PROTECTION
The government made limited efforts to protect victims. HTU officers implemented a standardized procedure of screening questions when apprehending persons in prostitution and others suspected of being trafficking victims. These efforts led to the screening of potential victims in 81 cases and the identification of two sex trafficking victims. Authorities did not identify any victims compelled into sex or labor exploitation through debt bondage or threats of deportation; some officials considered physical abuse or confinement as necessary factors for trafficking, raising concerns about the effectiveness of the government’s identification efforts. Officials apprehended foreign women during brothel raids and detained and deported many for immigration violations; though authorities screened for potential trafficking, misconceptions among some officials may have resulted in some victims remaining unidentified and being subjected to punishment. Similarly, some immigration authorities actively identified and charged violators of immigration laws without reporting identification of or assistance to any trafficking victims among this population. Some trafficking victims, particularly those whose documents had been confiscated or those who had been forced to violate other laws in the course of being subjected to trafficking, may have been fearful of communicating with law enforcement officers. The government maintained a general-purpose shelter that could be used to assist female trafficking victims, but it only permitted them to leave under special circumstances, and then only when accompanied by shelter staff. One victim received assistance in the shelter and two chose to reside at their respective embassies. A mixed-use shelter was available for male child victims, but no facilities were available for men. There were no identified male victims that required such a facility during the reporting period. The 2004 law established a fund to pay the cost of victims’ repatriation and compensate individuals helping to prevent or suppress trafficking; however, court judgments—of which there have been none—were intended to be the primary source of funding, and the fund lacked resources. During the reporting period, the Ministry of Home Affairs requested a financial allocation from the government’s budget for the fund; negotiations were ongoing at the close of the reporting period.The lack of incentives to remain in Brunei often led foreign victims to decline participation in investigations and elect immediate repatriation.The government reported certain labor trafficking victims who had been legally employed when

subjected to trafficking could be eligible on a case-by-case basis to receive employment passes to temporarily work in Brunei while assisting in investigations, though no such passes were issued for a third consecutive year. The government offered no long-term alternatives to removal for victims who may face hardship or retribution upon return to their home countries.

PREVENTION
The government continued efforts to prevent trafficking. The government’s interagency committee met regularly and coordinated implementation of a national action plan to combat trafficking, though the plan was not formally approved during the reporting period.The government conducted a national roadshow to raise awareness among the public, and briefings for representatives of foreign diplomatic missions in Brunei on the dangers of trafficking and the process for reporting cases to authorities. Government- influenced media regularly published articles related to trafficking. The government disseminated information telling the public that employers should not withhold workers’ passports and closed three employment agencies for operating without a license, but it did not prosecute any employers or agencies for passport confiscation. The government fined an employer for failing to pay the wages of a domestic worker—an act known to facilitate forced labor—and awarded the worker compensation for unpaid wages.The government did not provide anti-trafficking training or guidance for its diplomatic personnel. It did not take discernible measures to decrease the demand for forced labor or commercial sex acts. Brunei is not a party to the 2000 UN TIP Protocol.

BULGARIA: Tier 2 Watch List   
Bulgaria is a source and, to a lesser extent, a transit and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Bulgaria remains one of the primary source countries of human trafficking in the EU. Bulgarian women and children are subjected to sex trafficking within the country, as well as in Europe, Russia, the Middle East, and the United States. Several NGOs assert internal trafficking is increasing. Bulgarian men, women, and children are subjected to forced labor in Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the UK, and Zambia, predominantly in agriculture, construction, and the service sector. Bulgarian children and adults with disabilities are forced into street begging and petty theft within Bulgaria and also in Austria, Greece, Italy, Sweden, and the UK. Romanian girls are subjected to sex trafficking in Bulgaria. Government corruption creates an environment enabling some trafficking crimes.
The Government of Bulgaria does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Despite these measures, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing anti-trafficking efforts compared to the previous reporting period; therefore, Bulgaria is placed onTier 2 Watch List. During the reporting period, governmental anti-trafficking efforts in prosecution, protection, prevention, and coordination all declined. Bulgaria remained one of the largest source countries of trafficking victims in the EU, yet the government did not fund specialized trafficking victim services.Two state-owned trafficking shelters for women ceased to operate.While a municipality opened one apartment for post- shelter accommodation in November 2014, the country’s overall

capacity to shelter and provide services was minimal relative to the number of victims identified. Specialized services for child and adult male victims of trafficking were nonexistent. National coordination was marked by inactivity due to the absence of a key leader, staff turnover, structural changes, and overall political instability. Authorities prosecuted and convicted considerably fewer traffickers and issued suspended sentences for the majority of those convicted. Law enforcement action against public officials and police officers complicit in trafficking offenses increased significantly.

RECOMMENDATIONS   FOR BULGARIA:
Enhance efforts to investigate, prosecute, and convict traffickers, particularly for labor trafficking, and hold convicted traffickers accountable with prison sentences; provide for specialized assistance, including shelter care, to men, women, and children subjected to trafficking; enhance national coordination through an active national commission and secretariat and development of a current national action plan; proactively target, investigate, prosecute, and convict government officials complicit in trafficking, and hold convicted officials accountable with prison sentences; provide all male victims with services, including reintegration assistance and legal services; provide sensitivity training to prosecutors and judges working with sex trafficking victims; implement a comprehensive database of trafficking crimes and victims identified, referred, and assisted; and allocate government funding for awareness campaigns, including outreach activities to Romani communities.