In its annual report on human trafficking of 2018, the State Department decided to keep Algeria at the second level of the countries under surveillance for the second year in a row.
The report, issued on Thursday, 28 June 2018, said that the remarks made to the authorities in Algeria on the issue of human trafficking and dealing with migrants were the same last year, accusing the Algerian government for its non-commitment to meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking in human beings.
The report did not deny the efforts made by the Algerian authorities to address the phenomenon but pointed out that the government has not reported any condemnation of human trafficking or related crimes and has not implemented a plan to prevent and combat human trafficking.
The State Department criticized the authorities’ non-identification of victims, especially weak groups, or the adaptation of common standard for dealing with all the victims. The report considered that Algeria did not provide the adequate protection measures for all the victims due to the lack of procedures for the victim identification and formal examination procedures.
The report called on the Algerian authorities, among a set of recommendations, to implement the Presidential Decree 2016 concerning the establishment of the Anti-Human Trafficking National Committee. It also called on the Algerian authorities to investigate and prosecute human trafficking cases and to issue severe penalties against the perpetrators of sex crimes and workers’ traffickers for punishment.
It also called for adopting formal procedures to identify the victim in a proactive manner, improving the level of training and training programs in this field in favor of security agents, judicial authorities, health care providers and social workers to improve the level of agents in dealing with trafficking cases and protecting victims.
The report proposed the development of formal mechanisms to provide the adequate protection services to victims either directly or through partnership with non-governmental and international organizations through the provision of a shelter, adequate medical and psychosocial care, legal assistance and the help of those wishing to return home for all victims of trafficking. Moreover, it stressed that the victims should not be detained or deported for acts committed as a direct result of their exposure to trafficking, ensuring their safe and voluntary return through cooperation with the relevant organizations and diplomatic representations of the concerned states and granting alternatives for the deportation, if there are concerns about the safety of persons in their countries.
The report also called for continuing the awareness-raising efforts on indicators and risks of trafficking, including the difference between human trafficking and smuggling, as well as, following-up and reporting criminal cases and implementing the action plan for forming an Anti-Human Trafficking National Committee.
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