Muslim countries in the Middle East and north-central Africa lead the world in human trafficking, according to a new U.S. State Department report. Of the 17 countries that were given the "Tier 3" listing reserved for the worst offenders, nine were Muslim countries or countries with a large Muslim population from these two regions. Tier 3 countries are defined as those “whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards" of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 and "are not making significant efforts to do so.” 

The Middle Eastern countries with Tier 3 status are Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Syria. The north-central African countries are Mauritania, Chad, Sudan, Niger and Eritrea, all of which have very large Muslim populations.

Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Iraq, Yemen, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Lebanon are on the Tier 2 Watchlist – one step above Tier 3.



The data in the report indicates that Muslim countries in the Middle East and Africa are continuing their centuries-old practice of human trafficking. Historians estimate that between 9 and 14 million black Africans were brought to the Americas in the Atlantic slave trade and between 11 and 18 million black African slaves crossed the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Sahara Desert between the Muslim conquests in the 7th century and 1900.

Iran: The report says that “Iran is a source, transit, and destination for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and involuntary servitude. Iranian women are trafficked internally for the purpose of forced prostitution and forced marriage. Iranian and Afghan children living in Iran are trafficked internally for the purpose of forced marriage, commercial sexual exploitation, and involuntary servitude as beggars or laborers to pay debts, provide income, or support drug addiction of their families. Iranian women and girls are also trafficked to Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom for commercial sexual exploitation.”

Saudi Arabia, the report says, “is a destination country for men and women trafficked for the purposes of involuntary servitude and, to a lesser extent, commercial sexual exploitation. Men and women from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Sudan, Ethiopia, and many other countries voluntarily travel to Saudi Arabia as domestic servants or other low-skilled laborers, but some subsequently face conditions indicative of involuntary servitude, including restrictions on movement, withholding of passports, threats, physical or sexual abuse, and non-payment of wages.

“Some Saudi men have also used legally contracted ‘temporary marriages’ in countries such as Mauritania, Yemen, and Indonesia as a means by which to sexually exploit migrant workers. Females as young as seven years old are led to believe they are being wed in earnest, but upon arrival in Saudi Arabia subsequently become their husbands’ sexual slaves, are forced into domestic labor and, in some cases, prostitution. The Government of Saudi Arabia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making discernible efforts to do so.”

Syria is “principally a destination country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of domestic servitude and commercial sexual exploitation. Women from Iraq, Eastern Europe, former Soviet states, Somalia, and Morocco are recruited as cabaret dancers and subsequently forced into prostitution after their employers confiscate their passports and confine them to their work premises. A significant number of women and children in the large Iraqi refugee community in Syria are forced into sexual exploitation by criminal gangs or, in some cases, their families. Some desperate Iraqi families reportedly abandon their girls at the border with the expectation that traffickers on the Syrian side would arrange forged documents for the children and ‘work’ in a nightclub or brothel. Iraqi families arrange for young girls to work in clubs and to be “married,” often multiple times, to men for the sole purpose of prostitution.”

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/131928

$osisi,

Can you supply another source for this article or story? I'm not doubting the veracity, however, a source tagged "israelnationalnews" can hardly be deemed unbiased when reporting on stories concerning Muslim countries. Thanks.

SAUDI ARABIA (TIER 3) [TIER 3: Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so.]

Saudi Arabia is a destination for men and women from South and East Asia and East Africa trafficked for the purpose of labor exploitation, and for children from Yemen, Afghanistan, and Africa trafficking for forced begging. Hundreds of thousands of low-skilled workers from India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and Kenya migrate voluntarily to Saudi Arabia; some fall into conditions of involuntary servitude, suffering from physical and sexual abuse, non-payment or delayed payment of wages, the withholding of travel documents, restrictions on their freedom of movement and non-consensual contract alterations

