PREVENTION
The government made uneven efforts to prevent human trafficking. In February 2015, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi publicly acknowledged the growing problem of street children and announced the allocation of approximately 100 million Egyptian pounds ($14 million) to combat the issue; however, it was unclear to relevant ministries how this funding was to be allocated for anti-trafficking measures.The government continued to implement its national anti-trafficking action plan. Under this plan, the government partnered with an international organization to improve data collection and combat trafficking among street children and domestic workers. In 2014, the government conducted a series of research studies on trafficking in Egypt and held online awareness campaigns, yet these campaigns only reached a small portion of Egyptian society.The government operated and fully- staffed a telephone hotline to report trafficking abuses, which reportedly was responsible for referring an unknown number of trafficking victims in 2014. The government also expanded the hotline in 2014 to include on-call counselors and an online referral team.The government proposed the establishment of a database to collect trafficking data and cases, but it was not implemented by the end of the reporting period.The government did not report if the Ministry of Manpower and Migration inspectors, trained to investigate employers suspected of child labor or trafficking crimes, identified any trafficking cases during routine inspections in 2014. The government did not make efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts or forced labor, and it did not raise awareness of the problem of child sex tourism.The government offered anti- trafficking training for Egyptian troops before deploying them on international peacekeeping missions. The government provided anti-trafficking training or guidance for its diplomatic personnel.

EL SALVADOR:  Tier 2 
El Salvador is a source, transit, and destination country for women, men, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Women, men, and children, including LGBT persons, are exploited in sex trafficking within the country. Salvadoran adults and children are subjected to forced begging and forced labor in agriculture and domestic service. Some men, women, and children from neighboring countries—particularly Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Honduras—are subjected to sex trafficking, domestic servitude, or forced labor in construction or the informal sector. Gangs subject children to forced labor in illicit activities, including selling or transporting drugs. Salvadoran men, women, and children are subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor in Guatemala, Mexico, Belize, and the United States. Media and government officials report organized criminal groups, including transnational criminal organizations, are involved in trafficking crimes. Some Salvadorans who irregularly migrate to the United States are subjected to forced labor, forced criminal activity, or sex trafficking en route or upon arrival. Some Latin American migrants transiting El Salvador en route to Guatemala and North America are subsequently exploited in

sex or labor trafficking. Corruption, particularly among the judiciary, remained a significant obstacle to law enforcement efforts. In 2014, media reported several public officials—including legislators, political party officials, and a mayor—purchased commercial sex acts from trafficking victims. Prison guards and justice officials have been investigated for trafficking-related complicity.
The Government of El Salvador does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Authorities continued to investigate and prosecute child sex trafficking crimes and provide services to some girls subjected to sex trafficking. The government enacted new legislation that increased penalties for human trafficking offenses and codified an institutional framework for addressing these crimes; however, its definition of human trafficking is inconsistent with international law. Victim services for adults, boys, and LGBT victims were inadequate. Efforts to investigate labor crimes remained weak.The government’s failure to conduct a thorough, transparent investigation into allegations that government officials facilitated trafficking in 2014, or to initiate prosecutions following such investigations in previous years, undermined overall efforts to combat trafficking.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EL SALVADOR:
Provide comprehensive protection services for all trafficking victims, including adults and boys, and increase funding for specialized services; strengthen efforts to proactively investigate and prosecute trafficking offenses, and to convict and sentence traffickers, especially for forced labor; conduct thorough and transparent criminal investigations and prosecutions of alleged government complicity in trafficking offenses and convict and sentence complicit officials; amend the 2014 anti-trafficking law to include a definition of human trafficking consistent with international law; implement procedures for the proactive identification of victims among vulnerable groups, including children apprehended for illicit gang- related activities and irregular migrants returning to El Salvador; enforce laws punishing local brokers for illegal practices that facilitate trafficking, such as fraudulent recruitment or excessive fees for migration or job placement; continue and increase training for public officials on victim identification and assistance; and strengthen anti-trafficking coordination between different government entities and with civil society organizations, particularly outside the capital.

PROSECUTION
The government continued law enforcement efforts to combat child sex trafficking, but made inadequate efforts to address forced labor; authorities have never prosecuted a labor trafficker. In October 2014, the legislature passed the Special Law Against Trafficking in Persons, which took effect in January 2015. This law replaced Article 367B of the penal code and increased prescribed penalties for human trafficking crimes from four to eight years’ imprisonment to 10 to 14 years’ imprisonment, which are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with penalties prescribed

for other serious offenses, such as rape.Though it prohibits all forms of human trafficking, the law includes a definition of trafficking that is inconsistent with international law, as it treats force, fraud, and coercion as aggravating factors, rather than essential elements of most trafficking crimes.The government used Article 367B of the penal code to prosecute all cases in 2014. Despite evidence of force or coercion used by gangs to compel children to engage in illicit activities, authorities failed to investigate or prosecute any such crimes as human trafficking.
Data collection remained a challenge. The government almost exclusively investigated and prosecuted child sex trafficking crimes. In 2014, officials opened 53 investigations, but did not report how many, if any, involved labor trafficking. Authorities prosecuted and convicted seven sex traffickers, a decrease from at least 14 suspects prosecuted and 12 offenders convicted in 2013. Offenders convicted in 2014 received sentences ranging from eight to 63 years’ imprisonment. Some officials, particularly judges, demonstrated a limited understanding of human trafficking, which impeded efforts to hold traffickers accountable. During the year, the government provided several trainings to police, prosecutors, and judges on investigating trafficking crimes, assisting victims, and ensuring their access to justice. Salvadoran officials provided training to Panamanian officials on strengthening anti-trafficking responses. Authorities cooperated on trafficking investigations with officials from INTERPOL, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, and the United States.
There were media reports that several officials purchased commercial sex acts from trafficking victims. The government opened an investigation into the case, but closed it to public inquiry. Without additional transparency, the thoroughness of the investigation cannot be determined. The government reported investigating one suspected case of sex trafficking by a public official, but did not provide details. It did not report any developments in a 2012 case of three prison guards arrested for facilitating sex trafficking or a 2009 investigation of trafficking-related complicity by the former head of the prosecutorial anti-trafficking unit. Despite several reports and investigations initiated in previous reporting periods, in 2014, the government did not prosecute or convict any government employees complicit in human trafficking offenses.