United Statesrefugees (country of origin): the US admitted 62,643refugees during FY04/05 including; 10,586 (Somalia); 8,549 (Laos);6,666 (Russia); 6,479 (Cuba); 3,100 (Haiti); 2,136 (Iran) (2006)
Uzbekistanrefugees (country of origin): 39,202 (Tajikistan); 1,060(Afghanistan)IDPs: 3,400 (forced population transfers by government from villagesnear Tajikistan border) (2007)
West Bankrefugees (country of origin): 722,000 (PalestinianRefugees (UNRWA)) (2007)
Worldthe United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)estimated that in December 2006 there was a global population of 8.8million registered refugees and as many as 24.5 million IDPs in morethan 50 countries; the actual global population of refugees isprobably closer to 10 million given the estimated 1.5 million Iraqirefugees displaced throughout the Middle East (2007)
Yemenrefugees (country of origin): 91,587 (Somalia) (2007)
Zambiarefugees (country of origin): 42,565 (Angola); 60,874(Democratic Republic of the Congo); 4,100 (Rwanda) (2007)
Zimbabwerefugees (country of origin): 2,500 (Democratic Republic ofCongo)IDPs: 569,685 (MUGABE-led political violence, human rightsviolations, land reform, and economic collapse) (2007)
This page was last updated on 18 December 2008
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@2195 GDP (official exchange rate)
Afghanistan$8.842 billion (2007 est.)
Albania$10.62 billion (2007 est.)
Algeria$131.6 billion (2007 est.)
American Samoa$333.8 million (2005)
Andorra$NA
Angola$61.36 billion (2007 est.)
Anguilla$108.9 million (2004 est.)
Antigua and Barbuda$1.089 billion (2007 est.)
Argentina$260 billion (2007 est.)
Armenia$7.974 billion (2007 est.)
Aruba$2.258 billion (2005 est.)
Australia$908.8 billion (2007 est.)
Austria$373.9 billion (2007 est.)
Azerbaijan$31.32 billion (2007 est.)
Bahamas, The$6.586 billion (2007 est.)
Bahrain$19.66 billion (2007 est.)
Bangladesh$72.42 billion (2007 est.)
Barbados$3.739 billion (2007 est.)
Belarus$44.77 billion (2007 est.)
Belgium$453.6 billion (2007 est.)
Belize$1.274 billion (2007 est.)
Benin$5.433 billion (2007 est.)
Bermuda$NA
Bhutan$1.308 billion (2007 est.)
Bolivia$13.19 billion (2007 est.)
Bosnia and Herzegovina$14.78 billion (2007 est.)
Botswana$12.31 billion (2007 est.)
Brazil$1.314 trillion (2007 est.)
British Virgin Islands$839.7 million (2003)
Brunei$12.39 billion (2007 est.)
Bulgaria$39.61 billion (2007 est.)
Burkina Faso$6.977 billion (2007 est.)
Burma$13.53 billion (2007 est.)
Burundi$1.001 billion (2007 est.)
Cambodia$8.604 billion (2007 est.)
Cameroon$20.65 billion (2007 est.)
Canada$1.432 trillion (2007 est.)
Cape Verde$1.428 billion (2007 est.)
Cayman Islands$NA
Central African Republic$1.714 billion (2007 est.)
Chad$7.095 billion (2007 est.)
Chile$163.8 billion (2007 est.)
China$3.251 trillion (2007 est.)
Colombia$171.6 billion (2007 est.)
Comoros$442 million (2007 est.)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the$10.14 billion (2007 est.)
Congo, Republic of the$7.657 billion (2007 est.)
Cook Islands$183.2 million (2005 est.)
Costa Rica$26.24 billion (2007 est.)
Cote d'Ivoire$19.6 billion (2007 est.)
Croatia$51.36 billion (2007 est.)
Cuba$45.58 billion (2007 est.)
Cyprus$21.3 billion (2007 est.)
Czech Republic$175.3 billion (2007 est.)
Denmark$311.9 billion (2007 est.)
Djibouti$841 million (2007 est.)
Dominica$311 million (2007 est.)
Dominican Republic$36.4 billion (2007 est.)
Ecuador$44.18 billion (2007 est.)
Egypt$127.9 billion (2007 est.)
El Salvador$20.37 billion (2007 est.)
Equatorial Guinea$10.49 billion (2007 est.)
Eritrea$1.316 billion (2007 est.)
Estonia$21.28 billion (2007 est.)
Ethiopia$19.43 billion (2007 est.)
European Union$16.62 trillion (2007 est.)
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)$NA
Faroe Islands$1.7 billion (2005 est.)
Fiji$3.409 billion (2007 est.)
Finland$245 billion (2007 est.)
France$2.56 trillion (2007 est.)
French Polynesia$3.8 billion (2002)
Gabon$11.3 billion (2007 est.)
Gambia, The$653 million (2007 est.)
Gaza Strip$5.328 billion (includes West Bank) (2006 est.)
Georgia$10.29 billion (2007 est.)
Germany$3.322 trillion (2007 est.)
Ghana$14.86 billion (2007 est.)
Gibraltar$1.066 billion (2005 est.)
Greece$314.6 billion (2007 est.)
Greenland$1.7 billion (2005)
Grenada$590 million (2007 est.)
Guam$2.773 billion (2001)
Guatemala$33.69 billion (2007 est.)
Guernsey$2.742 billion (2005)
Guinea$4.714 billion (2007 est.)
Guinea-Bissau$343 million (2007 est.)
Guyana$1.039 billion (2007 est.)
Haiti$5.435 billion (2007 est.)
Honduras$12.28 billion (2007 est.)
Hong Kong$206.7 billion (2007 est.)
