Press Release
U.S. Embassy
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
For Immediate Release
July 02, 2021
Announcing the 2021 Trafficking-in-Persons Report Narrative for Saudi Arabia
Today at the United States Department of State, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken released the 2021 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report. The Report notes that the Saudi Arabian government is making significant efforts in this important area and has upgraded Saudi Arabia to Tier 2. The U.S. Mission to Saudi Arabia congratulates the Saudi Arabian government, the Human Rights Commission, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, law enforcement and justice sector entities, and civil society organizations for the advancements made this past year to combat this form of modern slavery.
These advancements include increased investigations and prosecutions, implementation of the national referral mechanism; providing training on identification, and referral procedures, providing greater access to services for victims, and coordinating with non-governmental organizations. In addition, the Saudi Arabian government held its largest-ever campaign to promote public awareness of trafficking and to refer labor violations that exhibited trafficking indicators for criminal investigation.
The report notes that there remain areas for improvement, including further efforts to identify and provide assistance to trafficking victims and extending the Labor Reform Initiative to domestic workers.
We encourage the Saudi Arabian government to expand on the progress made to combat trafficking-in-persons and to continue efforts to eliminate this form of modern slavery.
The full Trafficking in Persons report, including the Saudi Arabia country narrative, can be found online at: https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-trafficking-in-persons-report/
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