Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report

The TIP report reflects the U.S. Government’s commitment to global leadership on human rights and law enforcement issues. The U.S. Government uses the TIP Report to engage foreign governments in dialogues to advance anti-trafficking reforms and to combat trafficking and to target resources on prevention, protection and prosecution programs. Worldwide, the report is used by international organizations, foreign governments, and nongovernmental organizations alike as a tool to examine where resources are most needed. Freeing victims, preventing trafficking, and bringing traffickers to justice are the ultimate goals of the report and of the U.S Government’s anti-human trafficking policy. In the TIP Report, the Department of State places each country onto one of three tiers based on the extent of their governments’ efforts to comply with the “minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking” found in Section 108 of the TVPA.

Seafish summary of fishing references within the 2021 Annual Trafficking in Persons Report (1 July 2021)

The Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report is the US Government’s principal diplomatic tool to engage foreign governments on human trafficking. The 2021 TIP report covers 187 countries, and fish or fishing is mentioned in association with forced labour in 54 of those 187 in 2021 (50 countries in 2020, 49 from 2017 – 2019, 51 in 2016). Burma, Cambodia, China PRC, Indonesia, Korea (Republic of), Taiwan and Thailand have been singled out specifically with regards to fishing.