Hungary$138.4 billion (2007 est.)
Iceland$20 billion (2007 est.)
India$1.099 trillion (2007 est.)
Indonesia$432.9 billion (2007 est.)
Iran$294.1 billion (2007 est.)
Iraq$60.12 billion (2007 est.)
Ireland$258.6 billion (2007 est.)
Isle of Man$2.719 billion (2005 est.)
Israel$161.9 billion (2007 est.)
Italy$2.105 trillion (2007 est.)
Jamaica$11.21 billion (2007 est.)
Japan$4.384 trillion (2007 est.)
Jersey$5.1 billion (2005 est.)
Jordan$16.01 billion (2007 est.)
Kazakhstan$103.8 billion (2007 est.)
Kenya$29.3 billion (2007 est.)
Kiribati$67 million (2007 est.)
Korea, North$25.96 billion (2007 est.)
Korea, South$957.1 billion (2007 est.)
Kosovo$3.237 billion (2007 est.)
Kuwait$111.3 billion (2007 est.)
Kyrgyzstan$3.748 billion (2007 est.)
Laos$4.028 billion (2007 est.)
Latvia$27.34 billion (2007 est.)
Lebanon$24.64 billion (2007 est.)
Lesotho$1.6 billion (2007 est.)
Liberia$730 million (2007 est.)
Libya$57.06 billion (2007 est.)
Liechtenstein$36.33 billion (2007 est.)
Lithuania$38.35 billion (2007 est.)
Luxembourg$50.16 billion (2007 est.)
Macau$14.3 billion (2006)
Macedonia$7.497 billion (2007 est.)
Madagascar$7.322 billion (2007 est.)
Malawi$3.538 billion (2007 est.)
Malaysia$186.5 billion (2007 est.)
Maldives$1.049 billion (2007 est.)
Mali$6.745 billion (2007 est.)
Malta$7.419 billion (2007 est.)
Marshall Islands$144 million (2005)
Mauritania$2.756 billion (2007 est.)
Mauritius$6.959 billion (2007 est.)
Mayotte$NA
Mexico$893.4 billion (2007 est.)
Micronesia, Federated States of$232 million (2005)
Moldova$4.227 billion (2007 est.)
Monaco$NA
Mongolia$3.905 billion (2007 est.)
Montenegro$2.974 billion (2007 est.)
Montserrat$NA
Morocco$73.43 billion (2007 est.)
Mozambique$7.559 billion (2007 est.)
Namibia$7.4 billion (2007 est.)
Nauru$NA
Nepal$9.627 billion (2007 est.)
Netherlands$768.7 billion (2007 est.)
Netherlands Antilles$NA
New Caledonia$3.3 billion (2003 est.)
New Zealand$128.1 billion (2007 est.)
Nicaragua$5.723 billion (2007 est.)
Niger$4.174 billion (2007 est.)
Nigeria$166.8 billion (2007 est.)
Niue$10.01 million (2003)
Northern Mariana Islands$633.4 million (2000)
Norway$391.5 billion (2007 est.)
Oman$40.06 billion (2007 est.)
Pakistan$143.8 billion (2007 est.)
Palau$145 million (2005)
Panama$19.74 billion (2007 est.)
Papua New Guinea$6.001 billion (2007 est.)
Paraguay$10.87 billion (2007 est.)
Peru$109.1 billion (2007 est.)
Philippines$144.1 billion (2007 est.)
Poland$420.3 billion (2007 est.)
Portugal$223.3 billion (2007 est.)
Puerto Rico$NA (2007 est.)
Qatar$67.76 billion (2007 est.)
Romania$166 billion (2007 est.)
Russia$1.29 trillion (2007 est.)
Rwanda$3.32 billion (2007 est.)
Saint Helena$NA
Saint Kitts and Nevis$527 million (2007 est.)
Saint Lucia$958 million (2007 est.)
Saint Pierre and Miquelon$NA
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines$559 million (2007 est.)
Samoa$397 million (2007 est.)
San Marino$1.048 billion (2004)
Sao Tome and Principe$144 million (2007 est.)
Saudi Arabia$376 billion (2007 est.)
Senegal$11.12 billion (2007 est.)
Serbia$41.68 billion (2007 est.)
Seychelles$710 million (2007 est.)
Sierra Leone$1.664 billion (2007 est.)
Singapore$161.3 billion (2007 est.)
Slovakia$74.99 billion (2007 est.)
Slovenia$46.08 billion (2007 est.)
Solomon Islands$358 million (2007 est.)
Somalia$2.509 billion (2007 est.)
South Africa$282.6 billion (2007 est.)
Spain$1.439 trillion (2007 est.)
Sri Lanka$30.01 billion (2007 est.)
Sudan$46.16 billion (2007 est.)
Suriname$2.404 billion (2007 est.)
Swaziland$2.936 billion (2007 est.)
Sweden$455.3 billion (2007 est.)
Switzerland$423.9 billion (2007 est.)
Syria$37.76 billion (2007 est.)
Taiwan$383.3 billion (2007 est.)
Tajikistan$3.712 billion (2007 est.)
Tanzania$16.18 billion (2007 est.)
Thailand$245.7 billion (2007 est.)
Timor-Leste$459 million (2007 est.)
Togo$2.497 billion (2007 est.)
Tokelau$NA
Tonga$219 million (2007 est.)
Trinidad and Tobago$20.7 billion (2007 est.)
Tunisia$35.01 billion (2007 est.)
Turkey$663.4 billion (2007 est.)
Turkmenistan$26.91 billion (2007 est.)
Turks and Caicos Islands$NA
Tuvalu$14.94 million (2002)
Uganda$11.23 billion (2007 est.)
