After 20 years, it fell to 2nd grade… There are no other sanctions other than reputational damage.
“Efforts are not as continuous as last year”… Recommendation to strengthen punishment and protect victims
30 out of 188 countries ranked 1st… Level 2 is 133 countries including surveillance countries
Attention is drawn to the background in which Korea’s rating was downgraded to two in the ‘Trafficking Report’ published by the US State Department every year.
On the 19th (local time), the State Department lowered Korea’s rating from 1st, the highest, to 2nd, in the ‘2022 Human Trafficking Report’ released by evaluating 188 countries on the 19th (local time).
Korea received a rating of 3 when the first report was published in 2001, and has maintained a rating of 1 every year since 2002, but it has been downgraded for the first time in 20 years.
In the case of Grade 2, there are no special sanctions or disadvantages imposed by the United States, but the evaluation of the United States that it did not do its best to eradicate human trafficking came out, so it can be seen that some degree of damage to the national reputation has occurred internationally.
This report evaluated the period from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, the last year of the Moon Jae-in administration.
◇”Korea doesn’t make continuous efforts compared to last year”… Focus on foreign prostitution and forced labor
“The South Korean government has not fully met the minimum standards for the eradication of human trafficking,” the State Department said in a report.
However, even considering the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) pandemic, which has affected the government’s anti-trafficking capabilities, it was evaluated that it was not serious or sustained compared to the previous year’s efforts.
In addition, among the categories of human trafficking, we focused on the Korean government’s efforts to address prostitution, forced labor, and in particular, victims of foreign nationals.
Specifically, the prosecution pointed out that the number of prosecutions decreased compared to the previous year’s evaluation period, that no action was taken in response to concerns that had rather punished foreign victims of forced prostitution, and that the victims were sometimes deported.
He also said that despite reports that forced labor is rampant on Korean fishing boats among foreign workers, the South Korean government has not reported the identification of victims.
Additionally, South Korean officials have not consistently used victim identification guidelines, and courts have sentenced many trafficking-related offenders to less than a year in prison, fines, or probation, the State Department said.
Pointing out that human traffickers have been punished sparingly, the State Department contains the argument of civic groups that many criminals are often not punished, and that the punishment is too weak, so that even following punishment, they resume human trafficking.
▲ Active monitoring of vulnerable groups such as prostitutes, fishermen, and migrant workers ▲ Strengthening the prosecution and punishment of traffickers such as forced labor on fishing boats ▲ Strengthening education for officials ▲ Establishing and implementing formal procedures to support victims ▲ Separate trafficking from other crimes Implementation of related laws and establishment of a victim protection data system ▲ Increased cooperation between agencies was proposed.
◇ How to evaluate human trafficking reports? There is no penalty for level 2
The State Department has been publishing the report every year since 2001 since the enactment of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act in 2000.
Human trafficking as stipulated in the law refers to the recruitment and transfer of people for involuntary labor or services by force, coercion, or fraud.
In the case of Korea, this report mainly focused on predatory acts such as forced prostitution and forced labor.
However, the State Department’s report evaluates the government’s efforts, such as institutional arrangements and practices to reduce victims and eradicate illegal acts, rather than the current status and actual conditions of human trafficking.
A low rating does not mean that human trafficking is prevalent, but rather that it contains an evaluation of the government’s lack of effort.
The evaluation is conducted through information from US embassies, government officials, and non-governmental organizations, various reports and news, academic research, and consultation with governments and organizations.
The grade is divided into three levels, from grade 1 to grade 3.
Among the 2nd level, a separate list of countries on the ‘monitoring list’ is prepared in addition to the general 2nd level.
Countries with poor government functions are classified as ‘special cases’.
A total of 188 countries were announced this year.
Among them, 30 countries including the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Taiwan have the highest rating of 1.
Also, in the second level, which includes Korea, 99 countries including Italy and Japan, Brazil, Israel, Greece, India, Mexico, Thailand, and Ukraine were included.
Among the 2nd grade, 34 countries were listed on the ‘monitoring list’, which is a country that has increased damage but has not taken proportional measures.
Level 3, the lowest level, includes 22 countries including North Korea, China, Russia, Iran, Cuba, Syria, and Turkey.
A special case is Libya, Somalia and Yemen.
In the case of grades 1 and 2, there is no special disadvantage that the United States takes.
On the other hand, if it is designated as Tier 3, it will be subject to certain restrictions on other foreign aid recipients from the US except for humanitarian aid and trade-related aid, and may face refusal of US aid in exchange programs or multinational development banks.
Unlike North Korea, which has been designated as Level 3, the worst for 20 consecutive years, South Korea has been downgraded to Level 2, but there are no institutional disadvantages other than the reputational effect of insufficient efforts to eradicate human trafficking.
/yunhap news
