U.S. Gulf Allies Cited for Human Trafficking

On June 3, the United States issued its 2005 Trafficking in Persons Report and demoted from Tier 2 to Tier 3 some of our closest allies in the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates. This opens these Gulf allies to U.S. sanctions if they do not improve their record in human trafficking.

For a useful discussion of the TIP report and its impact on Saudi-U.S. relations, see here. For excerpts from the report on U.S. efforts to combat human trafficking, see here. For excerpts from the report addressing Saudi Arabia, see here. On Saudi Arabia, the report concludes:

“The Government of Saudi Arabia does not comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so. Saudi Arabia has moved from Tier 2 to Tier 3 because of its lack of progress in anti-trafficking efforts, particularly its failure to protect victims and prosecute those guilty of involuntary servitude. . . . The government should consider adopting comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation that would punish traffickers, provide for the protection of victims, and facilitate prevention programs.”

I suppose this report is not exactly what is to be expected for those who view the U.S. government as in “cahoots with the oil and armaments industries” and “murderously indifferent to the value of non-American life.“