Decline in Israel’s fight vs human trafficking, State Dept. report finds
The US State Department’s just released annual report outlining the global fight against human trafficking has, for the first time in a decade, demoted Israel to Tier 2, implying that efforts in combating human trafficking in the Jewish state have deteriorated.
The report says Israel had failed to maintain “serious and sustained” efforts to root out trafficking through fewer investigations and procedures carried out against human traffickers.
The State Department also recommended Israel create more protected investigation procedures that will prevent reoccurring trauma to victims of human trafficking.
The report notes that other shortcomings include a decreased allocation of financial and human resources for human trafficking survivors, and delayed prosecution challenges due to law enforcement being unable to conduct investigations quickly enough and receive sufficient evidence to begin prosecutions.
Other US allies downgraded to Tier 2 include Cyprus, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal and Switzerland.
In addressing human trafficking during a pandemic, the report notes that there is a higher chance of increased forms of online sexual exploitation, due to the pandemic forcing many people to work from home.