Ukraine$140.5 billion (2007 est.)
United Arab Emirates$192.6 billion (2007 est.)
United Kingdom$2.773 trillion (2007 est.)
United States$13.84 trillion (2007 est.)
Uruguay$22.95 billion (2007 est.)
Uzbekistan$22.31 billion (2007 est.)
Vanuatu$455 million (2007 est.)
Venezuela$236.4 billion (2007 est.)
Vietnam$70.02 billion (2007 est.)
Virgin Islands$NA
Wallis and Futuna$NA
West Bank$5.328 billion (includes Gaza Strip) (2006 est.)
Western Sahara$NA
WorldGWP (gross world product): $54.62 trillion (2007 est.)
Yemen$21.66 billion (2007 est.)
Zambia$11.16 billion (2007 est.)
Zimbabwe$641 millionnote: hyperinflation and the plunging value of the Zimbabwean dollarmakes Zimbabwe's GDP at the official exchange rate a highlyinaccurate statistic (2007 est.)
This page was last updated on 18 December 2008
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@2196 Trafficking in persons
Albaniacurrent situation: Albania is a source country for women andgirls trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitationand forced labor; it is no longer considered a major country oftransit; Albanian victims are trafficked to Greece, Italy,Macedonia, and Kosovo, with many trafficked onward to WesternEuropean countries; children were also trafficked to Greece forbegging and other forms of child labor; approximately half of allAlbanian trafficking victims are under age 18; internal sextrafficking of women and children is on the risetier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Albania is on the Tier 2 Watch Listfor its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combattrafficking in persons in 2007, particularly in the area of victimprotection; the government did not appropriately identifytrafficking victims during 2007, and has not demonstrated that it isvigorously investigating or prosecuting complicit officials (2008)
Algeriacurrent situation: Algeria is a transit country for men andwomen trafficked from sub-Saharan Africa to Europe for the purposesof commercial sexual exploitation and involuntary servitude;Algerian children are trafficked internally for the purpose ofdomestic servitude or street vendingtier rating: Tier 3 - Algeria did not report any serious lawenforcement actions to punish traffickers who force women intocommercial sexual exploitation or men into involuntary servitude in2007; the government again reported no investigations of traffickingof children for domestic servitude or improvements in protectionservices available to victims of trafficking; Algeria still lacksvictim protection services, and its failure to distinguish betweentrafficking and illegal migration may result in the punishment ofvictims of trafficking (2008)
Argentinacurrent situation: Argentina is a source, transit, anddestination country for men, women, and children trafficked for thepurposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; mostvictims are trafficked within the country, from rural to urbanareas; child sex tourism is a problem; foreign women and children,primarily from Paraguay, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic, aretrafficked to Argentina for commercial sexual exploitation;Argentine women and girls are also trafficked to neighboringcountries, Mexico, and Western Europe for sexual exploitation; asignificant number of Bolivians, Peruvians, and Paraguayans aretrafficked into the country for forced labor in sweatshops,agriculture, and as domestic servantstier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - despite some progress, Argentinaremains on the Tier 2 Watch List for the third consecutive year forits failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat humantrafficking, particularly in terms of providing adequate assistanceto victims and curbing official complicity with traffickingactivity, especially on the provincial and local levels; theArgentine Congress has demonstrated progress by enacting much-neededand first-ever federal anti-trafficking legislation (2008)
Armeniacurrent situation: Armenia is primarily a source country forwomen and girls trafficked to the UAE and Turkey for the purpose ofcommercial sexual exploitation; Armenian men and women aretrafficked to Turkey and Russia for the purpose of forced labortier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Armenia is placed on the Tier 2Watch List for a fourth consecutive year; its efforts to increasecompliance with the minimum standards were assessed based on itscommitments to undertake future actions, particularly in the areasof improving victim protection and assistance; while the governmentelevated anti-trafficking responsibilities to the ministerial level,adopted a new National Action Plan, and drafted a National ReferralMechanism, it has yet to show tangible progress in identifying andprotecting victims or in tackling trafficking complicity ofgovernment officials; the Armenian Government made some notableimprovements in its anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts, but itfailed to demonstrate evidence of investigations, prosecutions,convictions, and sentences of officials complicit in trafficking(2008)
Azerbaijancurrent situation: Azerbaijan is primarily a source andtransit country for men, women, and children trafficked for thepurposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; womenand some children from Azerbaijan are trafficked to Turkey and theUAE for the purpose of sexual exploitation; men and boys aretrafficked to Russia for the purpose of forced labor; Azerbaijanserves as a transit country for victims from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan,Kazakhstan, and Moldova trafficked to Turkey and the UAE for sexualexploitationtier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Azerbaijan is on the Tier 2 WatchList for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts tocombat trafficking in persons, particularly efforts to investigate,prosecute, and punish traffickers; to address complicity among lawenforcement personnel; and to adequately identify and protectvictims in Azerbaijan; the government has yet to develop amuch-needed mechanism to identify potential trafficking victims andrefer them to safety and care; poor treatment of trafficking victimsin courtrooms continues to be a problem (2008)
Bahraincurrent situation: Bahrain is a destination country for menand women trafficked for the purposes of involuntary servitude andcommercial sexual exploitation; men and women from Africa, SouthAsia, and Southeast Asia migrate voluntarily to Bahrain to work aslaborers or domestic servants where some face conditions ofinvoluntary servitude such as unlawful withholding of passports,restrictions on movements, non-payment of wages, threats, andphysical or sexual abuse; women from Thailand, Morocco, EasternEurope, and Central Asia are trafficked to Bahrain for the purposeof commercial sexual exploitationtier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Bahrain is on the Tier 2 Watch Listfor failing to show evidence of increased efforts to combat humantrafficking, particularly efforts that enforce laws againsttrafficking in persons, and that prevent the punishment of victimsof trafficking; during 2007, Bahrain passed a comprehensive lawprohibiting all forms of trafficking in persons; the government alsoestablished a specialized anti-trafficking unit within the Ministryof Interior to investigate trafficking crimes; however, thegovernment did not report any prosecutions or convictions fortrafficking offenses during 2007, despite reports of a substantialproblem of involuntary servitude and sex trafficking (2008)
