Despite efforts over the last year to combat human trafficking, Jamaica has been given another Tier-2 rating by the United States Government.

Tier-2 comprises countries that are demonstrating a commitment to addressing their problems but have not yet achieved international standards.

The report, which was released yesterday by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, said Jamaica is still a source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labour.

The report added that, while the majority were poor women and girls, there has been an increase in the number of boys being trafficked from rural areas to urban and resort towns for commercial sexual exploitation.

"Victims are typically recruited by family members or newspaper advertisements promoting work as spa attendants, masseuses, or dancers; after being recruited, however, victims are coerced into prostitution," the report claims.

"Jamaican children also may be subjected to conditions of forced labour as domestic servants," it adds.

Sexual exploitation

The report stated that sexual exploitation in the tourism areas is a particular problem. It said women have been trafficked from the Dominican Republic, Russia and eastern Europe into Jamaica's sex trade, while Jamaican women and girls have been trafficked to countries such as Canada, the US, The Bahamas and other parts of the Caribbean for commercial sex exploitation.

The report states that, while the Jamaican Government is making significant efforts to combat trafficking in persons, it is not complying fully with the minimum standards for eliminating the problem.

It states that over the last year the Government increased activities to prevent human trafficking, but its efforts to punish traffickers and assist victims remained inadequate.

A Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Suppression and Punishment) Act was enacted in Jamaica last year.