MARSHALL ISLANDS: Tier 2 Watch List
The Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government made key achievements during the reporting period; therefore, RMI was upgraded to Tier 2 Watch List. These achievements included drafting a new trafficking law, approval of the National Action Plan to Combat Trafficking, and continued implementation of parts of the plan begun prior to its approval in 2015. The government also provided funding for victim services and targeted awareness-raising efforts conducted by the National Taskforce on Human Trafficking (NTHT), initiated two investigations into allegations of labor trafficking, and assisted in the protection and repatriation of a foreign labor trafficking victim. The government also made modest efforts to identify trafficking victims, notably among foreign men working on fishing vessels in Marshallese waters. Despite these achievements, the government did not prosecute or convict any individuals for trafficking offenses, nor did it strengthen its efforts to identify trafficking victims among foreign and local women in prostitution.