The Government of Saudi Arabia does not comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so. Saudi Arabia has moved from Tier 2 to Tier 3 because of its lack of progress in anti-trafficking efforts, particularly its failure to protect victims and prosecute those guilty of involuntary servitude. Despite reports of trafficking and abuses of domestic and other unskilled workers and children, there is evidence of only one Saudi Government prosecution of a Saudi employer for a trafficking-related offense during the reporting period. Some victims of abuse, due to procedural hurdles, choose to leave the country rather than confront their abusers in court. They are required first to file a complaint with the police before they are allowed access to shelters. The government offers no legal aid to foreign victims and does not otherwise assist them in using the Saudi criminal justice system to bring their exploiters to justice. If a victim chooses to file a complaint, he or she is not allowed to work. The Saudi Government does, however, provide food and shelter for female workers who file complaints or run away from their employers. Criminal cases are adjudicated under Sharia law, and there is no evidence trafficking victims are accorded legal assistance before and during Sharia legal proceedings. The government should consider adopting comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation that would punish traffickers, provide for the protection of victims, and facilitate prevention programs. It should also collect and disseminate data on prosecution and mediation efforts, prosecute aggressively cases of physical and sexual abuse using available criminal laws, and increase its efforts to prevent and investigate the trafficking of children for forced begging.

Prosecution

There is limited evidence indicating that the government has this year improved its prosecution efforts over last year. Saudi Arabia lacks laws criminalizing most trafficking offenses. Most abuses involving foreign workers are dealt with by Islamic law, royal decrees, and ministerial resolutions; few are submitted to criminal prosecution. Domestic workers, which comprise a significant portion of the foreign workforce, are excluded from protection under Saudi labor laws. Most cases involving trafficking or abuse of foreign workers are settled out of court through mediation. In 2004, there were reports of Philippine female domestic workers raped; however, there were no reports of prosecutions. In 2004, the Ministry of Labor issued resolutions, among other things, prohibiting trading in work visas, employing and exploiting children, and recruiting for begging. It investigated some cases of abusive employers and instituted a tracking system. To date, 30 abusive employers have been barred from hiring workers. The government provides training for police officers to recognize and handle cases of foreign worker abuse.

Protection

The Saudi Government has not improved its efforts to protect victims of trafficking but continues to operate three shelters for abused female expatriate workers in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam. It also operates facilities for abandoned children, including trafficking victims, in Jeddah, Mecca, and Medina. However, the government does not provide shelter to adult male workers. There are no NGOs working with trafficking victims. The government mediates disputes and alleged abuses of foreign workers — including complaints of a criminal nature — and seeks to return victims to their home countries without adequately investigating and prosecuting crimes committed against them.

Prevention

Saudi Arabia's limited efforts to prevent trafficking include: distributing information at embassies abroad, licensing and regulating the activities of recruitment agencies, monitoring immigration patterns and visa issuance, and promoting awareness through the media and religious authorities. The government has begun working with UNICEF and the Yemeni Government to prevent trafficking of children for begging. A plan envisioned several years ago to distribute information to foreign workers at Saudi Arabian airports upon arrival has not been implemented. Religious leaders have preached in mosques sermons about the evil of abusing employees.

Source: U.S. Department of State

Saudi Arabia, the report says, “is a destination country for men and women trafficked for the purposes of involuntary servitude and, to a lesser extent, commercial sexual exploitation. Men and women from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Sudan, Ethiopia, and many other countries voluntarily travel to Saudi Arabia as domestic servants or other low-skilled laborers, but some subsequently face conditions indicative of involuntary servitude, including restrictions on movement, withholding of passports, threats, physical or sexual abuse, and non-payment of wages.

Saudi Arabia again. They also eagerly behead African Immigrants because they know these immigrants won't be able to afford lawyers or have native Saudi Arabian tribes/Klan protection. How sad.

I wonder when the world will again care about the atrocities happening in Sudan.

RichyBlacK:

SAUDI ARABIA (TIER 3) [TIER 3: Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so.]

