State Department Releases 2020 Trafficking in Persons Report

A boy begging for coins at the busy city center of Skopje

Secretary Michael R. Pompeo released the 2020 Trafficking in Persons Report, which every year assesses the anti-trafficking efforts of 188 countries and territories, including the United States.  This year, it is notable that traffickers are exploiting an increasing number of victims via livestream on the internet. Since the onset of COVID-19 and stay-at-home orders, there is evidence of a surge in traffickers using this platform in their abuse.

A photo taken in Skopje few months ago by Atsuki Takahashi, features a boy begging for coins at a busy city center. Forced child begging is a prevalent form of forced child labor. Traffickers force thousands of children worldwide to beg every year.

The 2020 Trafficking in Persons Report is available for download here.