View source for Myanmar downgraded in US trafficking report

The Trafficking in Persons Report downgraded Myanmar to its worst tier for failing to protect Rohingya Muslims fleeing a military crackdown in Rakhine state<br><br>Myanmar is not doing enough to tackle human trafficking, according to a US State Department report that downgraded its ranking to the worst tier.<br><br>The annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report said [https://burmatourist.com/things-to-know-about-the-myanmar-map myanmar map] slipped backward on its trafficked person's index to Tier 3 for failing to protect Rohingya Muslims fleeing a military crackdown in Rakhine state.<br><br>More than 700,000 Rohingyas fled to escape military retaliation following attacks by militants on police posts in August 2017.<br><br>The United Nations and the United States have said the violence amounts to "ethnic cleansing".<br><br>The vast majority of the fleeing Rohingya settled in sprawling refugee camps in neighbouring Bangladesh.<br><br>Many were women and children who have become prey for traffickers, the report said.<br><br>The Rohingya were "subjected to exploitation -- or transported to other countries for the purpose of sex trafficking -- as a result of their displacement," it said.<br><br>It also said some Rohingya children were abducted in transit and sold into forced marriages in India, Indonesia and Malaysia.<br><br>"The Government of [https://burmatourist.com/things-to-know-about-the-myanmar-map burma map] does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so," it said, using the former name for Myanmar.<br><br>Myanmar officials did not immediately reply to AFP's request for comment.<br><br>Myanmar and [http://Www.Hometalk.com/search/posts?filter=Bangladesh Bangladesh] later signed an agreement to repatriate the Rohingya but many fear returning without guaranteed basic rights such as safety, freedom of movement and citizenship.<br><br>The camps in southeast Bangladesh were recently battered by monsoon rains, forcing thousands to shift in the face of deadly landslides.<br><br>On Thursday the World Bank approved a $50 million grant for a project to improve health, education, water supply and [http://Www.healthable.org/?s=sanitation sanitation] in the camps, the first instalment in a series that could total as much as $480 million, it said in a statement.<br><br>Rights groups have accused Myanmar's security forces of extrajudicial killings, rape and arson as part of the campaign against the stateless Rohingya, which the military denies.<br><br>The TIP report ranks 187 countries using its three-tier index. A Tier 3 ranking could lead to non-trade related sanctions.<br><br>Myanmar joined China, Russia, Laos, South Sudan and North Korea in the lowest Tier 3 ranking in this year's report.<br><br>[https://burmatourist.com/things-to-know-about-the-myanmar-map burma map] Thailand and Pakistan were upgraded to a Tier 2 from the Tier 2 Watchlist, which refers to countries who are not doing enough to protect trafficked people, but "are making significant efforts" to do so.<br><br>Advertisement