with 46 victims in 2013. Law 1069 makes local governments responsible for providing services beyond emergency care, but they lacked sufficient funding to provide specialized services, as most had no funding dedicated to trafficking victim care. The government reported departmental committees provided services to 50 victims identified in 2014, but it was unclear what services these victims received. Frequent turnover of departmental staff hampered victim protection. In some cases, police took child victims to hotels, as there were no shelters available. ICBF provided emergency psycho-social, medical, and legal care to child victims of sexual violence and assisted 108 children in prostitution.Working with an international organization receiving foreign donor funds, the government assisted children recruited by illegal armed groups and provided them with health, psycho-social, and education services; as of December 2014, 403 children were receiving this assistance, including 277 who had entered the program in 2014, and 192 of whom were institutionalized. Authorities lacked sufficient funding and personnel to provide tailored services, reintegration work with families, and vocational training for these children.
Thirty victims cooperated with law enforcement in trafficking investigations, and victims could also choose to participate in the victims and witness protection program. Some victims were reluctant to report their exploitation or testify against their traffickers due to fear of reprisals or lack of trust in the justice system. Authorities did not always provide adequate protection and security for victims participating in investigations.There were no new reports of victims being jailed or otherwise penalized for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being subjected to trafficking. The government provided no updates on reports indicating a trafficking victim remained incarcerated as of February 2014 due to the testimony of another victim’s father. Authorities could provide foreign trafficking victims with temporary permission to remain in the country during the investigative process on a case-by-case basis; however, authorities have never reported doing so.There were no reports victims filed for or received restitution.

PREVENTION
The government continued diverse prevention efforts.The MOI- run interagency anti-trafficking committee met on a regular basis and increased engagement with NGOs but did not finalize the pending anti-trafficking strategy. Authorities also drafted a decree on establishing a national trafficking information system. Interagency coordination of anti-trafficking efforts was uneven as the government treated different forms of trafficking as distinct crimes subject to different government entities’ jurisdiction. Authorities maintained an interagency commission for the prevention of child recruitment by armed groups and a separate committee on child sexual exploitation. All 32 departments in Colombia had anti-trafficking committees, but these groups maintained varying degrees of activity and effectiveness. MOI maintained a trafficking hotline.Authorities launched a high-profile trafficking awareness campaign and conducted other prevention efforts, often in partnership with international organizations and NGOs. The government continued a prevention campaign on child sex tourism and conducted workshops for hospitality and tourism industry representatives.The government did not report other efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts or forced labor. Authorities conducted investigations for child sex tourism but did not report prosecutions or convictions for this crime. The government provided anti-trafficking training for its diplomatic personnel.

COMOROS:  Tier 3* 
The Comoros is a source country for children subjected to forced labor and, reportedly, sex trafficking within the country; Comoran women and children are subjected to forced labor in Mayotte and it is a possible transit country for Malagasy women who may endure forced labor in the Middle East. Children are subjected to forced labor mostly on the island of Anjouan, in domestic service, roadside and market vending, baking, fishing, and agriculture. On the islands of Anjouan and Moheli, it is common for poor rural families to place their children with wealthier relatives or acquaintances in urban areas or on the island of Grande Comore for access to schooling and other benefits; however, some of these children become victims of domestic servitude. Most Comoran boys and girls aged three to seven years (but on occasion up to age 14 years) study at Koranic schools headed by private instructors, and some are exploited as field hands or domestic servants as payment for instruction; these Koranic students are sometimes subjected to physical and sexual abuse. Girls are reportedly exploited in prostitution in the Comoros. An NGO reported tourists from the neighboring French island of Mayotte are among the clients of children in prostitution in Anjouan. Comorans may be particularly vulnerable to transnational trafficking due to a lack of adequate border controls, corruption within the administration, and the existence of international criminal networks involved in human smuggling. Unaccompanied Comoran children become victims of domestic servitude and prostitution on the island of Mayotte, at times after the deportation of their parents. French officials recognize the 3,000 unaccompanied children on the island—the majority of whom are Comoran—as requiring urgent assistance. During the year, a Mayotte court convicted Comoran nationals for human trafficking following their exploitation of their niece in domestic servitude. The Comoros may be a destination for forced labor, as officials noted Malagasy women and girls and East African women in domestic service, with some reports of abuse and potential coercion.
The Government of the Comoros does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and was placed on Tier 2 Watch List from 2011-2014.The Trafficking Victims Protection Act provides that a country may remain on Tier 2 Watch List for only two consecutive years, unless that restriction is waived because the government has a written plan to bring itself into compliance with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. In the 2013 and 2014 TIP Reports, Comoros was granted consecutive waivers from an otherwise required downgrade to Tier 3 on the basis of the government having a written plan to bring itself into compliance with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.TheTrafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) authorizes a maximum of two consecutive waivers. A waiver is no longer available to Comoros, which is therefore deemed not to be making significant efforts to comply with the minimum standards and is placed on Tier
3. In 2014, Parliament passed amendments to the penal code, including anti-trafficking provisions, and a new criminal procedure code providing implementation guidelines on the new criminal sanctions; however, these revised codes have not been promulgated by the executive and are not currently in effect. In addition, in partnership with an international organization, the government organized a multifaceted anti-trafficking public awareness and education campaign in 2014. Nonetheless, the government did not make tangible efforts to prosecute trafficking crimes and protect victims.The government increased its capacity to combat trafficking