Burmacurrent situation: Burma is a source country for women,children, and men trafficked for the purpose of forced labor andcommercial sexual exploitation; Burmese women and children aretrafficked to East and Southeast Asia for commercial sexualexploitation, domestic servitude, and forced labor; Burmese childrenare subjected to conditions of forced labor in Thailand as hawkers,beggars, and for work in shops, agriculture, fish processing, andsmall-scale industries; women are trafficked for commercial sexualexploitation to Malaysia and China; some trafficking victims transitBurma from Bangladesh to Malaysia and from China to Thailand;internal trafficking occurs primarily from villages to urban centersand economic hubs for labor in industrial zones, agriculturalestates, and commercial sexual exploitation; military and civilianofficials continue to use a significant amount of forced labor;ethnic insurgent groups also used compulsory labor of adults andunlawful recruitment of children; the military junta's grosseconomic mismanagement, human rights abuses, and its policy of usingforced labor are the top causal factors for Burma's significanttrafficking problemtier rating: Tier 3 - Burma does not fully comply with the minimumstandards for the elimination of trafficking and is not makingsignificant efforts to do so; military and civilian officials remaindirectly involved in significant acts of forced labor and unlawfulconscription of child soldiers (2008)
Burundicurrent situation: Burundi is a source country for childrentrafficked for the purposes of child soldiering, domestic servitude,and commercial sexual exploitation; a small number of Burundianchildren may be trafficked internally for domestic servitude orcommercial sexual exploitation; in early 2008, Burundian childrenwere allegedly trafficked to Uganda, via Rwanda, for agriculturallabor and commercial sexual exploitationtier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Burundi is on the Tier 2 Watch Listfor the second consecutive year for its failure to providesufficient evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking inpersons in 2007; the government's inability to provide adequateprotective services to children accused of association with armedgroups and to conduct anti-trafficking law enforcement activitiescontinue to be causes for concern; Burundi has not ratified the 2000UN TIP Protocol (2008)
Camerooncurrent situation: Cameroon is a source, transit, anddestination country for women and children trafficked for thepurposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; mostvictims are children trafficked within country, with girls primarilytrafficked for domestic servitude and sexual exploitation; both boysand girls are also trafficked within Cameroon for forced labor insweatshops, bars, restaurants, and on tea and cocoa plantations;children are trafficked into Cameroon from neighboring states forforced labor in agriculture, fishing, street vending, andspare-parts shops; Cameroon is a transit country for childrentrafficked between Gabon and Nigeria, and from Nigeria to SaudiArabia; it is a source country for women transported bysex-trafficking rings to Europetier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Cameroon is on the Tier 2 WatchList for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts tocombat human trafficking in 2007, particularly in terms of effortsto prosecute and convict trafficking offenders; while Cameroonreported some arrests of traffickers, none of them were prosecutedor punished; the government does not identify trafficking victimsamong vulnerable populations nor does it monitor the number ofvictims it intercepts (2008)
Central African Republiccurrent situation: Central African Republicis a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, andchildren trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexualexploitation; the majority of victims are children trafficked withinthe country for sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, streetvending, and forced agricultural, mine, market and restaurant labor;to a lesser extent, children are trafficked from the Central AfricanRepublic to Cameroon, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo;rebels conscript children into armed forces within the countrytier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Central African Republic is on theTier 2 Watch List for the third consecutive year for its failure toshow evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in 2007;efforts to address trafficking through vigorous law enforcementmeasures and victim protection efforts were minimal, thoughawareness about trafficking appeared to be increasing in thecountry; the government does not actively investigate cases, work toidentify trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, or rescueand provide care to victims; the government has not taken measuresto reduce demand for commercial sex acts (2008)
Chadcurrent situation: Chad is a source, transit, and destinationcountry for children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor andcommercial sexual exploitation; the majority of children aretrafficked within Chad for involuntary domestic servitude, forcedcattle herding, forced begging, forced labor in petty commerce orthe fishing industry, or for commercial sexual exploitation; to alesser extent, Chadian children are also trafficked to Cameroon, theCentral African Republic, and Nigeria for cattle herding; childrenmay also be trafficked from Cameroon and the Central AfricanRepublic to Chad's oil producing regions for sexual exploitationtier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Chad is on the Tier 2 Watch Listfor its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combathuman trafficking in 2007; Chad was destabilized during 2007 bycivil conflict leading to a declared state of emergency in February2008, and a steady influx of refugees fleeing Sudan and the CentralAfrican Republic; the government demonstrated insufficient overallefforts to combat trafficking; Chad has not ratified the 2000 UN TIPProtocol (2008)
Chinacurrent situation: China is a source, transit, and destinationcountry for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes ofsexual exploitation and forced labor; the majority of trafficking inChina occurs within the country's borders, but there is alsoconsiderable international trafficking of Chinese citizens toAfrica, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and NorthAmerica; Chinese women are lured abroad through false promises oflegitimate employment, only to be forced into commercial sexualexploitation, largely in Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan;women and children are trafficked to China from Mongolia, Burma,North Korea, Russia, and Vietnam for forced labor, marriage, andprostitution; some North Korean women and children seeking to leavetheir country voluntarily cross the border into China and are thensold into prostitution, marriage, or forced labortier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - China is on the Tier 2 Watch Listfor the fourth consecutive year for its failure to provide evidenceof increasing efforts to combat human trafficking, particularly interms of punishment of trafficking crimes and the protection ofChinese and foreign victims of trafficking; victims are sometimespunished for unlawful acts that were committed as a direct result oftheir being trafficked, such as violations of prostitution orimmigration/emigration controls; the Chinese Government continued totreat North Korean victims of