U.S. TIP Report Downgrades Brazil, South Africa; Flags AI

The U.S. State Department’s 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report retained the Philippines at Tier 1 for a tenth consecutive year, crediting prosecutions, new laws regulating fishing recruitment, protections for fishers and a ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, while flagging failures to consistently identify victims of online scam operations. It downgraded Brazil and South Africa to the Tier 2 Watch List, citing fewer investigations, prosecutions and convictions in Brazil and uneven detection with reduced victim identification and case initiations in South Africa. The report documents common systemic failures—uneven victim identification and services, inconsistent screening, corruption and reductions in funding for victim protection—and warns Watch List designations carry diplomatic and funding implications. It highlights severe abuses including allegations of state-linked or state-tolerated forced labor involving Uyghurs in Xinjiang and exploitative schemes tied to Cuba’s medical missions. The report also warns that traffickers are increasingly using automated tools and AI—including proliferating AI-generated child sexual abuse material and large online scam operations that net billions—to scale grooming and exploitation. Regional results were mixed across the Caribbean and elsewhere, with several countries placed across Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 classifications; countries including Pakistan and India were flagged as not fully meeting minimum standards, prompting country-specific recommendations.