PROTECTION
The government maintained efforts to assist female child sex trafficking victims, but services remained inadequate overall. Immigration officials continued efforts to identify possible trafficking victims in border regions; however, the government did not typically employ procedures to proactively identify trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, such as adults in prostitution or migrant workers. In 2014, the government reported identifying 87 victims compared with 84 victims identified in 2013. Those identified included 76 female victims and 11 male victims; 68 victims were children and nine were adults, while the ages of 10 were unknown. Three were victims of forced labor and 10 were non-Salvadoran, all from neighboring countries.The government did not provide statistics on the number of LGBT victims, if any, identified.
Victim referral to services remained uneven, and it was unclear how many victims received specialized services. For example, the government offered no specialized services or shelter to boys, adults, or LGBT victims, and NGOs and officials reported a particular need for shelter, rehabilitation, and mental health services for these populations.The government shelter for female

child sex trafficking victims offered psychological and medical care to an unknown number of victims in 2014; as of early 2015, the shelter housed 13 victims—the maximum it could accommodate. Residents of the shelter were required to recount their trafficking experience multiple times to various government entities, highlighting a lack of interagency coordination and leading to re-victimization. Repatriated Salvadoran victims could be referred to services and the police. Authorities made efforts to screen for trafficking indicators among the Salvadorans returned from abroad; however, returnees were often reluctant to communicate with officials about their experiences, and therefore, many victims may have remained unidentified.
Although it reported using procedures to protect victims’ identities in court, the government did not provide further witness protection to guard against reprisal from traffickers. In 2014, three convictions included civil compensation awards ranging from $300 to $15,000; however, victims had to work through the civil courts to receive payment, and it is unknown if they received any compensation. Identified trafficking victims generally were not charged, jailed, or penalized for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being subjected to human trafficking. However, due to the lack of a formal mechanism to screen vulnerable populations, some unidentified victims may have been punished for such crimes. Furthermore, civil society organizations reported the government treated as criminals children forced to engage in illicit activity by criminal groups—rather than providing them protection as trafficking victims.There were no formal policies for providing alternatives to removal for foreign trafficking victims who may face hardship or retribution in their home countries.

PREVENTION
The government maintained modest prevention efforts.The newly enacted law includes provisions to strengthen the anti-trafficking council and calls for the development of a national action plan. During the year, the council coordinated interagency efforts and continued to implement its existing national policy on trafficking, though government entities lacked adequate funding to fulfill their responsibilities and interagency cooperation remained weak. Government agencies used television, radio, and print media to warn the public against the dangers of trafficking, though these public messages typically focused only on the trafficking of women and girls.The government did not punish labor recruiters for illegal practices that contribute to trafficking or to enforce labor migration policies that could decrease migrants’ vulnerability to exploitation abroad. With funding from a foreign donor, the government conducted training on the prevention of child sex tourism for businesses in the tourism sector. It did not report identifying, investigating, or prosecuting any cases of child sex tourism during the year.The government provided anti-trafficking training for its diplomatic personnel. Authorities did not report efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts or forced labor.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA:  Tier 3
Equatorial Guinea is a source country for children subjected to sex trafficking and a destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor. The majority of trafficking victims are exploited in the cities of Malabo, Bata, Mongomo, and Oyala, where burgeoning construction and economic activity funded by oil wealth have contributed to increases in the demand for cheap

labor and prostitution. Equatoguinean girls are exploited in the sex trade in these cities, and some parents may encourage their daughters to engage in prostitution, especially with foreigners, in exchange for groceries, gifts, housing, and money. Children from nearby countries—primarily Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon,Togo, and Gabon—may be forced to work as domestic servants, market laborers, ambulant vendors, and launders. Women from Cameroon, Benin, and other neighboring countries are recruited for work in Equatorial Guinea, but may be subsequently subjected to forced labor or forced prostitution. Significant populations of Chinese women migrate to Equatorial Guinea for work or to engage in prostitution, and may be subject to passport confiscation. Sub-contractor staff in the oil services and construction sectors, including both male and female migrants from other parts of Africa, Asia, and the Americas, may be vulnerable to forced labor, as they reportedly endure sub-standard working conditions and, in some instances, may be subject to passport confiscation. General corruption and complicity by government officials in trafficking- related offenses were common during the reporting period.
The Government of Equatorial Guinea does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so. During the reporting period, the government did not make efforts to identify or protect trafficking victims, or prosecute traffickers, despite having a 2004 anti-trafficking law that prohibits all forms of trafficking and mandates provision of services to victims. The government continued to deport undocumented migrants without screening them to determine whether they were victims of trafficking or referring them to assistance services. The government failed to provide any training for government officials or undertake trafficking awareness campaigns, and its inter-ministerial anti- trafficking commission remained inactive. Given its substantial financial resources and its failure to demonstrate any significant improvement from the previous reporting period, the government remains Tier 3.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EQUATORIAL GUINEA:
Use the 2004 anti-trafficking law to prosecute and convict trafficking offenders and complicit officials; develop formal procedures to identify trafficking victims among child laborers, undocumented immigrants, and women and girls in prostitution; dedicate funding for the sheltering and protection of trafficking victims and develop a formal system to refer victims to such care; train social workers, law enforcement, and immigration officials in the use of trafficking victim identification and referral procedures; cease summary deportation of foreign men, women, and children without first screening them to determine if they are trafficking victims and, if appropriate, providing them with care and safe, voluntary repatriation; notify embassies when their nationals have been detained based on international law, agreements, and standards; revive and dedicate resources to the inter-ministerial anti-trafficking commission to facilitate its development and implementation of a