trafficking solely as economicmigrants, routinely deporting them back to horrendous conditions inNorth Korea; additional challenges facing the Chinese Governmentinclude the enormous size of its trafficking problem and thesignificant level of corruption and complicity in trafficking bysome local government officials (2008)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the current situation: Democratic Republic of the Congo is a source and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; much of this trafficking occurs within the country's unstable eastern provinces and is perpetrated by armed groups outside government control tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Democratic Republic of the Congo is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons in 2007; while some significant initial advances were noted, the government's capacity to apprehend, convict, or imprison traffickers remained weak; the government lacks sufficient financial, technical, and human resources to effectively address not only trafficking crimes, but also to provide basic levels of security in some parts of the country (2008)
Congo, Republic of thecurrent situation: Republic of the Congo is asource and destination country for children trafficked for thepurposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; girlsare trafficked from rural areas within the country for commercialsexual exploitation, forced street vending, and domestic servitude;children are trafficked from other African countries for domesticservitude, forced market vending, and forced labor in the fishingindustrytier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Republic of the Congo is on theTier 2 Watch List for its failure to show evidence of increasingefforts to combat trafficking in persons in 2007; struggling torecover from six years of civil conflict that ended in 2003, theRepublic of the Congo's capacity to address trafficking ishandicapped; the government neither monitors its borders fortrafficking activity nor provides specialized anti-traffickingtraining for law enforcement officials; the government does notencourage victims to assist in trafficking investigations orprosecutions, and has not taken measures to reduce demand forcommercial sex acts in the Republic of the Congo (2008)
Costa Ricacurrent situation: Costa Rica is a source, transit, anddestination country for men, women, and children trafficked for thepurposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; womenand girls from neighboring states, Russia, Uzbekistan, and thePhilippines are trafficked into the country for sexual exploitation;Costa Rica also serves as a transit point for victims trafficked toNorth America and Europe; the government identifies child sextourism as a serious problem; men, women, and children are alsotrafficked within the country for forced labor in fishing andconstruction, and as domestic servantstier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Costa Rica is on the Tier 2 WatchList for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts tocombat human trafficking, particularly in terms of its failure toimprove its inadequate assistance to victims; while Costa Ricanofficials recognize human trafficking as a serious problem, the lackof a stronger response by the government is of concern (2008)
Cote d'IvoireCote d'Ivoire is a source, transit, and destinationcountry for women and children trafficked for forced labor andcommercial sexual exploitation; trafficking within the country ismore prevalent than international trafficking and the majority ofvictims are children; women and girls are trafficked from northernareas to southern cities for domestic servitude, restaurant labor,and sexual exploitation; boys are trafficked internally foragricultural and service labor and transnationally for forced laborin agriculture, mining, construction, and in the fishing industry;women and girls are trafficked to and from other West and CentralAfrican countries for domestic servitude and forced street vendingtier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Cote d'Ivoire is on the Tier 2Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing effortsto eliminate trafficking in 2007, particularly with regard to itslaw enforcement efforts and protection of sex trafficking victims;in addition, Ivoirian law does not prohibit all forms oftrafficking, and Cote d'Ivoire has not ratified the 2000 UN TIPProtocol (2008)
Cubacurrent situation: Cuba is principally a source country forwomen and children trafficked within the country for the purpose ofcommercial sexual exploitation and possibly for forced labor; thecountry is a destination for sex tourism, including child sextourism, which is a problem in many areas of the country; some Cubannationals willingly migrate to the United States, but aresubsequently exploited for forced labor by their smugglers; Cuba isalso a transit point for the smuggling of migrants from China, SriLanka, Bangladesh, Lebanon, and other nations to the United Statesand Canadatier rating: Tier 3 - Cuba does not fully comply with the minimumstandards for the elimination of trafficking and is not makingsignificant efforts to do so; exact information about trafficking inCuba is difficult to obtain because the government does notacknowledge or condemn human trafficking as a problem in Cuba;tangible efforts to prosecute offenders, protect victims, or preventhuman trafficking activity do not appear to have been made during2007; Cuba has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)
Cypruscurrent situation: Cyprus is primarily a destination countryfor a large number of women trafficked from Eastern and CentralEurope, the Philippines, and the Dominican Republic for the purposeof sexual exploitation; traffickers continued to fraudulentlyrecruit victims for work as dancers in cabarets and nightclubs onshort-term "artiste" visas, for work in pubs and bars on employmentvisas, or for illegal work on tourist or student visastier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Cyprus is on the Tier 2 Watch Listfor a third consecutive year for failure to show evidence ofincreasing efforts to combat human trafficking during 2007; althoughCyprus passed a new trafficking law and opened a governmenttrafficking shelter, these efforts are outweighed by its failure toshow tangible and critically needed progress in the areas of lawenforcement, victim protection, and the prevention of trafficking(2008)
Dominican Republiccurrent situation: the Dominican Republic is asource, transit, and destination country for men, women, andchildren trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexualexploitation and forced labor; a large number of Dominican women aretrafficked into prostitution and sexual exploitation in WesternEurope, Australia, Central and South America, and Caribbeandestinations; a significant number of women, boys, and girls aretrafficked within the country for sexual exploitation and domesticservitudetier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for a second consecutive year, theDominican Republic is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure toshow evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking,particularly in terms of not adequately investigating andprosecuting public officials who may be complicit with traffickingactivity, and inadequate government efforts to protect traffickingvictims; the government has taken measures to reduce demand forcommercial sex acts with children through criminal prosecutions(2008)
