The highly anticipated annual Trafficking in Persons Report was released by the U.S. State Department last week.

Outlining global trends and highlighting 188 country profiles, the TIP Report is considered to be the most comprehensive global report on human trafficking. It took me several days to go through it in detail, and since most people probably don’t have the time to sit down the read the full report, I’ve decided to create a summary of noteworthy points.

THE REPORT

The report this year placed special emphasis on supply chains, highlighting the prevalence of labour trafficking.

“Although human trafficking is found in many trades, the risk is more pronounced in industries that rely upon low-skilled or unskilled labor. This includes jobs that are dirty, dangerous, and difficult—those that are typically low-paying and undervalued by society and are often filled by socially marginalized groups including migrants, people with disabilities, or minorities.” TIP REPORT 2015

Each country is placed into a category based on their commitment and active effort to combat human trafficking, ranging from Tier 1 (high commitment to end trafficking) to Tier 3 (low to non-existent commitment to end trafficking). Countries in tier 3 are at risk for sanctions.

TYPES OF MODERN DAY SLAVERY

The report covers 7 types of slavery:

Sex trafficking: When an adult is forced to engage in a commercial sex act (such as prostitution), due to threats, fraud, coercion, or physical force.

Child sex trafficking: When a child (under 18 years of age) is recruited, enticed, harboured, transported, provided, or obtained to perform a commercial sex act. Children who are prostituted are trafficking victims, even if “force” cannot be proved. There are no cultural exceptions.

Forced labour: Also referred to as labour trafficking, forced labour happens when a person uses force or physical threats, psychological coercion, abuse of the legal process, deception, or other coercive means to compel someone to work. Once a person is exploited in this way, it no longer matters whether the worker originally consented to work for an employer – the employer is a trafficker and the employee a trafficking victim. It is estimated that forced labor in the private economy reaps some $150 billion in illicit profits each year.

Bonded labour/debt bondage: As defined by Anti-Slavery International, a person becomes a bonded labourer when their labour is demanded as a means of repayment for a loan, and they are tricked or trapped into working for very little or no pay. The value of their work becomes greater than the original sum of money borrowed, and often the debts are passed onto the next generations.

Domestic servitude: When a domestic worker is not free to leave their employment, is abused, underpaid, or not paid at all, cannot take a day off, or is not permitted to move freely. Employment in private homes increases their vulnerability and isolation.

Forced child labour: Although children may legally engage in certain forms of work, children can also be found in slavery or slavery-like situations. Example of a warning sign: a child appears to be in the custody of a non-family member who requires them to perform work that financially benefits someone outside the child’s family, and does not offer the child the option of leaving.

Unlawful recruitment & use of child soldiers: Many children are forcibly abducted to be used as combatants, and some are forced into other army-related roles, like porters, cooks, guards, servants, messengers, or spies. Young girls can be forced to marry or have sex with commanders and male combatants.

COUNTRIES THAT JUMPED IN RANK (IMPROVED) FROM LAST YEAR: