First, US warns of dangers of systemic racism in human trafficking report

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WASHINGTON, July 1 (Reuters) – An annual U.S. State Department report released Thursday indicated discriminatory policies perpetuated human trafficking, for the first time linking to systemic racism in the United States and the United States. ‘foreign.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in the Trafficking in Persons report that inequalities undermine Washington’s battle against human trafficking.

“If we are serious about ending human trafficking, we also need to tackle systemic racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination,” Blinken said.

A State Department official said this was the first time the report linked systemic racism.

“We know that talking about these issues in the report is just the start and we are committed to working with our partners to create and implement plans on how to ground our anti-trafficking response in fairness. in the future, “a senior State Department official said.

The United States has re-examined its treatment of African Americans since nationwide protests sparked last year by the murder of George Floyd, a black man, by a white police officer.

US authorities have also warned of increased threats from white supremacist groups.

The report also cited the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on human trafficking, as traffickers took advantage of the pandemic and governments diverted resources to tackle the health crisis.

The report looked at countries and territories and categorized them into four levels, downgrading countries such as Ethiopia but improving others.

ETHIOPIA

The United States has criticized Ethiopia for not making increased efforts to eliminate trafficking.

The report highlighted the conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region that has killed thousands, displaced more than 2 million people and pushed hundreds of thousands to the brink of famine.

The report says that since the conflict began in November, international organizations have increasingly reported armed actors to be responsible for human rights abuses and gender-based violence, including potential trafficking-related crimes.

Ethiopian asylum seekers in Sudan are increasingly vulnerable to trafficking and unaccompanied children in conflict areas may be vulnerable to recruitment by non-state armed groups, the report also warned.

BELARUS

Belarus has been cited for its “key achievements” even though, as the report says, the resident government of Alexander Lukashenko has not “fully met the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking”.

The report makes no mention of Lukashenko’s brutal crackdown on ongoing protests against his claim to victory in a 2020 presidential election widely seen as rigged.

SAUDI ARABIA

Saudi Arabia, a key US ally in the Middle East, has been cited for “making significant efforts” to eradicate human trafficking, according to the report.

However, the government has failed to meet minimum standards in a number of areas, including the imposition of fines, imprisonment and deportation of foreign workers for prostitution or immigration violations, although many have may have been trafficked, according to the report.

ISRAEL

Report says Israel, Washington’s closest ally in the Middle East, has made efforts to eradicate human trafficking, but its efforts were neither serious nor sustained compared to the reporting period. previous, even taking into account the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Victim identification policies have sometimes re-traumatized victims and delayed their access to necessary care, sometimes for years, while the government has reduced its overall efforts to investigate, prosecute and convict traffickers, he said. declared.

CHINA

The report reiterated past accusations that China has “a government policy or pattern of widespread forced labor”, including through the massive and continued arbitrary detention of more than one million Uyghurs and other Muslims in the region. Western Xinjiang, where the United States accused Beijing of committing genocide against minorities.

TURKEY

The United States has added Turkey to the list of countries involved in the use of child soldiers over the past year, placing a NATO ally on such a list for the first time, potentially further complicate the strained relations between Ankara and Washington. Read more

MALAYSIA

The State Department downgraded Malaysia to the worst rank after a series of complaints from rights groups and U.S. officials about the alleged exploitation of migrant workers in plantations and factories. Read more

Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Jonathan Landay, Doyinsola Oladipo, Humeyra Pamuk and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Phil Stewart and Howard Goller

Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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