U.S. Department of State

Belize
The Government of Belize has made modest progress in implementing strategies to combat trafficking in persons (TIP). The Government acknowledges there is a significant problem and has appointed a high-level government official to coordinate its trafficking in persons taskforce. The Government?s commitment to undertake significant efforts to prosecute traffickers was evidenced by four raids of businesses and private homes where traffickers allegedly operated. There have been four convictions and two additional cases are pending.

In recent months, a few government officials have spoken out on the dangers of TIP. However, due in part to resource constraints, Belize has not made significant progress in increasing victim protection and raising awareness in the country on the dangers of trafficking in persons. The Government participated in some training on TIP, but minimal efforts were made to improve protection of the country's border areas. Some foreign women found in Belize brothels were interviewed and deported. There were no reports of action taken against TIP-related corruption.

Bolivia
The Government of Bolivia has shown uneven and inadequate progress in addressing its anti-trafficking deficiencies. While the Government made progress in raising public awareness of trafficking issues, it did not demonstrate an increased anti-trafficking commitment through increased law enforcement actions against traffickers or through the appointment of a government anti-trafficking coordinator.

In November, Bolivian immigration and the Vice Ministry of Youth joined with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Organization of American States to hold a workshop targeting government and civil society actors with the objective of raising awareness on commercial sexual exploitation of minors. The Bolivian government created an inter-agency commission to address trafficking that is co-chaired by the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Government (which includes police and immigration services). The commission held its first meeting in October.

Canada
The Government of Canada has made only limited progress to implement strategies to combat trafficking in persons. The Government acknowledges there is a significant problem and has an anti-TIP interdepartmental working group, which is comprised of 17 departments and agencies. The working group reported that there are at least five on-going trafficking in persons investigations. During the assessment period, there were no reports of any convictions under Canada?s new anti-TIP law.

Senior government officials have spoken out on the dangers of TIP, and more resources are being devoted to border control. The Government has announced that it will take action against the temporary worker program that allows foreign women to come to Canada to be exotic dancers. However, no significant efforts have been taken to address the reportedly large number of Korean girls and women trafficked through Canada to the United States.

Dominican Republic
The Government of the Dominican Republic has made inadequate progress in implementing strategies to combat trafficking in persons. The Government acknowledges a significant TIP problem and has appointed high-level government officials to coordinate the country's anti-TIP national strategy. The newly appointed Attorney General has spoken out strongly on TIP and appointed a person within his office to coordinate anti-TIP efforts. The new Government of the Dominican Republic has made strong commitments to combat corruption, including promises to take action against corrupt immigration officials. Both the previous and current (new) governments removed several officials complicit in trafficking from their posts, but no public official has been prosecuted or convicted for trafficking-related corruption.

There has been limited progress in prosecuting suspected alien smugglers and traffickers. Progress has been slow in prosecuting accused traffickers Maria Martinez Nunez and Congressman Radhames Ramos Garcia. Authorities have raided several establishments, arrested some alleged traffickers, and have rescued dozens of victims, many of them children. The Dominican Navy attempts to identify trafficked persons through its post interdiction interrogations. There have been no convictions of traffickers under the Dominican Republic?s 2003 anti-trafficking law. Government officials have spoken out against TIP and have begun working with community leaders in problem areas to identify traffickers and trafficking victims. Several training sessions on TIP for government officials have resulted in more vigorous investigations of trafficking. The Diplomatic and Consular school continues to offer TIP training as part of its curriculum.

Ecuador
The Government of Ecuador has shown uneven and overall inadequate progress in addressing anti-trafficking deficiencies in the country. While the Government took new positive steps to develop and publicize anti-trafficking policy, expand cooperation with NGOs, and revise laws in areas related to child sexual exploitation and trafficking, it did not show progress in prosecuting traffickers who lure minors into prostitution and in expanding cooperation with destination countries to detect and dismantle trafficking rings.

