St. Vincent and the Grenadines has maintained its Tier-2 ranking in the United States Annual Trafficking in Persons TIP, Report, For the fifth consecutive year.
A release from the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force says the report was released on Thursday July 01, by United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.
According to the United States Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA of 2020), countries on Tier-2 ranking are “Countries whose governments do not fully comply with all of the TVPA’s minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.”
The 2021 TIP Report states that the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, but is making significant efforts to do so.
It said the Government demonstrated overall increasing efforts, compared to the previous reporting period, considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its anti-trafficking capacity; therefore St. Vincent and the Grenadines remained on Tier-2. It added that these efforts included increased training for Police, the addition of an NGO as a member of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Unit, the updating and funding of an anti-trafficking national action plan, and expanded public awareness campaigns.
The report said, however, the Government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas. It said authorities have not prosecuted a trafficking case since 2015 and have never convicted a trafficker.
