Malawi For many people, human trafficking evokes images of women and children being forcibly taken and sold into sexual slavery by strangers, or of people locked in rooms or vehicles far from home. any person under 18 years of age who has been compulsorily recruited into governmental armed forces, police, or other security forces; iii. 2370c-2(c) and (d)) (CSPA). Survivors may encounter a large number of health indicators and somatic complaints due to having to endure trauma for a long period of time at an early age, including head, stomach, and body aches; throat and urinary tract infections; interrupted sleep due to nightmares and flashbacks; difficulty concentrating; asthma; and more. This email address provides a means by which organizations and individuals can share information with the Department of State throughout the year on government progress in addressing human trafficking. Whether the government of the country achieves appreciable progress in eliminating severe forms of trafficking when compared to the assessment in the previous year. Shonnie R. Ball Peacekeeping Operations Whether the percentage of victims of severe forms of trafficking in the country that are non-citizens of such countries is insignificant. Overall, the intensified impact on the mental health and physical well-being of trafficking victims and survivors from long-term isolation, reduced access to services, and general COVID-related risks reaffirms the need for comprehensive, trauma- and survivor-informed, and victim-centered anti-trafficking responses during the pandemic. Debt bondage is focused on human trafficking crimes in which the traffickers primary means of coercion is debt manipulation. We invite other governments and global partners to join in this effort and hold each other accountable. The President has determined it is in the national interest of the United States to waive the application of the prohibition in section 404(a) of the CSPA with respect to Iraq and has certified that the Government of Iraq (GOI) is taking effective and continuing steps to address the problem of child soldiers. I have said before, building a more perfect union is both an acknowledgement of our imperfection and a commitment to continue striving toward progress in a transparent way. With so many disappeared into and abused within this system, entire communities in Xinjiangcommunities with rich histories and immeasurable cultural significancehave become ghost towns. This report is submitted in accordance with section 405(c) and (d) of the Child Soldiers Prevention Act of 2008 (22 U.S.C. Page 30: Reuters/Jackson Njehia 333 $2,957,240 Resources for these organizations are often already strained and should be directed towards evidence-based solutions to combat human trafficking. Azerbaijan As of April 5, IMET funding was obligated for the following activity: military professionalization training. The rates can be found here: https://fiscal.treasury.gov/files/reports-statements/treasury-reporting-rates-exchange/treasury-reporting-rates-of-exchange-as-of-december-31-2020-with-amendments.xlsx, Inside Front Cover: Panos Pictures/William Daniels Governments, donors, and civil society organizations faced practical and ethical dilemmas reconciling pandemic mitigation strategies with the implementation of anti-trafficking activities. Shelly Westebbe IOM conducted rapid assessments in various countries to address the multiple effects of the pandemic on populations vulnerable to trafficking, such as the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 on labor migration in the Pacific Region. 92% were male 63% were white 18% were black 17% were Hispanic 95% were U.S. citizens 66% had no prior convictions. b. participation in international sex tourism by nationals of the country. In India and Nepal, young girls from poor and rural areas were often expected to leave school to help support their families during the economic hardshipsome were forced into marriage in exchange for money, while others were forced to work to supplement lost income. The term child soldier includes any person described in clauses (ii), (iii), or (iv) who is serving in any capacity, including in a support role, such as a cook, porter, messenger, medic, guard, or sex slave.. Third, a multidisciplinary child-friendly space provides survivors with an array of comprehensive services and referral networks in one place. In cases where an individual engages in any of the specified acts with a child (under the age of 18), the means element is irrelevant regardless of whether evidence of force, fraud, or coercion exists. When the school closed the educational visa program after complaints were filed, it encouraged students to self-deport. To support survivors in rebuilding their lives and preventing further exploitation, the financial sector can offer account qualification exception programs and low-to-no fee second chance accounts. Macau Turkey This emphasizes the importance of prioritizing safety, privacy, and informed use of technology when facilitating virtual trafficking assessments, investigations, and coordination of services with trafficking victims. Janine Gannon To stamp it out, we need the same kind of determination that the 19th . Most striking, al-Obaidly empowers his team and takes every opportunity for them to engage and share information with the public, including vulnerable communities, slowly building a passion for labor reforms within the Ministry. Annual Statistics Every year, Polaris publishes data based on calls, text messages, webforms, emails and webchats with the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline. The following is a product of