Allies Cited for Human Trafficking

13 June Washington Post - Allies Cited for Human Trafficking by Nora Boustany.

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The State Department yesterday added seven countries, including four Arab allies, to its list of worst offenders in failing to suppress human trafficking and forced labor, which it called "a modern day form of slavery."

The 236-page annual survey, now in its seventh year, added Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar to its blacklist of worst offenders, along with Algeria, Equatorial Guinea and Malaysia. Countries on the list are subject to sanctions until major reforms are introduced.

The list already included Burma, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Uzbekistan and Venezuela. Laos, Belize and Zimbabwe were dropped from the list this year.

The world's two most populous countries, China and India, were kept on an intermediate watch list, meaning their approach to trafficking is deemed deficient but not enough to face immediate U.S. sanctions...

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Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force Strategy and Operations e-Guide

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Developed in partnership by the Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), this e-Guide is a resource for both established and new Task Forces. Established Task Forces can use it to enhance existing operations or as a tool to assist in the revitalization of Task Force efforts and operations. This Guide does not provide OVC or BJA programmatic or grant-specific information as it is intended to be a tool for all anti-trafficking Task Forces, regardless of funding source.

This Guide is not offered as the definitive solution to Task Force development strategy and operations but rather as a useful tool that has been carefully screened and evaluated by anti-human trafficking victim service providers and law enforcement officials throughout the United States at all levels. It is anticipated that new practices and resources will become available that may further enhance the value of this e-Guide.

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US, UN Call for Probe into Thai Trafficking of Rohingya

http://www.hawaiireporter.com/us-un-...f-rohingya/123

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The report, published on Thursday and based on a two-month investigation in three countries, revealed a clandestine policy to remove Rohingya refugees from Thailand's immigration detention centers and deliver them to human traffickers waiting at sea.

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The U.S. State Department is gathering information for its next Trafficking In Persons (TIP) report, due to be published in June. Thailand faces an automatic downgrade to Tier 3, the lowest rank, unless it makes “significant efforts” to improve its record in combating trafficking, the State Department says. The Tier 3 designation could leave Thailand subject to U.S. sanctions.

“Unless Thailand makes it a top priority to clean these rackets up, and investigate and prosecute all those involved, Bangkok should kiss goodbye any prospect of escaping Tier 3 in the annual U.S. anti-trafficking report,” Robertson said.

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Thailand is one of five treaty allies in the USPACOM Area of Responsibility, so sanctions against this old ally will do little to support our rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region. The most significant A2AD threat we face in this region is short sighted U.S. policies that limit our engagement. If the report of trafficking is accurate I support taking action, but lets not do damage to our longer term interests in the region by responding with a kneejerk reaction.