US lists Georgia among best nations combating human trafficking

Georgia has been ranked among Tier 1 nations in the Trafficking in Persons Report 2017; an annual report issued by the United States (US) State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.

The report ranks governments based on their perceived efforts to acknowledge and combat human trafficking.

"The Government of Georgia fully meets the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. The government continued to demonstrate serious and sustained efforts during the reporting period; therefore, Georgia remained on Tier 1”, the report says.

The report praised Georgia’s efforts to investigate and prevent cases of trafficking, also actions carried out to protect victims of trafficking and cooperation measures, as well as activities of law enforcement authorities with respect to proactive investigations to reveal crimes and prosecution of traffickers.

In the report, with regards to effective fight against trafficking, Georgia fell in beside such countries of the European Union as France, Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, Spain, Sweden, Poland, the Netherlands, Denmark and Portugal.

However, the report notes that although the Georgian government meets the minimum standards, authorities did not increase anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts and identified fewer victims – three victims in 2016, compared to nine in 2015.

The reports recommends for Georgia to improve efforts to proactively identify trafficking victims, particularly street children and Georgian and foreign victims in vulnerable labor sectors.

Through the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, the US State Department annually assesses actions carried out by 188 states to combat trafficking in persons. Assessment of the US State Department is based on such components as prevention of human trafficking, protection of victims of trafficking, criminal prosecution of perpetrators and collaboration between governments and civil society with respect to trafficking.