Saudi Arabia is a destination for men and women from South and East Asia and East Africa trafficked for the purpose of labor exploitation, and for children from Yemen, Afghanistan, and Africa trafficking for forced begging. Hundreds of thousands of low-skilled workers from India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and Kenya migrate voluntarily to Saudi Arabia; some fall into conditions of involuntary servitude, suffering from physical and sexual abuse, non-payment or delayed payment of wages, the withholding of travel documents, restrictions on their freedom of movement and non-consensual contract alterations

The Government of Saudi Arabia does not comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so. Saudi Arabia has moved from Tier 2 to Tier 3 because of its lack of progress in anti-trafficking efforts, particularly its failure to protect victims and prosecute those guilty of involuntary servitude. Despite reports of trafficking and abuses of domestic and other unskilled workers and children, there is evidence of only one Saudi Government prosecution of a Saudi employer for a trafficking-related offense during the reporting period. Some victims of abuse, due to procedural hurdles, choose to leave the country rather than confront their abusers in court. They are required first to file a complaint with the police before they are allowed access to shelters. The government offers no legal aid to foreign victims and does not otherwise assist them in using the Saudi criminal justice system to bring their exploiters to justice. If a victim chooses to file a complaint, he or she is not allowed to work. The Saudi Government does, however, provide food and shelter for female workers who file complaints or run away from their employers. Criminal cases are adjudicated under Sharia law, and there is no evidence trafficking victims are accorded legal assistance before and during Sharia legal proceedings. The government should consider adopting comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation that would punish traffickers, provide for the protection of victims, and facilitate prevention programs. It should also collect and disseminate data on prosecution and mediation efforts, prosecute aggressively cases of physical and sexual abuse using available criminal laws, and increase its efforts to prevent and investigate the trafficking of children for forced begging.

Prosecution

There is limited evidence indicating that the government has this year improved its prosecution efforts over last year. Saudi Arabia lacks laws criminalizing most trafficking offenses. Most abuses involving foreign workers are dealt with by Islamic law, royal decrees, and ministerial resolutions; few are submitted to criminal prosecution. Domestic workers, which comprise a significant portion of the foreign workforce, are excluded from protection under Saudi labor laws. Most cases involving trafficking or abuse of foreign workers are settled out of court through mediation. In 2004, there were reports of Philippine female domestic workers raped; however, there were no reports of prosecutions. In 2004, the Ministry of Labor issued resolutions, among other things, prohibiting trading in work visas, employing and exploiting children, and recruiting for begging. It investigated some cases of abusive employers and instituted a tracking system. To date, 30 abusive employers have been barred from hiring workers. The government provides training for police officers to recognize and handle cases of foreign worker abuse.

Protection

The Saudi Government has not improved its efforts to protect victims of trafficking but continues to operate three shelters for abused female expatriate workers in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam. It also operates facilities for abandoned children, including trafficking victims, in Jeddah, Mecca, and Medina. However, the government does not provide shelter to adult male workers. There are no NGOs working with trafficking victims. The government mediates disputes and alleged abuses of foreign workers — including complaints of a criminal nature — and seeks to return victims to their home countries without adequately investigating and prosecuting crimes committed against them.

Prevention

Saudi Arabia's limited efforts to prevent trafficking include: distributing information at embassies abroad, licensing and regulating the activities of recruitment agencies, monitoring immigration patterns and visa issuance, and promoting awareness through the media and religious authorities. The government has begun working with UNICEF and the Yemeni Government to prevent trafficking of children for begging. A plan envisioned several years ago to distribute information to foreign workers at Saudi Arabian airports upon arrival has not been implemented. Religious leaders have preached in mosques sermons about the evil of abusing employees.

Source: U.S. Department of State

Nigeria didn't make the list
The Lords name be praised!

RichyBlacK:

$osisi,

Can you supply another source for this article or story? I'm not doubting the veracity, however, a source tagged "israelnationalnews" can hardly be deemed unbiased when reporting on stories concerning Muslim countries. Thanks.

Very thoughtful reaction, Richy. This was what firstly captured my attention. And I sooner rather than later consigned the bullshit into trash. But $osisi decisively ignore this. Imagine.

