Trafficking in persons

Afghanistan

tier rating: Tier 3 — Afghanistan does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Afghanistan remained on Tier 3; the Taliban employed or recruited child soldiers and sex slaves (including bacha bazi – a practice where men, particular community leaders, government officials, and armed groups, exploit boys for social and sexual entertainment); the Taliban made no efforts to address or prevent labor and sex trafficking, nor did they identify or protect any victims; the Taliban continued to undermine the rights of women, minorities, and other vulnerable populations and hindered the work of NGOs, further exacerbating trafficking (2023)

note:  The US has not recognized the Taliban or another entity as the government of Afghanistan. All references to “the pre-August 15, 2021 government” refer to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. References to the Taliban do not denote or imply that the US recognizes the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan. (2023)

Algeria

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch list — update pending (2024)

Belarus

tier rating: Tier 3 — Belarus does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Belarus remained on Tier 3; the government decreased trafficking-related investigations and prosecutions; fewer victims were identified and referred to services; officials did not report investigating, prosecuting, or convicting any traffickers under its trafficking statute nor did they provide adequate protection to victims; officials reportedly returned many migrants and asylum seekers to their countries of origin without screening them for indicators of trafficking; similarly, authorities did not screen Ukrainian refugees; the government did not report conducting awareness-raising activities, and its efforts to prevent labor trafficking remained inadequate; for the sixth consecutive year, Belarus did not report investigating or filing charges related to illegal recruitment of migrant workers (2023)

Brunei

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List — Brunei does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so, therefore Brunei was upgraded to Tier 2 Watch List; key achievements included referring two alleged traffickers for prosecution, including one Bruneian national, identifying and providing assistance to 14 victims, opening two shelters for victims, and signing a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding with Bangladesh on recruitment of migrant workers; however, the government did not effectively screen for trafficking among foreign nationals in commercial sex and migrant workers; officials handled some potential trafficking cases administratively, if at all, and probably inappropriately detained, prosecuted, and deported potentially unidentified sex and labor trafficking victims; for the sixth consecutive year, the government did not convict any traffickers under its anti-trafficking law, and other laws that could be used to prosecute traffickers did not provide sufficiently stringent sentences (2023)

Burma

tier rating: Tier 3 — Burma does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Burma remained on Tier 3; the regime reported investigating and convicting more traffickers, sentencing some to imprisonment, and conducting an awareness-raising event; the 2022 anti-trafficking law was enacted, criminalizing all forms of labor and sex trafficking; however, the regime did not identify or screen for any victims and, as a result, penalized victims for unlawful acts committed as a result of being trafficked; the military continued to use children and adults in forced labor; the regime did not prosecute any military or deposed government officials despite continued reports of complicity in trafficking, and it prevented civil society organizations from assisting victims; displacement resulting from military conflict, exacerbated by the February 2021 military coup that deposed the democratically elected government, made Rohingya and other ethnic groups more vulnerable to human trafficking; efforts to combat trafficking continued to decline dramatically since the coup, as the military regime shifted its focus from serving justice to persecuting pro-democracy opposition (2023)

Cambodia

tier rating: Tier 3 — Cambodia does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Cambodia remained on Tier 3; authorities took some steps to address trafficking, including continuing to investigate, prosecute and convict more traffickers, creating a special working group to investigate reports of large-scale cyber scam operations involving possible forced labor and identifying and assisting more victims; however, corruption and official complicity in trafficking, including by senior officials, remained widespread, leading to selective and politically motivated enforcement of laws while inhibiting law enforcement efforts; authorities did not investigate or hold accountable any officials involved in the large number of credible reports of complicity; officials did not effectively address forced labor in cyber scam operations nor equitably screen or assist foreign workers removed from cyber scam operations; the government inappropriately penalized victims for crimes committed as a result of being trafficked, including holding victims until they paid bribes to police for release or were repatriated by their home country (2023)

Chad

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List — update pending (2024) 

China

tier rating: Tier 3 — China does not fully meet the minimum standards for elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, China remained on Tier 3; the government took some steps to address trafficking, including adopting a Women’s Rights and Interests Protection Law, cooperating with foreign law enforcement to extradite Chinese nationals suspected of human trafficking abroad, and awarding restitution to a trafficking victim; however, the government continued its policy or pattern of widespread forced labor, including ongoing mass arbitrary detention of Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, ethnic Kyrgyz, and members of other ethnic and religious minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region; the government also implemented similar policies against other religious minorities and Tibetans in other provinces; Chinese nationals reportedly suffered forced labor in countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East hosting Belt and Road Initiative projects; for the sixth consecutive year, the government did not report complete law enforcement data, nor did it identify any trafficking victims or refer them to protection services (2023)

