U.S. names Myanmar among worst human trafficking offenders

PanARMENIAN.Net - The United States placed Myanmar, Uzbekistan, Sudan and Haiti on its list of worst human trafficking offenders on Thursday, June 30 drawing guarded praise from some human rights groups following criticism that last year’s State Department report was politicized, Reuters said.

While more than two dozen countries were downgraded in the closely watched Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, Thailand was removed from the bottom rung despite what the State Department described as “widespread forced labor” in the country’s vital seafood industry.

Other nations demoted to the lowest ranking were Turkmenistan, Djibouti, Papua New Guinea and Suriname.

But the Philippines, a key U.S. ally widely known for its thriving sex industry, was moved up to the top tier – the same level as countries like the United States and Germany – even though the report said sex trafficking there was still a “significant problem.”

Despite that, some human rights groups especially welcomed downgrades for Myanmar and Uzbekistan, strategically important U.S. partners, and said those decisions may reflect an effort to restore credibility to the annual report, which grades countries in the fight against modern-day slavery.

Critics had contended that politics trumped human rights in some of last year’s key ranking decisions.

“On the whole, this year’s trafficking report accurately reflects and critiques the record of countries around the world in addressing human trafficking and forced labor, unlike the report issued last year, which was marred by strong indications of political interference,” said Sarah Margon, Washington director for Human Rights Watch.

But she also said Thailand’s upgrade, which the report linked to legal reforms and increased prosecutions, was "problematic." Still, it could smooth U.S. relations with the military-run government at a time when Washington seeks Southeast Asian unity against China in the South China Sea.

The State Department demoted Uzbekistan to the bottom ranking just a year after giving a higher rating to the central Asian country, where state-orchestrated forced labor underpins its vital cotton industry. Turkmenistan’s downgrade was also based on its policy of forcing citizens to work the cotton fields.

The report also downgraded Hong Kong from "Tier 2" to the "Tier 2 watchlist" and a government spokesman for the Chinese territory called the decision unjustified.

"We cannot accept that Hong Kong is a destination, transit and source territory for men, women and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor," China's state Xinhua agency quoted the spokesman as saying.