Cuba, Venezuela remain on State Dept. trafficking list

Most of the media attention has been placed on the addition of several Middle Eastern countries to the Department of State’s human trafficking list. However, it is also vital to note the Latin American states that are and are not on the list.

Of the sixteen countries deemed the worst of the worst in human trafficking only two are from the Americas: Cuba and Venezuela. Venezuela has been one of two countries sanctioned by the U.S. since last year’s “Trafficking in Persons Report” was issued.

Criticism has been made over those countries that did not end up as the worse human trafficking offenders such as China and India. Regarding the Americas, Mexico and the Dominican Republic were placed on an intermediate list along with Belize who was on the list of worse offenders last year. Yet according to CNN, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte quarreled over the political consequences of placing India on the list.

Something to consider: could politics be why Cuba and Venezuela- two of the biggest critics of the Bush administration- are on the list while several allies are not?

Sources- TIME, International Herald Tribune, Washington post, BBC News, CNN, The Latin Americanist

Image- USA TODAY (According to the caption: “Florencia Molina, a victim of human trafficking, was able to escape the abusive conditions of a dressmaking shop”)