Everyone knows Nigeria and other west african countries are bigger culprits. There is hardly any middle class home in naija without house maids from togo , Benin and other parts of Nigeria. These kids dont even get the money as some older family members get the pay. The gulf countries pay their maids directly and most of the maids choose to go there from Phillipines, indonesia and some other countries.

The talk of sexual exploitation is just a joke , the other day there was a report of 10000 nigerian girls willing to go to italy for prostiution i bet those figure never made this list.

Italy is a major destination for African harlots, UK is a major destination for eastern european harlots as well, Thank God for their ascession to the EU.

The reprt is just a wishy washy and based on govt cooperation and not the actual volume.

Lagosboy:

Everyone knows Nigeria and other west african countries are bigger culprits. There is hardly any middle class home in naija without house maids from togo , Benin and other parts of Nigeria. These kids dont even get the money as some older family members get the pay. The gulf countries pay their maids directly and most of the maids choose to go there from Phillipines, indonesia and some other countries.

The talk of sexual exploitation is just a joke , the other day there was a report of 10000 nigerian girls willing to go to italy for prostiution i bet those figure never made this list.

Italy is a major destination for African harlots, UK is a major destination for eastern european harlots as well, Thank God for their ascession to the EU.

The reprt is just a wishy washy and based on govt cooperation and not the actual volume.

lagosboy i am trying to keep loving you as i should but i find your defence of obscene behaviours in the name of islam offensive. must you reduce your life to religion and sentiments?

i have written here before of a pakistani ill treating a nigeria ( calabar) maid. i knew this personally cos they were neighbours. poor girl got raped and nearly got deported because she would not abort.

i know you are young but learn to be a member of the human race first before your religious head and heart shows up.

Osisi and the prejudiced campaign against islamic countries.

The hubs for human trafficking are mostly in developed countries. Even in europe the main sources are from the former eastern bloc countries, with destination being the more developed countries of France, Italy, Netherlands. Even India has been classified as a key passing hub for human trafficking.

San Francisco is reputed to be the hub for sex trafficking http://www.humantrafficking.org/updates/466

Topic title changed to a question to remove implied certainty.

* Green: Tier 1 (Full compliance with the minimum standards of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA))
    * Yellow: Tier 2 (Significant efforts to comply with TVPA)
    * Red: Tier 3 (No efforts to comply with TVPA)
    * Grey: No data



From the figure above, of the twelve countries in red, only two can be classified as "Muslim countries" - Sudan and Saudi Arabia.

The rest are non-Muslim nations.

muhsin:

Very thoughtful reaction, Richy. This was what firstly captured my attention. And I sooner rather than later consigned the bullshit into trash. But $osisi decisively ignore this. Imagine.

did you not read Richy's posts?
Is it news that Muslims Arabs have always traded in slaves and are still continuing in it in a modernized version long after slavery has been criminalized in the rest of the world.

Lagosboy:

Everyone knows Nigeria and other west african countries are bigger culprits. There is hardly any middle class home in naija without house maids from togo , Benin and other parts of Nigeria. These kids dont even get the money as some older family members get the pay. The gulf countries pay their maids directly and most of the maids choose to go there from Phillipines, indonesia and some other countries.

The talk of sexual exploitation is just a joke , the other day there was a report of 10000 nigerian girls willing to go to italy for prostiution i bet those figure never made this list.

Italy is a major destination for African harlots, UK is a major destination for eastern european harlots as well, Thank God for their ascession to the EU.

The reprt is just a wishy washy and based on govt cooperation and not the actual volume.

When you see something evil, call it evil.
That's what decent human beings do
All this burying head in the sand will not help you.
why you keep defending atrocities in these Arab countries riddled with human right violations beats me
Must you defend them at all costs?
even when you sound ridiculous in the face of evidence

2 out of 12 can hardly be interpreted as leading.

Clearly, Muslim countries are NOT leading in human trafficking for servitude and sex.

Are there Muslim countries involved? Yes.

Are they leading in this despicable trade? No evidence to suggest that.

