As part of our global efforts to combat human trafficking, the U.S. Government is committed to working with the Royal Thai Government and the people of Thailand to prevent trafficking activity in Thailand, to prosecute perpetrators, and to assist victims.
The State Department Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report was released at 9am time in Washington (8pm in Bangkok) on June 20, 2014 and has ranked Thailand as Tier 3. The TIP reporting period spans from April 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014. The State Department has determined Thailand has not made sufficient progress to be elevated to Tier 2. The U.S. Congress mandates that a country is only eligible to receive a waiver to remain on Tier 2 Watch List for two years and must be upgraded to Tier 2 or downgraded to Tier 3 status. The downgrade reflects the period above and has nothing to do with recent political events in Thailand.
We recognize that the Royal Thai Government has made progress on trafficking-in-persons and we look forward to continuing our close cooperation to tackle this regional and global issue. Now more than ever, we must work harder to eradicate trafficking-in-persons and we hope Thailand can become a leader on this issue in the region.
The 2014 Trafficking In Persons report is available online here:http://www.state.gov/j/tip/
