Belize off sex trafficking bad list

After experiencing a good deal of embarrassment in 2003, Belize can claim some credit as one of a handful of countries removed from the U.S. State Department’s 2004 sex trafficking blacklist. Belize, along with Bosnia, Suriname, the Dominican Republic, and Georgia were commended for making significant improvements in their efforts to fight what is called trafficking in persons. They will join several dozen nations on a “tier two watch list” for those countries not yet in full compliance with U.S. standards, but moving toward that goal. Last year’s placement of Belize in the ranks of major violators caused a flurry of legislative and executive activity under which new anti-trafficking laws were passed and a hurried series of arrests made–a number of which ended with U.S. citizens being put behind bars.