Egyptcurrent situation: Egypt is a transit country for womentrafficked from Eastern European countries to Israel for sexualexploitation, and is a source for children trafficked within thecountry for commercial sexual exploitation and domestic servitude,although the extent to which children are trafficked internally isunknown; children were also recruited for domestic and agriculturalwork; some of these children face conditions of involuntaryservitude, such as restrictions on movement, non-payment of wages,threats, and physical or sexual abusetier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Egypt is on the Tier 2 Watch Listfor the third year in a row because it did not provide evidence ofincreasing efforts to investigate and prosecute traffickers;however, in July 2007, the government established the "NationalCoordinating Committee to Combat and Prevent Trafficking inPersons," which improved inter-governmental coordination onanti-trafficking initiatives; Egypt made no discernible efforts topunish trafficking crimes in 2007 and the Egyptian penal code doesnot prohibit all forms of trafficking; Egypt did not increase itsservices to trafficking victims during the reporting period (2008)
Equatorial Guineacurrent situation: Equatorial Guinea is primarilya destination country for children trafficked for the purpose offorced labor and possibly for the purpose of sexual exploitation;children have been trafficked from nearby countries for domesticservitude, market labor, ambulant vending, and possibly sexualexploitation; women may also be trafficked to Equatorial Guinea fromCameroon, Benin, other neighboring countries, and China for sexualexploitationtier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Equatorial Guinea is on the Tier 2Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing effortsto eliminate trafficking, particularly in the areas of prosecutingand convicting trafficking offenders and failing to formalizemechanisms to provide assistance to victims; although the governmentmade some effort to enforce laws against child labor exploitation,it failed to report any trafficking prosecutions or convictions in2007; the government continued to lack shelters or formal proceduresfor providing care to victims (2008)
Fijicurrent situation: Fiji is a source country for childrentrafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation and adestination country for a small number of women from China and Indiatrafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexualexploitationtier rating: Tier 3 - Fiji does not fully comply with the minimumstandards for the elimination of trafficking and is not makingsignificant efforts to do so; the government has demonstrated noaction to investigate or prosecute traffickers, assist victims, takesteps to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts, or support anyanti-trafficking information or education campaigns; Fiji has notratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)
Gaboncurrent situation: Gabon is predominantly a destinationcountry for children trafficked from other African countries for thepurpose of forced labor; girls are primarily trafficked for domesticservitude, forced market vending, forced restaurant labor, andsexual exploitation, while boys are trafficked for forced streethawking and forced labor in small workshopstier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Gabon is on the Tier 2 Watch Listfor its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combathuman trafficking in 2007, particularly in terms of efforts toconvict and punish trafficking offenders; the government has notreported the convictions or sentences of any trafficking offenders;the government did not take steps to reduce demand for commercialsex acts (2008)
Gambia, Thecurrent situation: The Gambia is a source, transit, anddestination country for children and women trafficked for thepurposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; womenand girls, and to a lesser extent boys, are trafficked for sexualexploitation - in particular to meet the demand for European sextourism - and for domestic servitude; boys are trafficked within thecountry for forced begging and street vending; Gambian women andchildren may be trafficked to Europe through trafficking schemesdisguised as migrant smugglingtier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for a second consecutive year, TheGambia is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provideevidence of increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking; The Gambiafailed to report any trafficking arrests, prosecutions, orconvictions in 2007, and the government demonstrated weak victimprotection efforts during the reporting period (2008)
Guatemalacurrent situation: Guatemala is a source, transit, anddestination country for Guatemalans and Central Americans traffickedfor the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor;human trafficking is a significant and growing problem in thecountry; Guatemalan women and children are trafficked within thecountry for commercial sexual exploitation, primarily to Mexico andthe United States; Guatemalan men, women, and children are alsotrafficked within the country, and to Mexico and the United States,for forced labortier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for a second consecutive year,Guatemala is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provideevidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons,particularly with respect to ensuring that trafficking offenders areappropriately prosecuted for their crimes; while prosecutorsinitiated trafficking prosecutions, they continued to face problemsin court with application of Guatemala's comprehensiveanti-trafficking law; the government made modest improvements to itsprotection efforts, but assistance remained inadequate overall in2007 (2008)
Guineacurrent situation: Guinea is a source, transit, anddestination country for men, women, and children trafficked for thepurposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; the majority ofvictims are children, and internal trafficking is more prevalentthan transnational trafficking; within the country, girls aretrafficked primarily for domestic servitude and sexual exploitation,while boys are trafficked for forced agricultural labor, and asforced beggars, street vendors, shoe shiners, and laborers in goldand diamond mines; some Guinean men are also trafficked foragricultural labor within Guinea; transnationally, girls aretrafficked into Guinea for domestic servitude and likely also forsexual exploitationtier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Guinea is on the Tier 2 Watch Listfor its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts toeliminate trafficking over 2006; Guinea demonstrated minimal lawenforcement efforts for a second year in a row, while protectionefforts diminished over efforts in 2006; the government did notreport any trafficking convictions in 2007; due to a lack ofresources, the government does not provide shelter services fortrafficking victims; the government took no measures to reduce thedemand for commercial sexual exploitation (2008)
Guinea-Bissaucurrent situation: Guinea-Bissau is a source countryfor children trafficked primarily for forced begging and forcedagricultural labor to other West African countriestier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for the second year in a row,Guinea-Bissau is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to combatsevere forms of trafficking in persons, as evidenced by thecontinued failure to pass an anti-trafficking law and inadequateefforts to investigate or prosecute trafficking crimes or convictand punish trafficking offenders (2008)