$osisi:

When you see something evil, call it evil.
That's what decent human beings do
All this burying head in the sand will not help you.
why you keep defending atrocities in these Arab countries riddled with human right violations beats me
Must you defend them at all costs?
even when you sound ridiculous in the face of evidence

says the person who seems to only notice evil in muslim countries
You should learn to be more objective in your views than engendering religious intolerance by trying to paint a specific religion as being inherently bad.
State the facts as they are, and let all reach their individual conclusions.

$osisi:

did you not read Richy's posts?
Is it news that Muslims Arabs have always traded in slaves and are still continuing in it  in a modernized version long after slavery has been criminalized in the rest of the world.

Did you too read Richy's posts, especially the one above biina's? LOL

If Richy is our judge or yardstick for measuring whose words are on the right track or not; you flatly fail.  

Richy asked for proof and provided 2 himself
Olodo!

The fact that the basis for the classification is the US VTVPA raises doubts on its objectivity

oya see another one

The global economic crisis has fueled the human trafficking industry, according to a new US State Department report, which cites[b] Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Syria as some of the world's worst offenders. [/b]

World The Trafficking in Persons Report claims that the financial crisis has forced businesses to go underground to evade taxes and labor regulations, which can often lead to trafficking.

The four Middle Eastern countries have been "blacklisted" by the United States, and risk non-humanitarian, non-trade-related sanctions if their governments do not comply with minimum standard

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1245184857234&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Here are 10 of the worst countries in the world to be a woman today:

• Afghanistan: The average Afghan girl will live to only 45 – one year less than an Afghan male. After three decades of war and religion-based repression, an overwhelming number of women are illiterate. More than half of all brides are under 16, and one woman dies in childbirth every half hour. Domestic violence is so common that 87 per cent of women admit to experiencing it. But more than one million widows are on the streets, often forced into prostitution. Afghanistan is the only country in which the female suicide rate is higher than that of males.

• Democratic Republic of Congo: In the eastern DRC, a war that claimed more than 3 million lives has ignited again, with women on the front line. Rapes are so brutal and systematic that UN investigators have called them unprecedented. Many victims die; others are infected with HIV and left to look after children alone. Foraging for food and water exposes women to yet more violence. Without money, transport or connections, they have no way of escape.

• Iraq: The U.S.-led invasion to "liberate" Iraq from Saddam Hussein has imprisoned women in an inferno of sectarian violence that targets women and girls. The literacy rate, once the highest in the Arab world, is now among the lowest as families fear risking kidnapping and rape by sending girls to school. Women who once went out to work stay home. Meanwhile, more than 1 million women have been displaced from their homes, and millions more are unable to earn enough to eat.

• Nepal: Early marriage and childbirth exhaust the country's malnourished women, and one in 24 will die in pregnancy or childbirth. Daughters who aren't married off may be sold to traffickers before they reach their teens. Widows face extreme abuse and discrimination if they're labelled bokshi, meaning witches. A low-level civil war between government and Maoist rebels has forced rural women into guerrilla groups.

• Sudan: While Sudanese women have made strides under reformed laws, the plight of those in Darfur, in western Sudan, has worsened. Abduction, rape or forced displacement have destroyed more than 1 million women's lives since 2003. The supporter of APC militias have used systematic rape as a demographic weapon, but access to justice is almost impossible for the female victims of violence.

• Other countries in which women's lives are significantly worse than men's include Guatemala, where an impoverished female underclass faces domestic violence, rape and the second-highest rate of HIV/AIDS after sub-Saharan Africa. An epidemic of gruesome unsolved murders has left hundreds of women dead, some of their bodies left with hate messages.

In Mali, one of the world's poorest countries, few women escape the torture of genital mutilation, many are forced into early marriages, and one in 10 dies in pregnancy or childbirth.

In the tribal border areas of Pakistan, women are gang-raped as punishment for men's crimes. But honour killing is more widespread, and a renewed wave of religious extremism is targeting female politicians, human rights workers and lawyers.