the Human Trafficking Expert Consultant Network (the Network) funded by the TIP Office. Page 25: Panos Pictures/Karen Robinson Maldives It covers 141 countries and provides an overview of the response to the trafficking in persons at global, regional and national levels, by analysing trafficking cases detected between 2018 and 2021. Online recruitment and grooming increased as children spent more time online for virtual learning due to school closures, often with little parental supervision. Traffickers targeted families experiencing financial difficulties and offered false promises and fraudulent job offers to recruit their children, while other families exploited or sold their children to traffickers to financially support themselves. Whether the government of the country monitors immigration and emigration patterns for evidence of severe forms of trafficking in persons and whether law enforcement agencies of the country respond to any such evidence in a manner that is consistent with the vigorous investigation and prosecution of acts of such trafficking, as well as with the protection of human rights of victims and the internationally recognized human right to leave any country, including ones own, and to return to ones own country. Shoichi Ibusuki has been an unrelenting champion of protecting foreign workers rights, and he has worked tirelessly for years on behalf of foreign technical trainees to assist victims of forced labor and prevent abuse within Japans Technical Intern Training Program. While hopeful that were turning the corner on the pandemic, we know that different countries are at different stages in their pandemic response and recovery. Ethiopia As of April 5, DoD section 333 funding was obligated for the following activities: training and equipment. Jocelyn Harrison As of April 5, IMET funding was obligated for the following activity: military professionalization training. Sierra Leone Many of these migrant workers must abide by the kafala system, in effect mostly in the Gulf states (Bahrain, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates), Jordan, and Lebanon. Al-Obaidly has not solved Qatars human trafficking or labor rights problems, and he would admit it. Predatory and exclusionary practices that keep certain racial communities from attaining financial stability and building generational wealth provide traffickers ample opportunity to offer tempting alternatives. liability for the information given being complete or correct. Although almost 50,000 victims of human trafficking were detected and reported in 2018 by 148 countries, the "hidden nature" of the crime means that the actual number of victims could be "far higher . IMET funding supports the training and education to increase the professionalization of the military through professional military education (PME) training in the United States. Despite widespread challenges adapting to a remote, digital work environment, anti-trafficking stakeholders leveraged technology to identify victims, support victims and survivors, and increase collaboration. He pointed to the fact that while the number of convictions for human trafficking is increasing, two out of every five countries covered by the UNODC Report had not recorded a single conviction. L. No. These individuals include NGO workers, lawmakers, government officials, survivors of human trafficking, and concerned citizens. Page 18-19: Mushfiqual Alam John Cotton Richmond Competing Priorities and Reduced Capacity. The economic and social distress generated by the pandemic and related mitigation efforts exacerbated risks for vulnerable and marginalized populations. Survivors of trafficking faced an increased risk of potential re-victimization due to financial and emotional hardships during the crisis. Lamiaa Elfar For purposes of the preceding sentence, suspended or significantly reduced sentences for convictions of principal actors in cases of severe forms of trafficking in persons shall be considered, on a case-by-case basis, whether to be considered an indicator of serious and sustained efforts to eliminate severe forms of trafficking in persons. Further, a waiver for support provided by the Department of Defense pursuant to 10 U.S.C. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the Center for Countering Human Trafficking (CCHT) annual report, highlighting many of the Department's efforts during the last Fiscal Year (FY 2021) to enhance identification and screening for human trafficking, improve protection and assistance to victims, increase investigations and enforcement actions, and provide training, outreach, and . One in 4 victims of modern slavery are children. Harmful misperceptions about where and how familial trafficking happens, such as the belief that familial trafficking only occurs within neighborhoods, communities, or countries of low socioeconomic status, contributes to challenges to prosecution, prevention, and protection efforts. St. Vincent and the Grenadines Adrienne Sgarlato The Government of the DRC is taking effective and continuing steps to address the problem of child soldiers and these efforts have accelerated since President Tshisekedi took office in January. PKO-funded assistance to Nigeria includes AGI advisory support to increase Nigerian Air Force effectiveness and reduce civilian harm; advisory support for Nigerian military intelligence institutions; development of a Fast-Rope Insertion and Extraction System; and Civil-Military Operations training. By publishing it, with the authors consent, the Department seeks to shine a light on a population particularly vulnerable to human trafficking that is often misunderstood and overlooked.