral engagement with these governments to combat trafficking in persons. The President determined has that full sanctions will be imposed on Burma, Cuba and the DPRK. For Cambodia and Venezuela, the President determined that certain assistance to promote democracy-building and humanitarian aid should be provided.

The United States looks forward to working with these and all countries to combat this heinous crime of modern-day slavery and to prosecute the traffickers and free the victims.

Memorandum of Justification Regarding Determinations with Respect to Tier 3 Countries


  Back to top

U.S. Department of State
USA.govU.S. Department of StateUpdates  |   Frequent Questions  |   Contact Us  |   Email this Page  |   Subject Index  |   Search
The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.
About state.gov  |   Privacy Notice  |   FOIA  |   Copyright Information  |   Other U.S. Government Information

Published by the U.S. Department of State Website at http://www.state.gov maintained by the Bureau of Public Affairs.