In oil-rich Saudi Arabia, women are treated as lifelong dependents, under the guardianship of a male relative. Deprived of the right to drive a car or mix with men publicly, they are confined to strictly segregated lives on pain of severe punishment.

In the Somali capital, Mogadishu, a vicious civil war has put women, who were the traditional mainstay of the family, under attack. In a society that has broken down, women are exposed daily to rape, dangerously poor health care for pregnancy, and attack by armed gangs.

"While the potential of women is recognized at the international level," says World Health Organization director-general Margaret Chan, "this potential will not be realized until conditions improve – often dramatically – in countries and communities. Too many complex factors, often rooted in social and cultural norms, continue to hinder the ability of women and girls to achieve their potential and benefit from social advances."


do you see any soimilarities with the highlighted part?
many of these people traficked are also women

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1245184857234&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

RichyBlacK:

    * Green: Tier 1 (Full compliance with the minimum standards of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA))
    * Yellow: Tier 2 (Significant efforts to comply with TVPA)
    * Red: Tier 3 (No efforts to comply with TVPA)
    * Grey: No data



From the figure above, of the twelve countries in red, only two can be classified as "Muslim countries" - Sudan and Saudi Arabia.

The rest are non-Muslim nations.

Which figures?
where do you get your statistics from?

Now look at the 2007 tier classification most of the tier 3 are Muslim countries,the rest are dictator governments (guess the Muslims ones must be too)

Algeria
Quatar
Saudi
Sudan
Syria
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Bahrain
Burma
Cuba
Eq Guinea
Iran
Kuwait
Malaysia
North Korea
Oman

http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2007/82802.htm

RichyBlacK:

SAUDI ARABIA (TIER 3) [TIER 3: Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so.]

Saudi Arabia is a destination for men and women from South and East Asia and East Africa trafficked for the purpose of labor exploitation, and for children from Yemen, Afghanistan, and Africa trafficking for forced begging. Hundreds of thousands of low-skilled workers from India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and Kenya migrate voluntarily to Saudi Arabia; some fall into conditions of involuntary servitude, suffering from physical and sexual abuse, non-payment or delayed payment of wages, the withholding of travel documents, restrictions on their freedom of movement and non-consensual contract alterations

The Government of Saudi Arabia does not comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so. Saudi Arabia has moved from Tier 2 to Tier 3 because of its lack of progress in anti-trafficking efforts, particularly its failure to protect victims and prosecute those guilty of involuntary servitude. Despite reports of trafficking and abuses of domestic and other unskilled workers and children, there is evidence of only one Saudi Government prosecution of a Saudi employer for a trafficking-related offense during the reporting period. Some victims of abuse, due to procedural hurdles, choose to leave the country rather than confront their abusers in court. They are required first to file a complaint with the police before they are allowed access to shelters. The government offers no legal aid to foreign victims and does not otherwise assist them in using the Saudi criminal justice system to bring their exploiters to justice. If a victim chooses to file a complaint, he or she is not allowed to work. The Saudi Government does, however, provide food and shelter for female workers who file complaints or run away from their employers. Criminal cases are adjudicated under Sharia law, and there is no evidence trafficking victims are accorded legal assistance before and during Sharia legal proceedings. The government should consider adopting comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation that would punish traffickers, provide for the protection of victims, and facilitate prevention programs. It should also collect and disseminate data on prosecution and mediation efforts, prosecute aggressively cases of physical and sexual abuse using available criminal laws, and increase its efforts to prevent and investigate the trafficking of children for forced begging.

Prosecution

There is limited evidence indicating that the government has this year improved its prosecution efforts over last year. Saudi Arabia lacks laws criminalizing most trafficking offenses. Most abuses involving foreign workers are dealt with by Islamic law, royal decrees, and ministerial resolutions; few are submitted to criminal prosecution. Domestic workers, which comprise a significant portion of the foreign workforce, are excluded from protection under Saudi labor laws. Most cases involving trafficking or abuse of foreign workers are settled out of court through mediation. In 2004, there were reports of Philippine female domestic workers raped; however, there were no reports of prosecutions. In 2004, the Ministry of Labor issued resolutions, among other things, prohibiting trading in work visas, employing and exploiting children, and recruiting for begging. It investigated some cases of abusive employers and instituted a tracking system. To date, 30 abusive employers have been barred from hiring workers. The government provides training for police officers to recognize and handle cases of foreign worker abuse.