Congo, Republic of the

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List — The Republic of the Congo does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; the government trained law enforcement officials on the anti-trafficking law and issued six decrees to protect Indigenous People from trafficking; however, officials did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts, compared with the previous reporting period, on its anti-trafficking capacity; no investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of traffickers occurred; no reports identified victims for the third consecutive year; the government did not take any proactive measures to address alleged official complicity in trafficking, and the lack of a national anti-trafficking task force hindered overall efforts; therefore, the Republic of the Congo was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List (2023)

Cuba

tier rating:

Tier 3 — Cuba does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Cuba remained on Tier 3; the government took some steps to address trafficking, such as amending the penal code to include criminalization of labor trafficking; however, the government continued a policy or pattern to profit from labor export programs with strong indications of forced labor, particularly in its foreign medical missions program; the government continued to deploy Cuban workers to foreign countries using deceptive and coercive tactics, and failed to address an increasing number of allegations from credible NGOs and foreign governments of Cuban officials’ involvement in trafficking crimes; the government used its legal framework to threaten, coerce, and punish workers and their families if they left the labor export and medical programs (2023)

Curacao

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List — update pending (2024)

Djibouti

tier rating: Tier 3 — Djibouti does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; therefore, Djibouti was downgraded to Tier 3; the government took some steps to address trafficking, including partnering with international organizations to establish a shelter and provide services to victims, and directing creation of a national coordinating body to combat trafficking; however, officials did not report investigating or prosecuting any cases and did not convict any traffickers for the sixth consecutive year; prosecutors dropped trafficking charges or reclassified cases as other crimes with lower penalties, and judges did not incorporate provisions from the 2016 anti-trafficking law; no victims were identified for the fourth consecutive year, and protection services remained limited; the government lacked coordinated anti-trafficking efforts and did not draft a new National Action Plan to replace the expired plan; some officials continued to deny the existence of sex and labor trafficking in Djibouti (2023)

Dominican Republic

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List — the Dominican Republic does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; more traffickers were convicted, two police officers were investigated for trafficking crimes, and cooperation with international law enforcement increased; officials identified more victims and implemented new protections for vulnerable domestic workers; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts, compared with the previous reporting period, to expand its anti-trafficking capacity; the government systemically and persistently failed to screen vulnerable migrant or undocumented populations, failed to refer victims to services, and did not provide these groups with justice in trafficking crimes; officials investigated and prosecuted fewer traffickers, did not adequately investigate labor trafficking cases involving migrants and children, and did not identify victims; the government did not adopt draft amendments to improve anti-trafficking laws, did not adequately fund or provide resources to anti-trafficking efforts, and did not complete a new National Action Plan; therefore, the Dominican Republic was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List (2023)

Equatorial Guinea

tier rating:

Tier 3 — update pending (2024)

Eritrea

tier rating:

Tier 3 — Eritrea does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore Eritrea remained on Tier 3; the government continued to have a policy or pattern of human trafficking; the government exploited its citizens in forced labor in its compulsory national service and citizen militia by forcing them to serve indefinitely or for arbitrary periods; officials directed policies that perpetuated mobilization of children for forced labor in public works projects, usually within the agricultural sector, during the student summer work program known as Maetot; the government did not demonstrate any efforts to address human trafficking (2023)

Gabon

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List — Gabon does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; officials increased funding and capacity at an NGO-run shelter for victims, and also increased prosecutions and convictions of alleged traffickers; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts, compared to the previous year, to expand its anti-trafficking capacity; authorities did not report any referrals of victims to services and did not report efforts to identify, protect, or provide justice for adult victims—potential efforts that have been inadequate for several years; for the fourth consecutive year, the government did not adopt its anti-trafficking National Action Plan and lacked inter-ministerial coordination; officials did not report investigating allegations of judicial corruption related to trafficking crimes; therefore, Gabon remained on Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year (2023)

Guinea-Bissau

tier rating: Tier 3 — update pending (2024)

Haiti

tier rating: Special Category

Iran

tier rating:

