Q and As About Trafficking in Laos

Q.   Which countries moved up from Tier 3?

A.  Two countries—Belize and Laos—made significant efforts to meet the act’s minimum standards since the release of the June report. Both of these countries took concrete actions to prosecute traffickers, protect victims, and to prevent the crime of trafficking.  Both countries took these actions while facing resource constraints. This demonstrates what can be accomplished when the commitment exists to combat trafficking in persons.  We commend these governments for their actions.

For both of these countries, the Secretary’s determination that the country met the standards for Tier 2 was based, in part, on commitments by the government to take additional future steps over the next year. As a result, the secretary placed them on the
special Watch List.

Q:    Why was Laos upgraded to the Tier 2 Watch List?

A:  Laos was upgraded on the basis of positive actions undertaken by the Government of Laos since the release of the June 2006 Trafficking in Persons Report. The Secretary of State has determined that the Government of Laos does not yet fully comply with the minimum standards in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) for the elimination of trafficking, but is making significant efforts to bring itself into compliance. This is the standard for placement on Tier 2 of the State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report.  The Secretary of State has placed Laos on the Special Watch List because the determination that the Government of Laos is making significant efforts is based, in part, on commitments by the country to take additional future steps over the next year. 
 
Q:    What steps did the Government of Laos take to improve its anti-trafficking efforts?

A:  Since the release of the 2006 Report, the Government of Laos has provided previously unreported data on anti-trafficking law enforcement actions taken in 2005 and 2006 indicating that at least 12 suspected traffickers were arrested by police in 2006; five of these 12 have since been prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to an average of 6.5 years imprisonment. Additionally, the Lao Government’s police anti-trafficking unit is investigating the possible involvement of local enforcement officials in a particular town in trafficking for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation.

In response to concerns over reports that local officials continue to punish Lao trafficking victims returning from Thailand, the government in July initiated a training campaign to educate immigration officers along Laos’ border with Thailand on the Prime Minister’s December 2005 order abolishing all fines against undocumented persons returning to Laos from neighboring countries, including victims of trafficking. The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (MLSW) has embarked on an intensified effort to improve the referral of Lao victims to its transit shelter and a new longer-term shelter was opened in 2006 by the Lao Women’s Union. Through the Lao Women’s Union (LWU), the government has also expanded existing public awareness campaigns on trafficking to additional provinces in the country