Analytics, Baltic States – CIS, EU – Baltic States, Legislation, USA

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry released the 2015 Trafficking in Persons Report on Monday. The report finds that the government of Latvia is making significant efforts to comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking according to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, although the government does not yet fully comply with these standards.

The report notes that the government of Latvia improved its anti-trafficking efforts by significantly increasing the budget for victim assistance, by strengthening prevention efforts and awareness-raising activities, and launching a working group to facilitate inter-ministerial and public-private coordination. Latvia continues to be a regional leader in identifying and preventing sham marriages that put women in highly vulnerable situations, including some cases of trafficking.

The 2015 report states, however, that these robust efforts did not extend to the government's fight against certain forms of trafficking, particularly Latvians subjected to labor trafficking abroad, as well as trafficking occurring within Latvia. Authorities have not initiated a labor trafficking investigation since 2009, and a Latvian court has never convicted a criminal defendant of labor trafficking.

In 2013 and 2014, authorities failed to identify any Latvian or foreign victims exploited within the country. The Supreme Court upheld a conviction and the trafficker was sentenced to prison; however, the number of prosecutions and convictions under the trafficking statute remained low, relative to the number of victims identified.

The report includes specific recommendations for the government of Latvia to continue addressing the problem of human trafficking. These recommendations include increasing efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking cases, and imposing criminal penalties on convicted traffickers that are commensurate with the severity of the crime committed. The report also includes recommendations that the government increase efforts to proactively identify victims, particularly Latvian and foreign victims exploited within the country; review and improve the efficiency of trial procedures to ensure a victim-centered approach and to expedite prosecutions; and to fully fund and implement the 2014-2020 National Anti-Trafficking in Persons Program.