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Saudi Arabia, Cuba Among World's Worst in Fighting Human Trafficking, US Says

Wayne Lee

   WASHINGTON - Saudi Arabia and Cuba are now on a list of countries the
   United States considers derelict in their responsibilities to combat
   human trafficking, raising the risk of sanctions against those
   countries.

   In its [1]annual report on human trafficking, the State Department
   accused ally Saudi Arabia of widespread violations involving foreign
   laborers and denounced Cuba for allegedly engaging in trafficking
   through its program that exports doctors abroad.

   "If you don't stand up to trafficking, America will stand up to you,"
   Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters Wednesday in Washington,
   shortly after the report's release.

   The annual Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report) assesses what
   countries are doing to combat what Pompeo describes as "one of the most
   heinous crimes on Earth."

   The top U.S. diplomat said traffickers are currently victimizing nearly
   25 million people worldwide.

   The State Department designated Saudi Arabia and Cuba as Tier 3
   countries, the report's lowest possible ranking. China, North Korea,
   Russia and Venezuela have also been designated as such.

   The U.S. said the Saudi kingdom has done little to help victims,
   choosing to, instead, jail, fine or deport them after accusing them of
   immigration violations or prostitution.

   Cuba, a long-time U.S. adversary, has threatened or coerced physicians
   to participate in its overseas medical program, the report said.

   Some 8,300 Cuban medical workers who had been stationed in Brazil
   departed the country after President Jair Bolsonaro complained earlier
   this year the Cuban government keeps most of the wages paid to the
   workers, whom he described as "slave labor."

References

   1. https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-trafficking-in-persons-report/

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