Guyanacurrent situation: Guyana is a source, transit, anddestination country for men, women, and children trafficked for thepurposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; mosttrafficking appears to take place in remote mining camps in thecountry's interior; some women and girls are trafficked fromnorthern Brazil; reporting from other nations suggests Guyanesewomen and girls are trafficked for sexual exploitation toneighboring countries and Guyanese men and boys are subject to laborexploitation in construction and agriculture; trafficking victimsfrom Suriname, Brazil, and Venezuela transit Guyana en route toCaribbean destinationstier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for a second consecutive year,Guyana is on the Tier 2 Watch List for failing to provide evidenceof increasing efforts to combat trafficking, particularly in thearea of law enforcement actions against trafficking offenders; thegovernment has yet to produce an anti-trafficking conviction underthe comprehensive Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act, whichbecame law in 2005; the government operates no shelters fortrafficking victims, but did include limited funding foranti-trafficking NGOs in its 2008 budget; the government did notmake any effort to reduce demand for commercial sex acts during 2007(2008)
Indiacurrent situation: India is a source, destination, and transitcountry for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes offorced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; internal forcedlabor may constitute India's largest trafficking problem; men,women, and children are held in debt bondage and face forced laborworking in brick kilns, rice mills, agriculture, and embroideryfactories; women and girls are trafficked within the country for thepurposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced marriage;children are subjected to forced labor as factory workers, domesticservants, beggars, and agriculture workers, and have been used asarmed combatants by some terrorist and insurgent groups; India isalso a destination for women and girls from Nepal and Bangladeshtrafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; Indianwomen are trafficked to the Middle East for commercial sexualexploitation; men and women from Bangladesh and Nepal are traffickedthrough India for forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation inthe Middle Easttier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - India is on the Tier 2 Watch Listfor a fifth consecutive year for its failure to provide evidence ofincreasing efforts to combat human trafficking in 2007; despite thereported extent of the trafficking crisis in India, governmentauthorities made uneven efforts to prosecute traffickers and protecttrafficking victims; government authorities continued to rescuevictims of commercial sexual exploitation and forced child labor andchild armed combatants, and began to show progress in lawenforcement against these forms of trafficking; a critical challengeoverall is the lack of punishment for traffickers, effectivelyresulting in impunity for acts of human trafficking; India has notratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)
Irancurrent situation: Iran is a source, transit, and destinationcountry for women trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitationand involuntary servitude; Iranian women are trafficked internallyfor the purpose of forced prostitution and for forced marriages tosettle debts; Iranian children are trafficked internally and Afghanchildren are trafficked into Iran for the purpose of forcedmarriages, commercial sexual exploitation, and involuntary servitudeas beggars or laborerstier rating: Tier 3 - Iran did not provide evidence of lawenforcement activities against trafficking, and credible reportsindicate that Iranian authorities punish victims of trafficking withbeatings, imprisonment, and execution; Iran has not ratified the2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)
Jordancurrent situation: Jordan is a destination and transitcountry for women and men from South and Southeast Asia traffickedfor the purpose of forced labor; Jordan is also a destination forwomen from Eastern Europe and Morocco for prostitution; women fromBangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Philippines migratewillingly to work as domestic servants, but some are subjected toconditions of forced labor, including unlawful withholding ofpassports, restrictions on movement, non-payment of wages, threats,and physical or sexual abusetier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Jordan is on the Tier 2 Watch Listfor its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combattrafficking in persons in 2007, particularly in the area of lawenforcement against trafficking for forced labor; the governmentmade minimal efforts to investigate or prosecute numerousallegations related to exploitation of foreign domestic workers;Jordan failed for a second year to criminally prosecute and punishthose who committed acts of forced labor; Jordan also continues tolack victim protection services; Jordan has not ratified the 2000 UNTIP Protocol (2008)
Korea, Northcurrent situation: North Korea is a source country formen, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced laborand commercial sexual exploitation; the most common form oftrafficking involves North Korean women and girls who cross theborder into China voluntarily; additionally, North Korean women andgirls are lured out of North Korea to escape poor social andeconomic conditions by the promise of food, jobs, and freedom, onlyto be forced into prostitution, marriage, or exploitative laborarrangements once in Chinatier rating: Tier 3 - North Korea does not fully comply with minimumstandards for the elimination of trafficking and is not makingsignificant efforts to do so; the government does not acknowledgethe existence of human rights abuses in the country or recognizetrafficking, either within the country or transnationally; NorthKorea has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)
Kuwaitcurrent situation: Kuwait is a destination country for menand women who migrate legally from South and Southeast Asia fordomestic or low-skilled labor, but are subjected to conditions ofinvoluntary servitude by employers in Kuwait including conditions ofphysical and sexual abuse, non-payment of wages, confinement to thehome, and withholding of passports to restrict their freedom ofmovement; Kuwait is reportedly a transit point for South and EastAsian workers recruited for low-skilled work in Iraq; some of theseworkers are deceived as to the true location and nature of thiswork, and others are subjected to conditions of involuntaryservitude in Iraqtier rating: Tier 3 - insufficient efforts in 2007 to prosecute andpunish abusive employers and those who traffic women for sexualexploitation; the government failed for the fourth year in a row tolive up to promises to provide shelter and protective services forvictims of involuntary domestic servitude and other forms oftrafficking (2008)
Libyacurrent situation: Libya is a transit and destination countryfor men and women from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia trafficked forthe purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitationtier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Libya is on the Tier 2 Watch Listfor its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to addresstrafficking in persons in 2007 when compared to 2006, particularlyin the area of investigating and prosecuting trafficking offenses;Libya did not publicly release any data on investigations orpunishment of any trafficking offenses (2008)