Tier 3 — Iran does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Iran remained on Tier 3; the government took some steps that may prevent trafficking of some vulnerable populations, including providing access to schools, basic services, and temporary immigration relief for some Afghan children and adult refugees or migrants who registered for the government’s headcount initiative; however, the government continued a policy or pattern of employing or recruiting child soldiers and facilitating human trafficking; officials continued to perpetrate and condone trafficking crimes with impunity, both in Iran and overseas; the government did not report law enforcement efforts to address trafficking, and it brought spurious charges against LGBTQI+ activists; officials did not report investigating, prosecuting, or convicting officials complicit in the recruiting and use of child soldiers coerced to fight for Iranian-led militias in Syria; the government forced or coerced children to join Iranian security and anti-riot forces to suppress ongoing political protests, and coerced former Afghan Special Forces members to fight for Iranian-backed militia in Yemen; authorities failed to identify and protect trafficking victims among vulnerable populations and continued to deport or detain Afghan adults and children without screening for trafficking indicators (2023)

Korea, North

tier rating: Tier 3 — the government of North Korea does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, North Korea remained on Tier 3; the government did not demonstrate any efforts to address human trafficking; during the reporting period, a government policy or pattern of human trafficking existed in prison camps, in labor training centers, in massed mobilizations of adults and children, and through forced labor by North Korean workers overseas; proceeds from state-sponsored forced labor funded government operations (2023)

Kuwait

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List — Kuwait does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; officials assisted more vulnerable migrant workers at the government shelter, launched an online platform for domestic workers to file grievances, and continued to hold fraudulent recruitment agencies accountable; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts, compared to the previous year, to expand its anti-trafficking capacity; there were fewer investigations of alleged trafficking crimes and no prosecutions or convictions of traffickers; fewer victims were identified, and some officials continued to use arbitration and administrative penalties instead of investigating cases as potential human trafficking crimes; Kuwait did not implement procedures to identify and prevent trafficking, nor regularly use standard operating procedures to identify and refer victims to services; officials continued to detain, prosecute, and deport potential trafficking victims, including those fleeing forced labor or in commercial sex, without screening for trafficking indicators; the government did not take any new steps to reform its visa sponsorship system, leaving migrant workers highly vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking; therefore, Kuwait remained on Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year (2023)

Lebanon

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List — Lebanon does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; officials modestly increased investigations and continued to allow an NGO to screen migrants in the government detention center for trafficking; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts, compared with the previous reporting period, to expand its anti-trafficking capacity; a caretaker government, judicial sector strike, and widespread civil service work stoppages limited Lebanon’s ability to establish effective anti-trafficking policies and impacted anti-trafficking efforts; efforts to identify and protect trafficking victims remained woefully inadequate; officials relied on NGOs and civil society to provide shelter and services to victims and did not report providing financial or in-kind support to those organizations; the parliament did not approve a labor law amendment, pending since 2009, to extend legal protections to foreign workers, nor did it approve a draft standardized contract for migrant workers; the lack of formal victim identification and referral procedures placed victims at risk of arrest, detention, or deportation for committing unlawful acts while being trafficked; the government did not reform its visa sponsorship system despite extreme trafficking vulnerabilities inherent in the system; officials rarely convicted traffickers for exploiting domestic servants, the prevalent form of trafficking in Lebanon; therefore, Lebanon was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List (2023)

Macau

tier rating: Tier 3 — Macau does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Macau remained on Tier 3; the government took some steps to address trafficking, including investigating five suspected cases of traffickers using Macau residents in cyber scams in Southeast Asia, training police officers on anti-trafficking efforts, and initiating one prosecution; however, the government did not report proactively screening at-risk populations, such as commercial sex workers, for trafficking indicators; for the fourth consecutive year, officials did not identify or provide services to any victims; Macau has not convicted a trafficker since 2019 and has never identified a victim of forced labor exploitation domestically (2023)

Madagascar

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List — Madagascar does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; officials identified and provided services to more victims, launched an updated National Action Plan, took steps to reduce the demand for child sex tourism, and worked with an international organization to monitor Malagasy migrant workers’ conditions in Jordan; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts, compared with the previous year, to expand its anti-trafficking capacity; officials investigated fewer trafficking cases and did not report any prosecutions or convictions of suspected traffickers for the second consecutive year; the government did not hold complicit officials accountable nor investigate reports of officials facilitating child sex trafficking within Madagascar or labor trafficking of Malagasy workers abroad; for the third consecutive year, the government did not disburse funds to the National Office to Combat Human Trafficking, hindering nationwide progress and coordination; efforts to address internal crimes, including domestic servitude, forced begging, and child sex trafficking, remained inadequate, and officials continued to conflate human trafficking with other crimes including gender-based violence and sexual exploitation; therefore, Madagascar remained on Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year (2023)