Protection

The Saudi Government has not improved its efforts to protect victims of trafficking but continues to operate three shelters for abused female expatriate workers in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam. It also operates facilities for abandoned children, including trafficking victims, in Jeddah, Mecca, and Medina. However, the government does not provide shelter to adult male workers. There are no NGOs working with trafficking victims. The government mediates disputes and alleged abuses of foreign workers — including complaints of a criminal nature — and seeks to return victims to their home countries without adequately investigating and prosecuting crimes committed against them.

Prevention

Saudi Arabia's limited efforts to prevent trafficking include: distributing information at embassies abroad, licensing and regulating the activities of recruitment agencies, monitoring immigration patterns and visa issuance, and promoting awareness through the media and religious authorities. The government has begun working with UNICEF and the Yemeni Government to prevent trafficking of children for begging. A plan envisioned several years ago to distribute information to foreign workers at Saudi Arabian airports upon arrival has not been implemented. Religious leaders have preached in mosques sermons about the evil of abusing employees.

Source: U.S. Department of State

From your own link
2005 tier placements.

3rd tier

Bolivia
Burma
Cambodia
Cuba
Ecuador
Jamaica
Kuwait
N Korea
Quatar
Saudi
Sudan
UAE
Venezuela

Looks like the Muslim countries get worse will others are improving their status comparing 2005 to 2007

biina:

The fact that the basis for the classification is the US VTVPA raises doubts on its objectivity

It is interesting to see you trying to cast doubt on authority again.  What is your motivation for this one? Apart from citing the fact that US was involved in the classification. Surely, there it do not in anyway removes his validity? Here is an over view.

Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (VTVPA)

Overview

Congress passed the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (VTVPA) in order to provide:

individuals who have been victimized in the most severe fashion with the ability to: remain in the US (temporarily and in some cases longer) and receive federal and state assistance; protections for certain crime victims including victims of crimes against women; and law enforcement agencies with a comprehensive law that will enable them to pursue the prosecution and conviction of traffickers.

This Webpage includes various agency links to information about the VTVPA, implementation of the law, and victim benefits and services.

Those who may be interested in this information include:

    *
      victims of a severe form of trafficking and non-governmental entities who may be working with such victims;
    *
      law enforcement officers so that they may better understand who is considered a victim of a severe form of trafficking; and
    *
      the general public on how the US Government will pursue traffickers of persons.

Looks about reasonable to me. However, it should be expected that Biinna queries the objectivity.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=5cca6138f898d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=48819c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD

The 2009 statistics
worst offenders 3 tier countries

Burma
Iran
North Korea
Syria
Chad
Kuwait
Papua New Guinea
Zimbabwe
Cuba
Malaysia
Saudi Arabia  
Eritrea
Mauritania
Sudan  
Fiji
Niger
Swaziland  

http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2009/123132.htm

The rest as usual are dictatorships
Need I say more?
Richy can you now change my title back to what it was?

Or make it

"Are Muslim countries and dictator governments leading in human traficking" ?

ElRazur:

It is interesting to see you trying to cast doubt on authority again.  What is your motivation for this one? Apart from citing the fact that US was involved in the classification. Surely, there it do not in anyway removes his validity? Here is an over view.


Looks about reasonable to me. However, it should be expected that Biinna queries the objectivity.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=5cca6138f898d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=48819c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD

The fact that the classification is based on a country's compliance with a US act, raises a question of objectivity in classification of countries with less cordial relationships with the US e.g. N. Korea, Cuba and Iran.
The classification says little of the actual level of human trafficking this countries are involved in, and thus going from compliance with a US initiative, to being guilty of human trafficking is too long a stretch IMO.