Malaysiacurrent situation: Malaysia is a destination and, to alesser extent, a source and transit country for women and childrentrafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation, andmen, women, and children for forced labor; Malaysia is mainly adestination country for men, women, and children who migratewillingly from South and Southeast Asia to work, some of whom aresubjected to conditions of involuntary servitude by Malaysianemployers in the domestic, agricultural, construction, plantation,and industrial sectors; to a lesser extent, some Malaysian women,primarily of Chinese ethnicity, are trafficked abroad for commercialsexual exploitationtier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Malaysia improved from Tier 3 tothe Tier 2 Watch List for 2008 when it enacted comprehensiveanti-trafficking legislation in July 2007; however, it did not takeaction against exploitative employers or labor traffickers in 2007;the government has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)
Moldovacurrent situation: Moldova is a major source and, to alesser extent, a transit country for women and girls trafficked forthe purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; Moldovan women aretrafficked to the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Western Europe;girls and young women are trafficked within the country from ruralareas to Chisinau; children are also trafficked to neighboringcountries for forced labor and begging; labor trafficking of men towork in the construction, agriculture, and service sectors of Russiais increasingly a problemtier rating: Tier 3 - Moldova does not fully comply with the minimumstandards for the elimination of trafficking and is not makingsignificant efforts to do so; the government failed to follow-up onallegations of officials complicit in trafficking cited in the 2007Report, and it did not demonstrate proactive efforts to identifytrafficking victims (2008)
Montenegrocurrent situation: Montenegro is primarily a transitcountry for the trafficking of women and girls to Western Europe forthe purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; women and girls fromthe Balkans and Eastern Europe are trafficked across Montenegro toWestern European countriestier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Montenegro is on the Tier 2 WatchList for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts tocombat trafficking in persons in 2007; public attention to the issueof trafficking has diminished considerably in Montenegro in recentyears (2008)
Mozambiquecurrent situation: Mozambique is a source and, to a muchlesser extent, a destination country for men, women, and childrentrafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation;the use of forced and bonded child laborers is a common practice inMozambique's rural areas; women and girls are trafficked from ruralto urban areas of Mozambique, as well as to South Africa, fordomestic servitude and commercial sexual exploitation; young men andboys are trafficked to South Africa for farm work and miningtier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for the second consecutive year,Mozambique is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provideevidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking in 2007;while the government conducted investigations into cases of humantrafficking, there were no prosecutions or convictions oftraffickers; government efforts to protect victims of traffickingcontinued to suffer from limited resources and a lack of politicalcommitment (2008)
Nigercurrent situation: Niger is a source, transit, and destinationcountry for children and women trafficked for forced labor andsexual exploitation; caste-based slavery practices, rooted inancestral master-slave relationships, continue in isolated areas ofthe country - an estimated 8,800 to 43,000 Nigeriens live underconditions of traditional slavery; children are trafficked withinNiger for forced begging, forced labor in gold mines, domesticservitude, sexual exploitation, and possibly for forced labor inagriculture and stone quarries; women and children from neighboringstates are trafficked to and through Niger for domestic servitude,sexual exploitation, forced labor in mines and on farms, and asmechanics and welderstier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Niger is on the Tier 2 Watch Listfor its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts toeliminate trafficking in 2007; in particular, measures to combat andeliminate traditional slavery practices were weak; the government'soverall law enforcement efforts have stalled from 2006; whileefforts to protect child trafficking victims were steady, thegovernment failed to provide services to or rescue adult victimssubjected to traditional slavery practices, and made poor efforts toeducate the public about traditional slavery practices in general(2008)
Omancurrent situation: Oman is a destination country for men andwomen primarily from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan whomigrate willingly, but some of whom become victims of traffickingwhen subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude as domesticworkers and laborers; mistreatment includes non-payment of wages,restrictions on movement and withholding of passports, threats, andphysical or sexual abuse; Oman may also be a destination country forwomen from Asia, Eastern Europe, and North Africa for commercialsexual exploitationtier rating: Tier 3 - Oman was rated as Tier 3 for the secondconsecutive year because it did not report any law enforcementefforts to prosecute and punish trafficking offenses in 2007 andcontinues to lack victim protection services or a systematicprocedure to identify victims of trafficking (2008)
Panamacurrent situation: Panama is a source, transit, anddestination country for women and children trafficked for thepurpose of commercial sexual exploitation; the majority of victimsare Panamanian women and children trafficked within the country intothe sex trade; rural children in Panama may be trafficked internallyto urban areas for labor exploitationtier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Panama is on the Tier 2 Watch Listfor failing to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat humantrafficking, particularly with respect to prosecuting, convicting,and sentencing human traffickers for their crimes, and for failingto provide adequate victim assistance (2008)
Papua New Guineacurrent situation: Papua New Guinea is a country ofdestination for women and children from Malaysia, the Philippines,Thailand, and China trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexualexploitation; internal trafficking of women and children for thepurposes of sexual exploitation and involuntary domestic servitudeoccurs as welltier rating: Tier 3 - Papua New Guinea does not fully comply withthe minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is notmaking significant efforts to do so; the current legal frameworkdoes not contain elements of crimes that characterize trafficking;the government lacks victim protection services or a systematicprocedure to identify victims of trafficking; the government did notprosecute anyone in 2007 for trafficking; Papua New Guinea has notratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)