[ Human
Trafficking, Country-by-Country ]
PAKISTAN (Tier 2 Watch List) – Extracted from the
U.S. State
Dept 2020 TIP Report
The Government of Pakistan does not fully
meet the minimum standards
for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so. These efforts included
convicting traffickers for the
first time under the government’s comprehensive human trafficking law, convicting more
traffickers for bonded labor than
the previous year, and increasing registration of brick kilns nationwide to improve oversight of
workers whom labor traffickers
target. The government also identified more trafficking victims than the previous reporting
period, and initiated eight investigations
against suspected traffickers for Pakistani trafficking victims identified overseas. In
addition, federal and provincial authorities
continued to collaborate with international partners and foreign governments on
anti-trafficking efforts. However, the
government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting
period. The government significantly
decreased investigations and prosecutions of sex traffickers, and Punjab province, where
over half of the population resides,
continued to disproportionately report nearly all anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts,
including 98 percent of convictions.
As in previous years, only two of Pakistan’s six provinces convicted any traffickers. Law
enforcement efforts against
labor trafficking remained inadequate compared to the scale of the problem. Punjab continued
to be the only province to
report efforts against bonded labor traffickers. It reported more overall convictions than the
previous reporting period, although
overall bonded labor convictions decreased from other prior years. In Sindh, local officials
continued to perpetrate bonded
labor in brick kilns and on farms with impunity. Unlike the previous reporting period, the
government did not take action against
credible reports of official complicity in trafficking, and organizations reported official
complicity and corruption led to
several high-profile trafficking cases being dropped during the year. The government continued to
lack overall adequate resources
for victim care, and only referred four percent of all victims identified to care. Therefore
Pakistan was downgraded to
Tier 2 Watch List.
Prioritized Recommendations
At both the federal and provincial
levels, increase prosecutions and
convictions of both sex trafficking and forced labor, including cases allegedly involving complicit
officials, and stringently punish perpetrators.
• Instruct labor departments to refer all
suspected bonded labor
cases to police for criminal investigation. •
Tr
a i n officials—including
provincial police, labor inspectors, and social services—on standard operating
procedures (SOPs) for victim identification
and referral to rehabilitation services. •
Ensure victims are not penalized for unlawful
acts traffickers compelled them
to commit. • Make efforts to finalize, disseminate,
and train officials on the
implementing rules for the 2018 Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act (PTPA). • Significantly
increase referrals of
trafficking victims to services, and increase the quality and availability of trafficking-specific
services, including for males. •
Designate specialized
prosecutors and judges to hear trafficking cases.
• Expand services for bonded laborers,
including shelter, identity
documents, and legal assistance. •
Register and inspect brick kilns in accordance with relevant
laws regulating factories, and
refer suspected bonded labor to law enforcement. • Take
steps to eliminate all
recruitment fees charged to workers. •
Continue to train government officials to clearly
distinguish between human trafficking
and migrant smuggling. •
Amend the 2018 PTPA to remove penalty provisions that allow
fines in lieu of imprisonment for
sex trafficking offenses. •
Lift restrictions on female
migration while negotiating
female worker protections with destination country
governments. • Improve efforts to collect and
accurately report
anti-trafficking data. •
Accede to the 2000 UN TIP
Protocol.
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