The moderation around here sucks. RichyBlack is biased. Period.

biina:

The fact that the classification is based on a country's compliance with a US act, raises a question of objectivity in classification of countries with less cordial relationships with the US e.g. [b]N. Korea, Cuba and Iran.[/b]The classification says little of the actual level of human trafficking this countries are involved in, and thus going from compliance with a US initiative, to being guilty of human trafficking is too long a stretch IMO.

Now tell us what you know about those 3 countries with regards to human right violations based on any other standards you choose

do any of them have a dicatatorship?
Which ones allow freedom of worship,movement, and rights to protest?
Which one is a true democracy?

biina:

The fact that the classification is based on a country's compliance with a US act, raises a question of objectivity in classification of countries with less cordial relationships with the US e.g. N. Korea, Cuba and Iran.
The classification says little of the actual level of human trafficking this countries are involved in, and thus going from compliance with a US initiative, to being guilty of human trafficking is too long a stretch IMO.

Take time to read the over view of the act and tell me if it is not reasonable.


You surely do not expect the result to be bang on for every nation? The illustration provided as a result of this act is meant to be an indicator, not something that should give full details simply because not every trafficking case would even be recorded or known. Again, being a US initiative, do not mean it is biased in anyway from where I stand. This is about trying to do and give a voice to the victims, let us not over look that in the midst of "oh it is a US initiative".

ElRazur:


Take time to read the over view of the act and tell me if it is not reasonable.


You surely do not expect the result to be bang on for every nation? The illustration provided as a result of this act is meant to be an indicator, not something that should give full details simply because not every trafficking case would even be recorded or known. Again, being a US initiative, do not mean it is biased in anyway from where I stand. This is about trying to do and give a voice to the victims, let us not over look that in the midst of "oh it is a US initiative".

It is not about it being a US initiative, but rather the leap from non compliance with an act, to being guilty of a crime. Its like saying the US not supporting the world court makes them the number one offender of war crimes.

Please read the classification methods:

TIER 3: Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so
Trafficking Victims Protection Act: Minimum Standards for the Elimination of Trafficking in Persons http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2009/123142.htm

Countries with poor relations with the US are almost certain to fall in TIER 3, irrespective of the level of human trafficking involved.

ElRazur:


Take time to read the over view of the act and tell me if it is not reasonable.


You surely do not expect the result to be bang on for every nation? The illustration provided as a result of this act is meant to be an indicator, not something that should give full details simply because not every trafficking case would even be recorded or known. Again, being a US initiative, do not mean it is biased in anyway from where I stand. This is about trying to do and give a voice to the victims, let us not over look that in the midst of "oh it is a US initiative".

The last time I checked,Saudi is a US ally
but who doesn't know that they are probably the worst of all the countries in that tier 3,they deserve to be on tier 5 all by themselves

biina:

It is not about it being a US initiative, but rather the leap from non compliance with an act, to being guilty of a crime. Its like saying the US not supporting the world court makes them the number one offender of war crimes.

Please read the classification methods:

TIER 3: Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so
Trafficking Victims Protection Act: Minimum Standards for the Elimination of Trafficking in Persons http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2009/123142.htm

Countries with poor relations with the US are almost certain to fall in TIER 3, irrespective of the level of human trafficking involved.

Liar
Saudi Arabia does not have poor relations with the USA
Neither does Kuwait.
US went into war in the gulf to rescue Kuwait,remember?
yet they are both on that list

In case you missed it,see the criteria

TIER 1
Countries whose governments fully comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s (TVPA) minimum standards

TIER 2
Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the TVPA’s minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards

TIER 2 WATCH LIST
Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the TVPA’s minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards AND:
a) The absolute number of victims of severe forms of trafficking is very significant or is
significantly increasing; or
b) There is a failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons from the previous year; or
c) The determination that a country is making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with minimum standards was based on commitments by the country to take additional future steps over the next year

TIER 3
Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so


so are you arguing that those Muslim countries should have been given a 1?
What in the above makes them not to deserve an f ?