U.S. Department of State’s 2024-2025 Trafficking in Persons Report Commends Mauritania’s progress
The 2024-2025 U.S. Department of State Report on Trafficking in Persons, released on Tuesday, commends Mauritania’s progress in combating human trafficking.
In a press release obtained by the Mauritanian News Agency, the Commissioner for Human Rights, Humanitarian Action, and Relations with Civil Society stated that Mauritania has maintained its Tier 2 ranking in the Trafficking in Persons Index due to significant government efforts at the legislative, institutional, and executive levels.
The press release called the ranking an “international recognition” of the country’s efforts under the leadership of President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani. The commissioner noted that the president’s leadership has fostered an environment of “openness, dialogue, and fruitful cooperation” that has enabled “tangible progress” in human rights.
The press release highlighted that the U.S. Department of State report confirms Mauritania is “making significant efforts to eradicate human trafficking” and has “overall intensified its efforts” since the last report.
The report highlighted several examples of the Mauritanian government’s efforts, including the establishment of a special court for crimes of slavery, human trafficking, and migrant smuggling; a qualitative improvement in the identification of slavery victims; an increase in allocations to the Support and Assistance Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking and the strengthening of partnerships with civil society organizations for its management; the establishment of a national referral mechanism to ensure optimal guidance of victims to available services; the adoption of a 2024-2026 National Plan to Combat Human Trafficking and the allocation of significant resources for its implementation; and the intensification of awareness-raising campaigns in partnership with religious and civil society actors.
The commissioner’s office used the press briefing to express gratitude and appreciation to all governmental and non-governmental actors who contributed to these advances, affirming its determination to continue working to promote human dignity and eliminate all forms of human trafficking.