Thailand drops in human trafficking rating to Tier 2 Watchlist
Thailand’s ranking in the world Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report dropped from Tier 2 last year to Tier 2 Watchlist this year, a report from the US State Department published on Thursday showed.
The report pointed out that the economic and social distress generated by the Covid-19 pandemic is a key factor driving trafficking in the world.
“A survey by Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and UN Women highlights that almost 70 per cent of trafficking survivors from 35 countries reported that their financial well-being was heavily impacted by Covid-19, and more than two-thirds attributed a decline in their mental health to government-imposed lockdowns triggering memories of exploitative situations,” the document read.
Thani Saengrat, Foreign Ministry spokesman, said the report was disappointing as it did not reflect the efforts Thailand has been making in dealing with trafficking issues. He added that the government has been monitoring this problem despite the ongoing crisis.
Along with Thailand, the other countries in Tier 2 Watchlist are Aruba, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Curaçao, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Haiti, Hong Kong, Ireland, Lesotho, Liberia, Macau, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Romania, Senegal, Saint Maarten, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.