Nepal has done precious little to combat human trafficking to graduate from Tier 2 country to Tier 1, which has been the status of the country since 2008, said a report prepared by the state department of the United States.

The Trafficking In Persons report released by the US secretary of state John Kerry said that Nepal has not fully complied with the minimum standards for elimination of trafficking.

The report categorises each country into one of three tiers based on the extent of their governments’ efforts to comply with minimum standards. A Tier 1 ranking indicates that a government has acknowledged the existence of human trafficking, made efforts to address the problem, and complies with the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act’ s minimum standards.

Nepal falls in the second tier countries, whose governments do not fully comply with the TVPA’s minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards. It has remained a Tier 2 country for the past seven years.

The report states the government’s victim identification and protection efforts remain inadequate and that the police sometimes detain sex trafficking victims and subsequently returned them to their traffickers.

“The government inconsistently implemented anti-trafficking laws, as many government officials continued to employ a narrow definition of human trafficking and domestic sex and labour trafficking victims and male victims of transnational labour trafficking were only marginally protected, often leading to repeated victimization,” reads the report.

Recommendations in the report include increasing law enforcement efforts against all types of trafficking, including domestic sex trafficking, instituting formal procedures to proactively identify trafficking victims, referring them to protection services, prosecuting suspected labour trafficking offenders and Nepali labour recruiters accused of charging excessive fees or engaging in fraudulent recruitment. US Ambassador to Nepal Peter W Bodde discussed the report with people in Sindhuplachok on Monday.

“This report is important because it really is one of the best means that we have to speak up for adults and children who lack a way to speak for themselves regarding human trafficking,” said Bodde, according to a statement by the US embassy.

The annual TIP Report assesses governments around the world on efforts to combat modern slavery. Last year, Lalitpur District Judge Tek Narayan Kunwar was recognised as one of ten TIP Report Heroes from around the world for being at the forefront of efforts in Nepal to counter trafficking in persons.

Published on: 29 JULY 2015 | The Kathmandu Post