Marshall Islands

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List — Marshall Islands does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; officials identified a labor trafficking victim, conducted awareness-raising activities, and continued to investigate a government official allegedly complicit in trafficking; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts, compared with the previous reporting period, to expand its anti-trafficking capacity; the government did not prosecute any traffickers for the third consecutive year and has not convicted any traffickers since 2011; officials did not use standard operating procedures to identify trafficking victims and penalized victims for immigration offenses committed as a direct result of being trafficked; law enforcement officials, who have a limited understanding of trafficking, did not receive anti-trafficking training, nor did the government provide adequate financial and technical resources for anti-trafficking efforts; therefore, Marshall Islands was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List (2023)

Nicaragua

tier rating: Tier 3 — Nicaragua does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Nicaragua remained on Tier 3; the government took some steps to address trafficking, including passing a new National Action Plan; however, the government continued to minimize the severity of the trafficking problem, did not have shelters, and did not allocate funding for victim services; authorities made negligible efforts to address labor trafficking—which remained a serious concern—and victim identification efforts remained inadequate; officials did not convict any traffickers and did not support Nicaraguan trafficking victims identified in foreign countries; the government did not cooperate with civil society to fund their work or refer victims to them for support (2023)

Papua New Guinea

tier rating: Tier 3 — Papua New Guinea does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; therefore, Papua New Guinea was downgraded to Tier 3; officials took some steps such as investigating government complicity in a sex trafficking syndicate; however, the government did not prosecute or convict any traffickers or identify and assist victims, and it often deported potential victims without screening them; endemic corruption and complicity among officials, particularly in the logging and fishing sectors, left foreigners and locals vulnerable to trafficking; the lack of resources for anti-trafficking efforts, low awareness among officials and the public, and lack of training and awareness activities continued to hinder progress (2023)

Russia

tier rating: Tier 3 — Russia does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Russia remained on Tier 3; despite the lack of significant efforts, the government facilitated the return of Russian children from Syria, some of whom may have been trafficking victims; however, a government policy or pattern of trafficking of Ukrainian citizens and North Korean workers continued; officials reportedly forced, deceived, or coerced foreign national adults to fight in Russia’s war against Ukraine or subjected some to forced labor in detention; the government continued to perpetuate North Korea’s imposition of forced labor on North Korean workers and circumvented UN Security Council resolutions prohibiting North Korean overseas labor; officials did not identify any trafficking victims, and efforts to prosecute and convict traffickers decreased; the government offered no funding or programs to provide services for trafficking victims and routinely penalized victims for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked; officials did not draft a national strategy or assign roles and responsibilities within the government to combat human trafficking; the government's forced transfer of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia—including separating some children from parents or guardians—greatly increased their vulnerability to trafficking; Russia’s war against Ukraine has created millions of Ukrainian refugees and internally displaced persons who are highly vulnerable to trafficking (2023)

Serbia

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List — Serbia does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; the government identified more victims and its Center for Protection of Trafficking Victims (CPTV) established a panel with a psychologist, educator, and social worker to conduct victim assessments within 24 hours of a referral; a court seized a house built from the profits of forced begging and gave ownership of the house to the victim as restitution; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts, compared with the previous reporting period, to expand its anti-trafficking capacity; fewer investigations, prosecutions, and convictions of traffickers took place; officials decreased resources for the CPTV, despite its lack of staff, skills, and resources to assess victims, coordinate care, and run the CTPV shelter; standard operating procedures on victim identification remained unclear, and implementation was “recommended” rather than required; authorities inappropriately penalized victims with imprisonment, probation, and fines for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked; the Anti-Trafficking Council has not met in three years, and the government has not adopted the 2021-2022 National Action Plan; official complicity in trafficking or inaction remained significant concerns; the government did not fully protect victims or fully investigate credible allegations that approximately 500 Vietnamese workers were subjected to forced labor at a factory owned by China; therefore, Serbia remained on Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year (2023)

Sint Maarten

tier rating: Tier 3 — Sint Maarten does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Sint Maarten remained on Tier 3; officials took some steps to address trafficking, including passing a National Action Plan and upholding three trafficking convictions; however, the government did not report prosecuting or convicting any traffickers nor identifying any victims for the third consecutive year; Sint Maarten could not provide services to trafficking victims due to its lack of shelters, funding, and formal arrangements with service providers; interagency coordination was severely lacking; officials consistently conflated human trafficking with migrant smuggling (2023)