A national plan for combating trafficking in persons was announced by Presidential Decree on August 14. At the same time, a national TIP coordinator was named and an inter-agency working group was established to address TIP issues and policies. The Government of Ecuador also requested the International Labor Organization?s (ILO) assistance to establish a model TIP victim facility, and the Ministry of Government worked with the ILO to train 250 police officers on combating commercial sexual exploitation of minors. The President of Ecuador's Supreme Court and the Foreign Ministry both hosted conferences to increase awareness and encourage coordination between the government, NGOs, and international organizations in combating TIP. Legislative proposals to update laws, mostly focusing on abuse and exploitation of minors, were introduced to the National Congress in the fall. The revisions include some language about TIP but are not comprehensive TIP legislation.

Guatemala
The Government of Guatemala has made noticeable progress in addressing anti-trafficking deficiencies. The Government acknowledges there is a significant problem and has appointed a high-level government official to coordinate its anti-trafficking in persons national strategy. The Government?s commitment to undertake significant efforts to prosecute traffickers was demonstrated by conducting 113 raids of bars, brothels, and other establishments where traffickers are known to be operating. The raids resulted in 40 arrests. Both the National Civilian Police (PNC) and the Attorney General?s Office have set up specialized units to concentrate on TIP. These units have increased their individual activities to interdict and prosecute traffickers and improved the coordination between their respective departments. Efforts to improve the legal framework in the country to increase penalties for traffickers have been undertaken by the Guatemalan Congress.

Although Guatemala has made appreciable progress in some areas, resource constraints have hampered the government?s ability to make appreciable progress in other areas, particularly with victim assistance and prevention strategies. To date, efforts to implement the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Guatemala and Mexico aimed at protecting and rescuing trafficking victims along the Guatemala-Mexico border remain at the political level.

Guyana
The Government of Guyana made appreciable progress in devoting more resources to anti-trafficking in persons efforts, cooperating with the international community, modernizing national laws to sanction traffickers and keep minors out of prostitution, rescuing and protecting victims, and taking prevention measures.

The Government of Guyana provided training to community leaders on how to use existing laws to address TIP and co-sponsored, with the International Organization for Migration, training for community leaders on how to identify TIP and assist victims. Guyanese officials initiated contact with Suriname officials on a trans-border case involving trafficked minors and worked with UNICEF on victim identification and assistance and production of TIP educational materials. A new and much-needed draft TIP law was introduced to the National Assembly in October. A Special Unit was created within the Women's Affairs Bureau to identify and rescue victims and two young trafficking victims received assistance in a trans-border case still under investigation. Guyana?s anti-TIP coordinator, Minister of Labour, Human Services and Social Security Shaddick, led a town hall meeting initiative in the Port Kaituma area in July and the Government distributed public service announcement materials that were aired on television during cricket matches, a peak period for public viewership. 

Honduras
The Government of Honduras has made some noticeable progress to implement strategies to combat trafficking in persons. The Government?s commitment to undertake significant efforts to prosecute traffickers was evidenced by the convictions of several traffickers in October 2004. Efforts to amend the criminal code to increase penalties against traffickers and to protect and prevent the commercial sexual exploitation of minors are currently pending in the Honduran Congress.

The Government has also expanded efforts to work with NGOs, marked by its signing of an agreement to work with NGOs on repatriations of trafficking victims. Additionally, in July 2004, the Government inaugurated a facility to provide shelter services and housing for third country nationals awaiting repatriation to their country of origin. Honduras has undertaken modest efforts to conduct raids and rescue victims. There was little reported progress in addressing trafficking-related corruption in the country.

Jamaica
The Government of Jamaica has made no noticeable progress in implementing strategies to combat trafficking in persons. The Government has been slow to implement a comprehensive anti-TIP policy, and law enforcement efforts against traffickers remain weak. An independent agency was established to address children?s issues, but no significant steps have been taken to deal with the country?s trafficking problems on a larger scale.

