An influential annual report into people trafficking was published Monday, June 27, by the U.S. Government showing how national governments are faring in the fight. The Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report ranks countries according to efforts made to stop trafficking, help the victims and how a government works with other agencies. It gathers information from embassies, charities and individual stories. For countries dropping down into the bottom tier it can mean some sanctions and the loss of some U.S. aid.
Tier 1 countries meet the minimum guidelines but are expected to do more to rise above the baseline. Tier 2 countries do not meet the minimum standards but are making significant efforts to reach them. Tier 2 Watch countries do not meet the minimum standards and also have a large number of victims or there is no evidence of the anti-trafficking work being done. Tier 3 countries do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to meet them.
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Israel’s neighbors are the biggest human traffickers
This map comes from a new report from the US State Department on human trafficking.
The Middle East is even worse than Africa in this regard.
Tier 1: Countries whose governments fully comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s (TVPA) minimum standards.
Tier 2: Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the TVPA’s minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.
Tier 3: Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so.
There seems to be only one Tier 1 country in the entire region.