in 2013 and 13 in 2012. Law enforcement and other government officials employed informal mechanisms to guide them in identifying and referring victims; however, the procedures were not well implemented. Police did not systematically inspect brothels or bars for indications of trafficking during the year, and there were reports that front-line responders carrying out brothel raids generally looked for immigration violations instead of trafficking indicators. In June 2014, law enforcement arrested and imprisoned 12 women after a raid on a bar without screening the women for trafficking indicators, a practice that denied potential victims an opportunity to disclose exploitation.
Authorities provided assistance to 10 identified victims, compared with six victims assisted in 2013 and seven victims assisted in 2012. The government had yet to finalize draft procedures to guide officials and NGOs in referring trafficking victims to available services, as outlined in its 2012-2014 strategic plan. The government provided 275,000 Belizean dollars ($138,000) for anti-trafficking efforts in 2014, including victim care through placements in safe houses and NGO domestic violence shelters. Officials could place child victims in foster care, but experts questioned the appropriateness of such placements due to the lack of education about human trafficking for foster parents, uneven coordination and communication between the foster parents and government agencies, and limited psycho-social care for the victims. Court delays discouraged victims and often led them to cease cooperation with law enforcement and return to their home countries.The government did not provide temporary residency to formally identified foreign trafficking victims, despite the ability to do so. Victims could apply for work permits, but the cost of 500 Belizean dollars ($425) to obtain such permits imposed a significant barrier. An existing agreement between the Belizean and Cuban governments requiring the return of all Cubans who enter Belize may have also placed potential trafficking victims at risk for further exploitation. Belize’s anti-trafficking law exempts trafficking victims from punishment for crimes committed as a result of being subjected to human trafficking; however, NGOs reported the government more commonly arrests, jails, and deports trafficking victims as opposed to providing assistance and immigration relief.

PREVENTION
The government demonstrated minimal prevention efforts. Its anti-trafficking committee did not make meaningful progress in implementing the 2012-2014 anti-trafficking national strategic plan. The UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons visited Belize to assess progress and challenges in combating human trafficking and issued a report in June 2014 citing concerns ranging from the absence of comprehensive victim identification protocols to the criminalization of immigrants leading to the detention and deportation of potential victims. Authorities completed a survey in 2014 to assess trafficking vulnerabilities in bars and nightclubs, particularly for women in prostitution, and reported providing the information to police for further action.The government, in partnership with an NGO, continued its awareness campaign in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Hindi. Authorities disseminated public service announcements on child sexual exploitation, tourism, and the demand for commercial sex acts. The government did not make efforts to reduce the demand for forced labor. The government did not provide anti-trafficking training or guidance for its diplomatic personnel.

BENIN: Tier 2 
Benin is a source, transit, and destination country for women, children, and men subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. The majority of identified victims are Beninese girls subjected to domestic servitude or sex trafficking in Cotonou.The practice of vidomegon, which traditionally provided educational or vocational opportunities to children by placing them in the homes of wealthier families, is sometimes used to exploit children in domestic servitude. Children are forced to labor on farms, in commercial agriculture— particularly in the cotton sector—in artisanal mines, at construction sites, or as street or market vendors. A 2013 study cited over 7,800 children subjected to labor exploitation in the markets of Cotonou, Porto-Novo, and Parakou. Children from neighboring countries are also in forced labor in these sectors;Togolese girls are exploited in prostitution in Benin. Cases of child sex tourism, involving both boys and girls in Mono and on the shores of the Bight of Benin have been reported in previous years. In northern Benin, children in Koranic schools, known as talibe, are exploited in forced begging by Koranic teachers known as marabouts. The majority of child trafficking victims are from the northern regions, and many are recruited and transported to neighboring countries, where they are forced to labor in homes, mines, quarries, restaurants, markets, and on cocoa farms. The majority of child victims intercepted in Benin, either from Benin or other West African countries, are exploited within the country. Benin is the largest source country for trafficking victims in the Republic of the Congo.West African women are exploited in domestic servitude and forced prostitution in Benin, and Beninese women are victims of sex trafficking in Lebanon.
The Government of Benin does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so.The government continued to prosecute and convict child traffickers and to identify and provide protective services to child victims. During the reporting period, the government identified 220 potential child trafficking victims and convicted ten offenders for the illegal movement of these children. However, authorities continued to focus on intercepting traffickers and victims in transit rather than rescuing persons from exploitation in the country. Anti-trafficking legislation—including prohibitions and penalties for the trafficking of adults—remained pending review by the Ministry of Justice for the third consecutive year. The government failed to systematically investigate instances of trafficking of adults and provide protective services to adult victims. It also did not investigate or prosecute any sex trafficking or forced labor offenses that did not involve the movement of victims within Benin or across borders. Anti-trafficking progress continues to be hindered by the lack of adequate funding and staffing for the Office for the Protection of Minors (OCPM), the Ministry of Family (MOF), and the Ministry of Labor (MOL). During the year, allegations of official complicity resurfaced.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BENIN:
Finalize and enact draft legislation to criminalize all forms of

trafficking consistent with the 2000 UN TIP Protocol; increase efforts to convict and punish trafficking offenders, including complicit officials, via existing statutes to prosecute sex and labor trafficking of adults and children; adequately sentence convicted trafficking offenders; develop systematic procedures for the proactive identification of victims—including those found to be in situations of forced labor—and their subsequent referral to care; train law enforcement officials on relevant legislation and identification and referral procedures; greatly increase funding to OCPM, MOL, and MOF to ensure they can adequately carry out their responsibilities for inspecting worksites for trafficking crimes and providing support to victims; improve efforts to collect law enforcement data on trafficking offenses and make it available to other government agencies and the public; and launch a nationwide anti-trafficking awareness campaign.