Solomon Islands

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List — Solomon Islands does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; these efforts included developing a communication and implementation strategy for its National Action Plan and raising awareness of trafficking; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts, compared with the previous reporting period, to expand its anti-trafficking capacity; authorities did not identify or assist victims, and protection services remained inadequate; officials did not initiate any trafficking investigations or prosecutions and, for the third consecutive year, did not convict any traffickers; the government did not conduct anti-trafficking training for its police or judicial officials who lack an understanding of trafficking; for the fourth consecutive year, authorities did not conduct systematic monitoring and inspection activities at logging sites or in the fishing or mining sectors, despite clear indicators of trafficking; therefore, Solomon Islands was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List (2023)

South Sudan

tier rating:

Tier 3 — South Sudan does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, South Sudan remains on Tier 3; the government took some steps to address trafficking, including convening its anti-trafficking inter-ministerial task force and conducting training in partnership with international organizations; however, a government policy or pattern of employing or recruiting child soldiers existed; government security and law enforcement officers continued to forcibly recruit and use child soldiers and did not hold any members of the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces or South Sudan National Police Services criminally accountable for these unlawful acts; for the eleventh consecutive year, authorities did not report investigating or prosecuting any trafficking crimes; the government did not report identifying or assisting any victims and continued to penalize victims for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked (2023)

Syria

tier rating: Tier 3 — Syria does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Syria remained on Tier 3; a government policy or pattern of human trafficking and employing or recruiting child soldiers continued; Syrians were exploited in forced labor under compulsory military service for indefinite periods under threat of detention, torture, familial reprisal, or death; the government did not hold any traffickers criminally accountable nor identify or protect any victims; government actions directly contributed to the population’s vulnerability to trafficking, and it continued to perpetrate human trafficking crimes; government and pro-Syrian militias forcibly recruited and used child soldiers; the government did not prevent armed opposition forces and designated terrorist organizations from recruiting children; authorities continued to arrest, detain, and severely abuse trafficking victims, including child soldiers, and punished them for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked (2023)

Turkmenistan

tier rating: Tier 3 — Turkmenistan does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Turkmenistan remained on Tier 3; the government took some steps to address trafficking, including granting access to an international organization to monitor the cotton harvest, providing support for anti-trafficking campaigns, and training officials in collaboration with international organizations; however, a government policy or pattern of forced labor, including mobilization of adults for forced labor in the annual cotton harvest, public works, and other sectors, continued; the government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions, nor hold any officials accountable for complicity in forced labor crimes; authorities did not identify victims or fund victim assistance programs (2023)

Vanuatu

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List — Vanuatu does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; these efforts included sentencing four traffickers to prison, following their conviction in the previous reporting period; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts, compared with the previous reporting period, to expand its anti-trafficking capacity; for the fourth consecutive year, authorities did not identify any trafficking victims and did not provide protection services to victims; for the third consecutive year, officials did not investigate any trafficking crimes; the government also did not conduct public awareness campaigns or administer anti-trafficking training for law enforcement officials; therefore, Vanuatu was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List (2023)

Venezuela

tier rating: Tier 3 — Venezuela does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making any efforts to do so, therefore, Venezuela remained on Tier 3; the Maduro regime (which is not recognized by the US) took some steps to address trafficking, arresting some traffickers and identifying some victims; however, the regime did not report assisting victims or prosecuting or convicting traffickers; the Maduro regime continued to provide support and a permissive environment for non-state armed groups and other armed groups that forcibly recruited and used children for armed conflict or forced criminality; the armed groups also engaged in sex trafficking and forced labor while operating with impunity; the regime did not make sufficient efforts to curb the armed groups’ forced recruitment and exploitation of children (2023)

World

tier rating:

Tier 2 Watch List: (26 countries) Bolivia, Botswana, Brunei, Bulgaria, Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Eswatini, Gabon, Haiti, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Madagascar, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Montenegro, Mozambique, Serbia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Vanuatu, Vietnam (2023)

Tier 3: (24 countries) Afghanistan, Algeria, Belarus, Burma, Cambodia, Chad, People's Republic of China, Cuba, Curacao, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Macau, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Sint Maarten, South Sudan, Syria, Turkmenistan, Venezuela (2023)