T How to read a Country narrative This page shows a sample country narrative. The Prosecution, Protection, and Prevention sections of each country or narrative describe how a government has or has not addressed the relevant TVPA minimum standards (see page 404), P during the reporting period. This truncated narrative gives a few examples. re The country’s tier ranking is S based on the government’s efforts against trafficking as measured by the TVPA on minimum standards. S COUNTRY X (Tier 2 Watch List) Protection er Country X made minimal progress in protecting victims of trafficking Country X is a transit and destination country for men and women during the reporting period. Although health care facilities reportedly subjected to forced labor and, to a much lesser extent, forced refer suspected abuse cases to the government anti-trafficking shelter for P Summary prostitution. Men and women from South and Southeast Asia, East investigation, the government continues to lack a systematic procedure Africa, and the Middle East voluntarily travel to Country X as laborers for law enforcement to identify victims of trafficking among vulnerable of the populations, such as foreign workers awaiting deportation and women in and domestic servants, but some subsequently face conditions indicative government’s of involuntary servitude. These conditions include threats of serious arrested for prostitution; as a result, victims may be punished and efforts to harm, including financial harm; job switching; withholding of pay; automatically deported without being identified as victims or offered charging workers for benefits for which the employer is responsible; protection. The government reported that the MOI has a process by ensure that G Profile of human restrictions on freedom of movement, including the confiscation of which it refers victims to the trafficking shelter; however, this process is trafficking trafficking in passports and travel documents and the withholding of exit permits; underutilized in practice. The trafficking shelter assisted 24 individuals during the reporting period and provided them with a wide range of victims are in arbitrary detention; threats of legal action and deportation; false recent years. charges; and physical, mental, and sexual abuse. In some cases, arriving services, including full medical treatment and legal and job assistance. identified migrant workers have found that the terms of employment in Country X Country X commonly fines and detains potential trafficking victims for and provided are wholly different from those they agreed to in their home countries. unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked, such as Individuals employed as domestic servants are particularly vulnerable to immigration violations and running away from their sponsors, without adequate CK i trafficking since they are not covered under the provisions of the labor determining whether the individuals are victims of trafficking. The protection. law. A small number of foreign workers transit Country X and are forced government did not routinely encourage victims to assist in trafficking to work on farms in Saudi Arabia. Country X is also a destination for investigations or consistently offer victims alternatives to removal to FF women who migrate and become involved in prostitution, but the extent countries where they may face retribution or hardship. to which these women are subjected to forcedTVPA prostitution Minimum is unknown. Standard 4(10) – Country X sometimes offers temporary relief from deportation so The Government of Country X does notwhether fully comply the government with the minimum that victims can testify as witnesses against their employers. However, TVPA Minimum ra standards for the limitation of trafficking;shows however, evidence it is ofmaking overall victims were generally not permitted to leave the country if there is a pending case. The government did not routinely encourage victims Standard 4(2) – whether significant efforts to do so. The governmentincreasing took steps efforts. to implement its sponsorship law, including through the granting of an exit permit to to assist in trafficking investigations or consistently offer victims the government adequately Synopsis of one migrant laborer without permission from his sponsor. Although the alternatives to removal to countries where they may face retribution protects victims of trafficking by or hardship. government government has not yet enacted necessary anti-trafficking legislation, identifying them and ensuring during the reporting period it reaffirmed its commitment to this goal they have access to efforts. over the next year. Despite these efforts, the government did not show evidence of overall progress in prosecuting and punishing trafficking Prevention necessary services. offenders and identifying victims of trafficking; therefore, Country X is Country X made modest progress in preventing trafficking in persons placed on Tier 2 Watch List. during the reporting period. Agencies continued to produce and 2011 T distribute informational anti-trafficking brochures in several targeted Recommendations for Country X: Enact the draft comprehensive languages, distributed posters in different languages, given radio anti-trafficking legislation; significantly increase efforts to investigate and TV interviews and commercials in regional media outlets, and and prosecute trafficking offenses, and convict and punish trafficking a media campaign entitled “No to Trafficking.” In March, Country X Guidance offenders; institute and consistently apply formal procedures to identify hosted a two-day regional workshop meant to establish dialog between on how the victims of trafficking among vulnerable groups, such as those arrested scholars, government officials, and stakeholders; to discuss regional and for immigration violations or prostitution; enforce the sponsorship’s law international efforts to combat TIP; and how to help victims. government criminalization of passport-withholding and mandate that employees Summary can improve its receive residence cards within one week; abolish or significantly amend While the government made no apparent effort to amend provisions of of the performance provisions of Country X’s sponsorship law to prevent the forced labor Country X’s sponsorship law – enacted in March 2009 – to help prevent of migrant workers or strongly implement otherTVPA provisions Minimum which make the forced labor of migrant workers, the government did start to enforce government’s and obtain up for the law’s shortcomings; implement and publicly disseminate Standards 1-3 – whether the other parts of the law to the benefit of migrant workers. One provision efforts to a better tier the national plan of action; and collect,government disaggregate, prohibits analyze all and forms in the sponsorship law continues to require foreign workers to request disseminate counter-trafficking law enforcement data. exit permits from their sponsors in order to leave Country X. Although prevent ranking. of trafficking and prescribes adequate criminal this may increase migrant workers’ vulnerability to forced labor, the law human punishments. created a new processTVPA through Minimum which a laborer who was not granted an exit permit due to a sponsor’s refusal or other circumstances can seek trafficking. Prosecution Standard 4(3) – whether the The Government of Country X made minimal efforts to investigate and one by other means. While this process is burdensome, the government prosecute trafficking offenses during the reporting period. Country X reported governmentthat the Ministry is making of Interior adequate granted two workers – one of does not prohibit all acts of trafficking, but it criminalizes slavery under whom was a laborerefforts –to exit prevent permits human without permission of their employer Summary of the Section 321 and forced labor under Section 322 of its criminal law. The since the passage of thistrafficking. law. The government has a national plan of government’s prescribed penalty for forced labor – up to six months’ imprisonment action to address trafficking in persons, but did not publicly disseminate – is not sufficiently stringent. Article 297 prohibits forced or coerced the plan or take steps to implement it during the reporting period. legal structure prostitution, and the prostitution of a child below age 15 even if there The government did not make any efforts to reduce the demand for and law was no compulsion or redress; the prescribed penalty is up to 15 years’ commercial sex acts in Country X, but the government convicted two enforcement imprisonment, which is commensurate with penalties prescribed for of its nationals for soliciting children for sex in other countries and other serious crimes, such as rape. Draft revisions to the penal code sentenced them to 10 years’ imprisonment. efforts against have not yet been enacted. An unconfirmed report indicates that four human traffickers were charged with fraudulently issuing visas to workers trafficking. who they then exploited. Two were reportedly deported, and two were reportedly convicted. The government did not confirm nor deny the existence of this case. The government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, convictions, or sentences for trafficking complicity of public officials. TVPA Minimum Standard 4(11) – whether the government has made efforts to TVPA Minimum reduce the demand for commercial sex Standard 4(1) – whether acts, and, if applicable, participation