The Ministry of Foreign Affairs names thirteen governments that finance human trafficking

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Secretary of State Antony Blinken focused on human trafficking using digital tools in an annual report the department released Monday.

“Digital tools have increased the reach, scale and speed of human trafficking,” Blinken wrote in the 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report. “They use online platforms to sell illegal sexual content. They use encrypted messages and digital currencies to evade detection.”

Blinken said the use of online tools has allowed traffickers to expand their reach.

“Human trafficking is the definition of a problem that no country can solve alone,” Blinken said.

The International Labor Organization estimated that 27.6 million people experienced forced labor in 2021, an increase of 2.7 million from 2016. Of those 27.6 million, the ILO estimated that 6.3 million people experienced forced labor commercial sexual exploitation and 3.9 million with forced labor imposed by a state.

“Unfortunately, some governments are part of the problem,” said Ambassador Cindy Dyer.

The State Department identified 13 countries as “Tier 3” countries, meaning the governments had a documented “policy or pattern” of human trafficking. That included trafficking in government-funded programs, forced labor in government-affiliated medical services, sexual slavery in government camps, or the employment or recruitment of child soldiers, the report said.

In 2024, the 13 countries identified as “Tier 3” were Afghanistan, Belarus, Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Russia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Turkmenistan.

As the migrant crisis intensifies around the world, Dyer said countries will likely see an increase in human trafficking.

“We encourage governments to prevent human trafficking and prioritize screening among migrants, who often take on debt to pay migrant smugglers and are then vulnerable to trafficking if they cannot repay the money,” Dyer said.

Dyer said the United States follows the “3P” paradigm – prosecution, protection and prevention, to combat human trafficking.