The U.S. State Department has placed Brazil and South Africa on its human-trafficking watch list, citing what it described as both countries’ failure to demonstrate sufficient progress in combating the crime.
The decision, announced in the department’s annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, comes amid already heightened tensions between the Trump administration and the two governments.
Released Monday after a nearly three-month delay caused by staffing cuts, the report evaluates global efforts to fight forced labor, sex trafficking, and other forms of modern slavery.
Brazil and South Africa were downgraded to the report’s “Tier 2 Watch List,” a category that warns governments they could face U.S. sanctions if stronger measures are not taken, according to Reuters.
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The TIP report noted that while both nations had made efforts, the steps were not enough.
In South Africa, officials created the country’s first sub-provincial task team and achieved more convictions, but they identified fewer victims and pursued fewer investigations and prosecutions.
Brazil, meanwhile, initiated fewer trafficking investigations and prosecutions compared with previous years, and its courts recorded a decline in initial convictions.
Tensions between Washington and the two countries have already been strained.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused South Africa, without evidence, of persecuting its white minority, and has introduced both a refugee program for white South Africans and steep tariffs.
Brazil has been hit with U.S. visa restrictions and financial sanctions following the trial and conviction of former president Jair Bolsonaro, a close ally of Trump.
The new designation places additional pressure on both governments, as being on the watch list carries a stigma that can undermine investor confidence and reduce aid flows.
Without significant progress, Brazil and South Africa risk further reputational and economic fallout.
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Image Credit: Stateline