The Government of Jamaica has expressed a general willingness to address the problem, but there has been no reported appreciable progress made during this interim assessment period. Specifically, the Government of Jamaica passed the "Child Care and Protection Act" earlier this year, but there has been no evidence that the Government has increased law enforcement efforts as a result of this law. Minimal efforts have been made to conduct a widespread campaign to educate police and child care givers on the provisions of the law, but these efforts are in the preliminary stages. There has also been minimal progress in conducting raids and rescuing victims.

Mexico
The Government of Mexico has shown some progress in combating trafficking in persons, but more work is needed in victim protection and prosecution of traffickers. The Government has a number of enforcement actions underway against trafficking networks and is cooperating with the U.S. Government in some trafficking prosecutions. Mexico has also announced the creation of a National Center Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children.

A comprehensive anti-trafficking bill has been introduced in the Mexican Congress. The Government has designated the Organized Crime Unit (SIEDO) of the Office of the Prosecutor General as the lead federal agency for trafficking prosecutions. A number of senior Mexican Government officials have spoken out against trafficking in persons in recent months, including the First Lady, the Foreign Secretary, the Secretary of Government, and the Secretary of Labor. In November, the Government hosted a conference at which best practices and international anti-TIP cooperation were discussed. The Government has been increasing its cooperation with NGOs. The Mexican immigration service now allows NGO members to interview randomly chosen illegal alien detainees. The Mexican Government has made progress in anti-corruption efforts, arresting over 45 immigration officials earlier this year on charges of corruption.

Mexico is in the preliminary stages of implementing a program, as part of the March 2004 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Guatemala, in which non-work visas will be issued to trafficking victims willing to participate in prosecutions against traffickers. Mexico signed an MOU with the Organization of American States that will allow for an assessment of trafficking in persons and prevention mechanisms in Mexico.

Paraguay
The Government of Paraguay has not made appreciable progress in maintaining law enforcement data on trafficking cases, working cooperatively with Spain and Argentina to close down trafficking rings, or in warning potential victims of the danger of trafficking.

Paraguay's international cooperative efforts focused on securing the return of Paraguayan nationals trafficked to Spain and Argentina. The Attorney General's office began organization of a unit to specialize in prosecuting trafficking cases. Due to the lack of collected law enforcement data on trafficking cases, it is not possible to determine whether recent efforts to charge and prosecute traffickers demonstrate an increase in law enforcement efforts over previous years.

Peru
The Government of Peru made only limited progress on creation of a comprehensive national plan to combat trafficking, arrests and prosecutions for internal trafficking, improved data collection on the trafficking in persons problem, and improved cooperation with Spain. More progress was made in updating statutes to cover trafficking-related offenses and working on cases of international trafficking among Andean countries and to Japan.

A law designed to combat the sexual exploitation of minors was passed in May 2004. An investigation led to the July arrest of a recruiter of women trafficked to Japan for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Peruvian work with Ecuadorian authorities uncovered a network for trafficking victims from Peru to Ecuador for the purpose of forced labor.

Suriname
The Government of Suriname showed uneven and inadequate progress in addressing anti-trafficking in persons deficiencies in the country. While the Government made progress in providing law enforcement training and taking steps to identify traffickers, it has not yet demonstrated significant progress in: investigating illegal migration that may veil trafficking operations; prosecuting traffickers; and improving its assistance to victims. There were no reports of arrests or prosecutions of traffickers in Suriname, though the Government reported its cooperative efforts to assist Netherlands Antilles and Guyanese officials working trafficking cases.

Suriname's Ministry of Home Affairs joined with the International Organization for Migration on two large-scale workshops to educate government officials about TIP, including identifying victims and their assistance needs. The Government created a Special TIP Unit as part of the Alien Affairs Office of the Suriname Police. The Government of Suriname also requested U.S. assistance to help Suriname develop anti-TIP law enforcement manuals. Two manuals on identifying and prosecuting TIP, one for immigration officials and one for police, were finalized and distributed.